Death Of A Salesman (2163 words) Essay Example For Students

Death Of A Salesman (2163 words) Essay Death Of A SalesmanShort PlotIn the beginning of the play, the main character, Willy Lowman, has just returned home after finding himself unable to concentrate on driving. His wife, Linda, suggests that he ask for a job in New York so that he wont have to drive so much. Willy insists, however, that it is vital to his company that he work in New England. Willy asks Linda about his son, Biff, who has just come home after being away for several years. He cant understand why Biff is unable to get a good job. Soon Willy begins thinking about when Biff was a senior in high school. He remembers how Biff was the star of the football team and how he was offered scholarships from several colleges. After Willys daydream ends, Charley comes in to play cards with him. While they are playing cards Charley offers Willy a job, but Willy refuses. As they are talking, Willys brother, Ben, appears to him in an illusion. Willy tries to talk to both of them at once and Charley cant understand. Willy and Charley get into an argument and Charley leaves. Willy then turns his attention to Ben and asks him how he became so successful. Ben tells Willy that he went into the jungle when he was seventeen and when he came out at twenty-one he was rich. After Biff overhears Willy talking to himself, he asks Linda whats wrong with him. Linda explains that Willy is exhausted andhas even tried to kill himself. When Willy enters the scene, Happy tries to cheer him up by announcing that he and Biff are going to start their own sporting goods company. He tells Willy that Biff is going to see Bill Oliver in the morning and ask for a loan. Willy is optimistic and reminds Biff that the most important things in life are to be well-liked and to have personal attractiveness. The next day Willy decides to ask his boss, Howard, if he can have a job in New York. Howard explains that there is no room for him in New York, and then tells Willy that he no longer wants him to represent the company. Now that Willy has no job, he must ask Charley for the money to pay his insurance premium. When Charley finds out that Willy has been fired, he offers him a good job in New York, but Willy refuses. Charley gives Willy the money and then Willy leaves to meet Biff and Happy at a restaurant. When Willy arrives at the restaurant, Biff tries to explain to him that he has been living an illusion and will never amount toanything extraordinary. Willy refuses to listen to him and pretends that Biff has another appointment for the next day. When Bifftries to make Willy face the truth, Willy becomes furious and goes off to the bathroom. Biff and Happy then leave the restaurant. While Willy is in the bathroom, he goes into another illusion. He finds himself in a hotel room with a woman. She is telling him how much she loves his sense of humor. Then knocking is heard at the door, and at first Willy refuses to answer it. As the knocking continues, Willy tells the woman to wait in the bathroom. He opens the door and finds Biff there. Biff tells Willy that he has flunked math and asks that Willy talk to his math teacher about it. Biff explains that his teacher doesnt like him because he once caught Biff imitating him in class. Biff shows Willy the imitation and they both start laughi ng. The woman hears them laughing and comes out of the bathroom. Willy hurries her out of the room, but not before the woman demands the stockings that Willy promised her. Willy tries to explain the situation, but Biff wont listen. He accuses Willy of giving away Lindas stockings and calls him a liar and a fake. Willy is then brought out of his illusion by the waiter at the restaurant. Willy asks if there is a seed store in the neighborhood and then leaves. Later that night Biff and Happy come home and find Willy planting seeds in the back yard. Biff tells Willy that it would be best if they didnt see each other again. He tries to explain that he is only a common man and will never live up to Willys expectations, but Willy refuses to listen. Willy decided that he will commit suicide because he believes that with the 20,000 dollars of life insurance money Biff will finally be able to make something of himself. At his funeral, we see that Willy died a forgotten man because no one except his family came. Dogfish EssayThemes/Purpose/IdeasThe main theme in Death of a Salesman is illusion versus reality. Willy has lived his entire life in a world of illusions. Theseillusions include Willys belief that being well-liked is the key to success, as well as the literal illusions that Willy has of his past. Originally, Biff shared Willys illusions of success and greatness, but by the end of the play he has become completely disillusioned. Once Biff comes to fully understand his place in life, he says to Willy, Im a dime a dozen, and so are you. Willy, however, has lived too long in his dreams and cannot understand what Biff is trying to say. If Willy had to face reality, he would then be forced to examine the affair he had in Boston, his philosophy, and all of his illusions. Instead, he prefers to live in the past. And now Biff, who is trying to confront the truth about himself, finds that he is completely unable to commuicate with his father. Another theme of Death of a Salesman is the old order of agrarian pride and nobility versus the new order of industrialization. In the beginning of the play, Willy foreshadows this theme by criticizing the changes brought about by industrialization. The street is lined with cars. Theres not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood. It is this conflict between the old and new orders that brings about Willys downfall. Willys father, a pioneer inventor, represents the traditional values and way of life that Willy was brought up on. So does Dave Singleman, the eigthy-four year old salesman that inspired Willy to go into the sales industry. Howard, the young boss of Willys company, represents the impersonal and ruthless nature of capitalistic enterprise. When Willy goes in to ask Howard if he can be transferred to a job in New York, Howard refuses to help him even though Willy hasbeen working for the company for several decades and was good friends with his father. When Willy asks why he cannot be reassigned, Howard replies, Sits a business, kid, and everybodys gotta pull his own weight, thus demonstrating Howards cold indifference to Willys situation. StyleIn Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses a very realistic style of speech. Because the story is carried almost completely by the dialog, this is vital to the plays success. Miller also uses repetition of significant phrases throughout the play. Phrases suchas He is not just liked, but well-liked and Isnt that a remarkable thing acquire greater meaning over the course of the play. One example of this is how the phrase Isnt that a remarkable thing comes to signify Willys occasional disillusionment. The first time we hear this phrase is when Willy says that he cant roll down the windshield on his car and Linda reminds him that he said he rolled it down on his trip to Boston. The phrase doesnt really acquire significance, however, until the scene in which Willy borrows money from Charley. Willy has always thought of Charley as representing the worst qualities in humanity. He is neither well-liked nor personally attractive. For this reason, Willy has never considered Charley to be his friend. After Willy is fired, however, he discovers that the only person he can borrow money from is Charley. Thus he comes to realize that Charley is his only friend, and he says Isnt that remarkable. Willy also uses the phrase near the end of the play after Biff has broken down and cried while trying to explain his life. Willy has always though that Biff was destroying his own life just to spite him, but now he realizes that Biff actually loves him. Another technique used by Miller is changing the tone of the play when switching to different time periods. In the present, the tone is generally serious and dark. When it changes to the past, however, the tone becomes brighter and more optimistic. This change in tone represents Willys desire to return to the time before he became enemies with Biff. Theater