Death of a Salesman

Author:  Arthur Miller grew up in New York City and his family was respected.  He is of Polish and Jewish descent so he is a minority.  While living in New York City the stock market crashed and his family lost all of their money.  His background helps explain where Death of a Salesman comes from.  Miller sees what he thinks is a fault in the capitalistic world from living in New York City, the capital of capitalism, and from experiencing the effects of the Great Depression.

Setting:  The play takes place in New York City in the 1930s-1940s.  The Loman’s house is transparent is surrounded by numerous apartment buildings that prevent sunlight from reaching their backyard.  Part of the story is in a Boston hotel room but this is part of a flashback in Willy’s memory.

Plot:  The story revolves around Willy Loman and his life.  There isn’t a main purpose to the story (in my opinion) but that Willy is trying to succeed in a capitalistic society.  Willy is trying to achieve what he sees as the gateway to success.  He thinks that if he is well liked then he will automatically become rich.  The other part of the plot is Willy trying to mold Biff into the man he wants him to be.

Characters:

Willy:  He is the husband to Linda and he is struggling in the capitalistic society.  He never seems to be able to achieve success because either he holds himself back or Linda does for various reasons.  Willy likes to think big and has a tendency to exaggerate; he is prone to hyperbole.  His actions could lead one to think that he is an uncaring individual as he cheats on his wife and taught his sons to live by principles that have set them up for failure.  His mind is in an unstable condition as he keeps reliving his past.

Linda:  Willy’s wife may be perceived as selfish because she held her husband back from the one opportunity he had at success.  She is a woman who prefers continuity and convinced herself that everything would work out in the capitalistic world.  Whatever her reasoning is, Willy can never fit into such a society.  However, she is a caring and a dedicated wife.

Biff:  He is the favored son and doesn’t wish to be molded by his father because he sees that Willy’s principles will and have failed him in life.  Biff was good at football and had potential, however, he does steal a lot.  At the end thought Biff finds himself and knows how to start leading a life that can help him achieve what the wants.

Happy:  He is dumb, in my opinion, and will simply follow in his footsteps.  So to understand Happy just reread the play and cross out Willy’s name and insert Happy’s.  Happy is the picture of neglect, neither of his parents cares about what he does with his life and they focus all of their attention on Biff.

Charley:  He is a next-door neighbor to Willy and he has achieved success because he knows what it means to work hard.  Charley, although he is often disgusted with Willy, stands by him and helps him out like a true friend.   Charley may enjoy Willy’s company because Willy is filled with life and hope.

Bernard:  He is a foil to Biff and the son of Charley.  Bernard was successful in school and listens to his father’s principles to earn his way in life.

                  The author employs flash backs to achieve a shift in time as part of his style in Death of a Salesman..  Imagery is used to describe one of the shifts in time as Willy talks about how it would be great if his boys carried his suitcases in Boston for him, and everyone could see how well liked he is.

                  The shifts in time are used to show Willy’s life in a capitalism capitalistic society and how the effects of this society lead to failure.  As a result the tone is melancholy yet hopeful as the characters fight through tough times and in the process find themselves and their purpose in life.  Readers know that Biff will be fine in life when he says, “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be . . . when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am” (132).  Biff understands the pitfalls of capitalism and how to avoid them.  This is an important quote because it tells Americans that one can still have an American dream even if it isn’t within a capitalistic system.

                  A symbol for their struggles is the Loman’s backyard, which doesn’t receive sunlight.  It symbolizes that Willy is too late in training his children to work hard to achieve wealth.  This symbol is from the point of view of someone who sees what a capitalistic society does and how it operates.  As the shifts in time occur the reader sees the symbols in the play and the point of view of the story as it directs them to understand Willy’s past and how capitalism leads him to make the decisions that the does.

Through out the play American capitalism is depicted as a society in which people are taken in, exploited and when they are no longer of use, they are dismissed and cast off.  The title of the work, Death of a Salesman, demonstrates the outcome of this theme.  Willy Loman literally dies in the play; the effects of capitalism bring about his death.  The play is a tragedy but Willy is no epic hero, instead he is a working class man who wants to become rich.  The title suggests a dichotomy; capitalism promotes the American dream yet in the very pursuit of this dream and a better life it is the very thing that kills the working man.

This theme is also supported by the setting, which is New York City, the capital of capitalism with its vast wealth and the things wealth can produce.  The people who hold positions of status in New York City are most likely born into the elite class, Willy is not of this class.  Willy is better with his hands, as in he should have been a carpenter.  He does not have the family or connections that is needed to succeed as a salesman in a capitalistic society.  He tries to advance in his position but is unable to do so, and when he no longer can perform his duties, he is fired.  Thus capitalism lures men in to be used and when they are ineffective or too old to work, they are disposed of.

Not only does setting reinforce this theme, but also the plot that revolves around success and achieving a status of notability.  Willy tries to gain a position so that he no longer has to travel but he never can get it, and he thinks that if he is well liked then he will surely succeed.  However, this is not the case, he gives his whole life to capitalism only to turn into a man without friends, without a job, and without a stable family.  At the end of the play Happy is determined to win in a capitalistic society show his father didn’t die in vain; he thinks that he has a chance of winning, but he doesn’t realize that his family doesn’t fit into the capitalistic mold.

Willy’s philosophy of being well liked hinders his success in the capitalistic world. When Willy is talking about how if he is surround by his two sons who worship him, carrying his bags in Boston, then people will see him as being popular so then he will surely be well liked.  Through this description readers see that his philosophy is based on false values.  Although, they are false, this scene shows the desire of many Americans who wish to be a success or at least appear to be a success in the capitalistic world.  They think that if they get notoriety then they will be content in life, and automatically become a part of the elite society.  However, this is not the case, capitalism looks appealing but it really is only rewarding to those who have an automatic position in it. 

For Willy it is too hard to fight against the forces of capitalism to succeed.  When Charley says, “He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding, on a smile and a shoeshine.  And when they start not smiling back--that’s an earthquake… and you’re finished” (138).  He means that Willy’s job is tough and takes skill, but setbacks in his sales defeat his confidence and start the path to failure.  This is an important quote because it shows that the forces of capitalism are too strong to overcome and will lead to one’s demise.

A main symbol in the play is Howard’s recording machine.  The recorder has Howard’s daughter, son, and wife recorded on it, and he talks about the maid and how she can’t work it.  Willy is all of these people except the son.  He adores Howard like the daughter and all of importance in the capitalistic society; he looks up to them.  Then he is the wife who is embarrassing because he can’t do his job, and he is the maid because he doesn’t understand that times are changing.  The recorder symbolizes success and new innovation, which Willy is lacking.  Willy isn’t the right type of man and therefore is subject to be in the shadows of those who rule society. 

The author’s style further supports Willy’s weak personality.  Miller uses shifts in time to show the audience that Willy isn’t strong enough to stand up to Linda and say no we are going to Alaska where there is a chance for success.  Instead he lets Linda run over him.  Due to Willy being weak, he doesn’t have the right character or understanding to succeed in this competitive environment.  As a result the society choses to take Willy in and convinces him that he can be something so that he will work hard, but when he is no longer needed, he is dismissed.    

The narrative voice shifts depending on which character is speaking but it shows the reader how people are affected by capitalism and its influence on their thoughts.  Subsequently the tone of the play shifts as well but for many characters it shifts between depression and hopefulness.  The tone is a result of the theme because the characters, while aware of the high probability against achieving the American dream, still think that they can win.