Essays on Death Of A Salesman, page 2

Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”
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This 10 page report discusses Arthur Miller’s 1949 dramatic classic “Death of a Salesman.” The play is clearly a tragedy but its format of tragedy must be extended to consider other implications than dramatic formula. Because it tells the story of a man of the 20th century does not make it any less “tragic” than the stories of “Macbeth” or “Antigone.” In fact, because it is a modern tragedy it has a great degree of meaning for modern audiences than those of ancient Greece or 16th century England. Miller’s Willy Loman is basically an “average” guy. And like all of Miller’s characters, Willy and his family, are vulnerable and vaguely pathetic people who find themselves led astray by the false values imposed on them by society. For more than half a century, “Death of a Salesman” (debuting in 1949) has allowed Miller to repeatedly make the point that Willy Loman cannot and should not be blamed for who he is or how he has evolved. It is the social and emotional structure of the world Willy inhabits that has defined him and lead him on his path of hopelessness. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
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The Symbols in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”
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This 5 page report discusses Arthur Miller’s modern American classic, “Death of a Salesman.” Symbolism is constant and largely psychological in “Death of a Salesman.” Willy Loman’s constant longing for the good old days is presented in a variety of ways, blurting out to his wife that he is fat, his affair, Biff’s understanding of himself as a failure long before Willy ever considered that possibility, all combine to symbolize his loss of stature and his fading sense of himself as he grows older and loses more hope. In fact, symbolism points to the dissipation of Willy in nearly every scene. No secondary sources.
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