What is the purpose of life? Is it populating for one ‘s ain dream or is it populating to accomplish a position quo that is respectful in the eyes of the household and the society? And what happens when one dedicates one ‘s life to accomplish both these intents, but fails at both? Arthur Miller in his award winning drama, The Death of a Salesman, explores this concentrating issue in the context of the American Dream, and illustrates the trouble of accomplishing economic and personal success in a disconnected and bewildered post-World War II society ( Arthur Miller kirjasto.sci.fi ) . In this drama, Miller offers a glance into the life of an aspiring man-Willy Loman, aA delusional 60-year-old salesman, who through his enterprises to be person for his household and for his ain individualism, finds himself fighting to last the competitiveA industrialist universe in which he is overwhelmed. The narrative of Willy Loman illustrates the destiny of an mean American who at first garbages to accept failure, but suffers internally and externally as the world creeps upon him/her. In the Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller conveys his position on the unsurmountable American Dream and its impact on an mean individual ‘s life through the usage of word picture, scene, and symbols.
In the drama, Death of a Salesman, the characters are preoccupied with the American Dream of being successful and their life is invariably driven by the motivation of dignity and fiscal success. For illustration, Willy Loman, the supporter, defines American Dream as being rich and popular. He believes that personal appeal, non difficult work and invention, is cardinal to success. “ That ‘s merely what I mean, Bernard can acquire the best Markss in school, Y ‘ understand, but when he gets out in the concern universe, Y ‘ understand, you are traveling to be five times in front of himaˆ¦Because the adult male who makes an visual aspect in the concern universe, the adult male who creates personal involvement, is the adult male who gets in front. Be liked and you will ne’er desire. You take me, for case. I ne’er have to wait in line to see a purchaser. Willy Loman is here! ” That ‘s all they have to cognize, and I go right through ” ( 21 ) . Throughout the drama, Willy craves to be well-liked and lives in an semblance that if he is well-liked, he will be the most deluxe adult male in the state. He struggles and lives a life filled with prevarications to accomplish this dream, but ne’er attains it. Willy was intensely absorbed in trailing his “ American Dream ” that he ne’er realizes that he has put his attempts into the incorrect dream-he is great with his custodies and could hold been a carpenter, or could hold lived in another, more countrified portion of the state where he would hold lead a successful life. But alternatively, Willy pursues an empty life, and sells nameless, unidentified merchandises ; eventually, perpetrating self-destruction as his American Dream falls apart. Another character who gets consumed in this race is Biff, Willy ‘s baffled older boy who is caught in an internal battle between delighting his male parent and making what he feels is right. Biff wants to be outside on a cattle spread working with his custodies, while Willy wants him behind a corporate desk immersed in the universe of concern, gross revenues, and capitalist economy. Frustrated at his inability to fulfill his male parent ‘s dream, Biff bargains and gets fired from every occupation he has of all time held. In the terminal, Biff finally realizes his mistake and calls out to his male parent, “ And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the snake pit am I catching this for? Why I am seeking to go what I do n’t desire to be? What I am making in an office, doing a disdainful, imploring sap of myself, when all I want is out at that place, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am ” ( 105 ) . Biff, eventually, stairss out of the semblance of American Dream and understands that he is a “ dime a twelve ” and “ no great leader of work forces ” ( 105 ) . During Willy ‘s funeral, Biff decides to turn away from Willy ‘s dream and, presumptively, to return to the countryside, where manual labour will content his ungratified psyche. Biff is destined to no illustriousness, but he no longer has to fight to set up himself as rich and successful-a dream that Biff ne’er genuinely desired. By supplying the failed visions of Willy and Biff, Miller suggests that merely the few who are pitiless can accomplish the “ shreds to wealths ” version of the American Dream-a perfect illustration is Willy ‘s older brother, Ben. Miller portrays the American Dream as unachievable for most people and that it can take to false hope doing one to populate a life of sorrow filled with feelings of misguidedness and misrepresentation.
