Introduction
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is a play. Adhering to the genre of tragedy, the play depicts the dramatic story of a middle-aged salesman, Willy Loman, who struggles to cope with his past and eventually loses the fight against its consequences. Through the exemplification of an individual’s struggle, the play discusses identity loss and a man’s resistance to change in his life and the surrounding society.
Summary
The general topic of the story refers to the American Dream of the 20th century, which drastically differs from the original adventurous and fortune-seeking version. In light of this, viewers and readers are shown the final day of Willy Loman’s life as a mixture of flashbacks, dreams, encounters, and disagreements. In the protagonist’s failure to achieve the dream, the play reaches out to the American working class to invoke sympathy. This way, the author conveys the dream’s potential danger, especially considering the absence of a clear path towards it.
Analysis
Despite his lack of intelligence as a child, Miller opted to pursue a career as a writer and pursued a journalistic education, receiving honors for his playwriting. Miller’s first play debuted in 1944, whereas his first substantial commercial triumph occurred in 1947 (Simon, 2023). However, he became famous only in 1949 due to Death of a Salesman, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize (Simon, 2023). In it, Miller claimed that people may be defined by a single incident and their attempts to hide or erase that experience.
He created a self-reinforcing cycle of denial, paradox, and order vs. chaos to support this claim using the Loman family. In particular, Miller uses the method of exemplification, concentrating on Willy’s prior affair and its consequences. For instance, before learning of adultery, Willy’s son Biff admired his father, believed all of his tales, and even agreed with Willy that everything is possible if one is “well-liked” (Miller, 1949, p. 16).
However, when Biff learns that Willy has been unfaithful to his wife, Linda, he is forced to reexamine his father’s worldview. Biff concludes that Willy has merely fabricated a self-image for himself and everyone around him (Miller, 1949). Willy’s suicide and the following funeral mark the play’s end, raising controversial interpretations of his decision—some might sympathize with the protagonist’s weakness, while others would blame him for it.
Evaluation
Overall, the author manages to achieve his goal of warning against the pursuit of the American Dream. Interestingly enough, he proves his thesis regardless of whether viewers or readers approve or disapprove of the protagonist. The mentioned differences raise the discussion around the subject and provide evidence of the potential outcome in a singular case. In this context, Miller avoids any potential accusations of bias since he merely represents the failure of achieving the dream, which happens in most cases. This is why the book proves convincing—the primary debate is focused on judging the protagonist’s actions, not the plot or narrative structure.
The case of suicide is undeniably the most tragic outcome; however, this exaggeration creates the shock effect necessary to encourage discussion. Moreover, the narration is well-organized in slowly accelerating action toward the climax, creating the appropriate atmosphere and feeling of inevitability. In other words, the play’s believability and innovative structure are its major strengths. Thus, the book is worth reading, especially for people who stubbornly pursue the unattainable.
Conclusion
By illustrating the struggle and the tragic end, the play raises discussion regarding the value and worth of resistance to change. Willy—a character with traits attributable to many others—lost his identity and life while dealing with his past wrongdoings. In this context, Miller did a great job of illustrating the self-reinforcing cycle of negativity that haunted the protagonist. By it, the author warns the people with the same issues, hoping the play can guide them in the right direction.
References
Miller, A. (1948). Death of a Salesman [Course handout].
Simon, D. E. (2023). Death of a Salesman. The Arthur Miller Journal, 18(1), 90-93. Web.