Essay on Death Of A Salesman - 2176 Words

Death Of A Salesman In Arthur Miller’s ’Death Of A Salesman’, Miller uses several techniques to show attitudes to success held by the characters. There are many indicators of success in this play which are, the ideas of being wealthy, the performance on their job, to have power and status. Some of the techniques he uses to show this are the use of motifs, the American Dream, language, stage directions and also through sequence in the past. One of the motifs Miller uses to show the attitude of success is the idea of being ‘well-liked’. This is mainly shown through the character of Will Loman. Willy seems to think that if a person is ‘well-liked‘, it will excuse anything and everyone opens up for him. Willy got this†¦show more content†¦Willy cannot see who he and his sons are because he believes they are great men who have what it takes to be successful in the business world. Unfortunately, he is mistaken as Willy and his sons are not, and cannot, be successful. As a result, Biff, a star football player in high school, feels like he can get by in life on his looks and personality. He finds out, however, that these qualities do not bring success to him as he flunks math and cannot go to college, and amounts to nothing in life. Happy is also mislead - he encourages Biff in his illusions, telling him he should be able to borrow any amount of money from Bill Oliver because Biff is so ‘well liked.’ Additionally, Happy tries to make himself well liked, especially by surrounding himself with women, but he finds himself to be very empty and lonely. Later on in the play, as Willy completes his plans for his suicide he hopes that the insurance money payable on his death will give Biff the start he needs, and also proving to his sons how ‘well-liked’ he was by picturing customers and salesmen all over New England coming to his funeral. This pleases Willy seeing that it will result in his sons respecting him. We soon, however, find out that no-one attended the funeral. â€Å"Why didn’t anyone come?† Linda’s cry has a deep effect on the audience. Miller shows us that Willy had lived by his dreams - but the wrong dreams.Show MoreRelatedThe Death Of A Salesman1496 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Today, the play The Death of a Salesman is celebrated in many theatres. The play is regarded as one of the finest dramas of American theater play. It was written in 1949 by an American playwright Arthur Miller. After the play was produced, it was first opened at the Morosco Theatre and starred Lee J Cobb as Willy Loman, Cameron Mitchell as Happy, Mildred Dunnock as Linda, Howard Smith as Charley and Arthur Kennedy as Biff. The play has been revived on Broadway four times and won manyRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman857 Words   |  4 PagesSome stories have stood the test of time. These stories are relatable are leave readers feared perplexed. Oedipus the King is the tragic story of a man whose figurative blindness at a young age lead to his literal blindness at an old age. The Death of a Salesman converts this to a modern society of a man who just wants to do good for his family but doesn t see the effect of his actions. Although 2400 years separate these stories, readers can still relate to both the same. The genre of tragedy is interpretedRead MoreDeath of a Salesman990 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss â€Å"Death of a Salesman† as a film. How could this film be more film-like? The well known late 1980’s play Death of a Salesman was beautifully crafted and opened my mind up to the reality of some people’s fantasies. When I first began to watch the play, I had immediately noticed that it was a play and not a movie. Usually in a film, there is a hero, heroine, climax, something they are fighting for, and usually (nine times out of ten) a happy, heroic ending. This movie included none, atRead MoreDeath of a Salesman606 Words   |  3 PagesWilly Loman: Victim of the American Dream Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman tells the tale of Willy Loman, a man who falls from the top of the capitalism system in a resonant crash. Being controlled by his fears of the future, and stuck in his memories of the past, Willy fully contributes to his self-victimization by putting little blame on his own mistakes. Although Willy is perceived as selfish, it is important to see that he is misguided. His character is one of a common man, he has neverRead MoreThe, Death Of A Salesman909 Words   |  4 Pagesdesire to be the breadwinners of the family, wish to achieve only success, become unemotional and might take dangerous risk to prove manhood. Many feminist novels, plays or short stories such as Frankenstein, â€Å"A Dollhouse†, â€Å"Yellow Wallpaper†, â€Å"Death of a Salesman† showcase the ill effects of gender roles. Women had to fight to have the same advantages and opportunities that men possess. Before modern times, many people would believe that a woman s place is in the home but now it is common for the modernRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman1024 Words   |  5 PagesVictoria Gutierrez Professor Gilbreath Drama 10 6 April 2015 1026 Words The Death of A Salesman San Joaquin Delta College presented Arthur Miller s Death of A Salesman on Sunday the twenty-second of March at 2 o clock in the afternoon. This play is about a young man and his father coming to terms with the past and their futures. Willy Loman, an old salesman, is dealing with both financial and health difficulties. He is put under even more pressure when his unsuccessful son, Biff, returnsRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman859 Words   |  4 PagesThe Death of a Salesman is a heart-wrenching story of a man named Willie, and his fight for economic freedom. The story takes place in 1931, and it starts off with Willie’s faint memory of his father, who was a flute maker and a salesman. Willie is a sixty three-year-old salesman who has work his entire life to achieve the common goal of the American Dream. Nevertheless, while trying to achieve economic freedom he ends up becoming trapped in the process. Willie in a lot of ways, died before his carRead MoreDeath of a Salesman915 Words   |  4 PagesDefine The American Dream. In what way does Death of a Salesman point out the hopelessness of chasing this dream? Are there any rewards? The idea of the American Dream is truly subjective. To some, it is living in the lap of luxury in all aspects. To others, it is a chance at a better brighter opportunity for themselves or their families. Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman portrays the promise of the American Dream in the form of opportunity, freedom, success and wealth; the ability to acquireRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman995 Words   |  4 PagesHope Miller’s play, The Death of a Salesman (1949) was about a family, and their struggles for the American dream. The family composition was not unlike that of an average family, a mom, a dad, and two children. Mom, Linda, tended to the house, oversaw the finances, as well as the lives of the remaining family members. Dad, Willy, supported the family as an on-the-road salesman. At first, Willy’s outbursts were confusing, but as I read the outbursts began to unfold the meanings buried in the storylineRead MoreDeath of a Salesman1187 Words   |  5 PagesDeath of a Salesman There are some who would argue that it is precisely the ultra-capitalist mentality of individuals like Willy Loman that has propelled the American Economy to global dominance, but Arthur Miller’s classic work â€Å"Death of a Salesman† begs the question: at what cost? What does it do to a person, this desperate need to â€Å"be number one man?† Each of Willy’s sons draw a different lesson from his life and their assertions about how one should live offer a compelling choice for modern