The scene in the drama is seasonable and is dependent on the hopes of the characters toward accomplishing their American Dream. As the drama begins, Willy Loman ‘s little, single-family unit, is described as crowded on all sides by the “ towering, angular forms ” ( 1 ) of new flat edifices ; nevertheless, it was n’t ever so. When Willy ‘s two boies were in high school, the country was still green, and the adjacent constructions did non hinder the position from the pace. The house was surrounded by nature and sunshine, and Willy was a immature adult male with ambitious hopes for the hereafter, and his house represented a infinite in which he could spread out his dreams. And now Willy is a much older adult male and his opportunities of accomplishing his dreams are much slimmer, for his place now represents the decrease of his hopes. There is less room to spread out, and the sunshine does non even make into his pace. The house is boxed in by flat edifices, adding to the characters ‘ feelings of parturiency and desire to get away. Willy frustrated at his failure, comments about his house, “ The manner they boxed us in here. Bricks and Windowss, Windowss and bricksaˆ¦ The grass do n’t turn any more, you ca n’t raise a carrot in the back pace. They should ‘ve had a jurisprudence against flat houses. Remember those two beautiful elm trees out at that place? ” ( 6 ) . In the yesteryear, the house was the site of hopeful going and exultant return-Willy would put out each hebdomad to do a burden of money and, when he returned, his adoring boies greeted him, and he whispered into their eager ears his hopes to open his ain concern. Now, the house is the site of Willy ‘s defeated aspirations. But through springs in memory spurred by heartache and confusion, Willy seems to populate at the same time in these two disparate state of affairss.
Arthur Miller uses symbols meticulously throughout the drama to demo how the American Dream dominates people ‘s lives and how if this dream becomes unaccessible can take a individual to a route of desperation. For illustration, the Jungle and the Diamonds represent the helter-skelter and fighting yet honoring nature of life.A The jungle with its mystery-one ne’er knows what to expect-is symbolic of life, while diamonds represent success that can merely be achieved with finding and difficult work. Ben tells Willy, “ the jungle is dark but full of diamondsaˆ¦one must travel in to bring a diamond out ” ( 107 ) , merely like in life one must take a bold measure to accomplish success. Ben faced this life of jungle with bravery and finding and therefore won out, unlike Willy, who surrounded himself with semblances of success. Even though Willy hopes to strike it rich in the concern universe of New England, he does non work hard in the right way, and therefore, ne’er finds the diamonds ( success/happiness ) , and leaves life without luck or fame.A Another symbol of the American Dream are the seeds that Willy insists on purchasing and planting. Willy is often troubled by feelings of confusion and inadequacy-he ‘s unsure about how to raise his boies and concerns that, like his ain male parent, he will be unable to supply for them. When Willy says, “ Nothing ‘s planted. I do n’t hold a thing in the land ” ( 96 ) , he ‘s truly speaking about his boies and their hereafter, which still remain as mystery. Willy is to boot preoccupied with being good known and go forthing a bequest when he dies. All of these feelings come to a caput in Willy ‘s seed planting. Through seting seeds, Willy wants to turn something that will boom, supply for others and stay after his decease, as he was unable to make this through his childs. The most interesting portion in this is that he chooses seting to do up for being a failed salesman, bespeaking that he is really better suited to working with his custodies, merely like his boy Biff. By utilizing symbolism, Miller reveals that Willy ‘s dream has turned rancid, and that he is unable to bear the world, mirroring the fact that Willy ‘s decease is inevitable.
Arthur Miller was born into a comparatively munificent household, but because of the Great Depression his household suffered and Miller grew up working as a blue-collar labour. Through his adversities as a worker, Arthur Miller gained an apprehension of the battles of a common adult male and realized the societal scruples of the down and out difficult worker. Miller was able to see that a common adult male ever strives to set up a respectable place for him/herself in the society ( Arthur Miller kirjasto.sci.fi ) . Death of a Salesman, one of Miller ‘s best known dramas, is brooding of this topic. It is the narrative of Willy Loman, a going salesman, who struggles to set up a name for himself and for his household in the society, but in the terminal dies as his futile efforts at accomplishing his American Dream sum to nothing-no one attends his funeral except for his household and Charley. Arthur Miller is really critical of the American Dream and positions it as something unachievable that will do a common adult male experience hopeless and yearn for decease.
Plants Cited page
“ Arthur Miller. ” Www.kirjasto.sci.fi. Books and Writers. Web. 11 Oct. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.kirjasto.sci.fi/amiller.htm & gt ; .
