Death of a Salesman is the Death of the American Dream. Willy Loman, American salesman who made an effort to become someone great but failed. This failure resulted in his lack of self-esteem and happiness. He was never able to provide for his family or get recognition for being anything other than just being a salesman. The struggles he faced are evident through the play Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller making it clear that Willy had trouble living up to what Americans expected him to be (a successful and wealthy salesman).
Death of a Salesman is not only about Willy’s character and how he fails in life, Death of a Salesman exposes the myth behind the “American Dream” where one can achieve success simply by working hard, getting an education and starting a family. Death of a Salesman is about Willy Loman’s struggles in life, from being a low man on the totem pole to the failure of his son happy when he dies.
Death of a salesman is one of the most famous American plays. Written by Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman tells the story of Willy Loman, an aging man riddled with delusions about his life and career. Loman’s character is often referenced when discussing the “American Dream,” in which anyone can grow up to be anything if they work hard enough. Death of a Salesman was first performed in 1949 and became famous when it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama that same year.
Death of a Salesman is set in New York City’s Upper West Side (just above Central Park) during the 1940s and 1950s and follows Willy Loman, a sixty-two-year-old man who has been unable to achieve his dream of becoming successful. Death of a Salesman is often used as an example of classical tragedy because Willy’s struggles are ultimately his own fault, although he faces many obstacles such as ageism and gender roles within society. The play begins with Willy waking up to realize that today is his birthday.
Death of a Salesman contains instances of dramatic ironies, such as when Willy wishes to travel to the places he has never been and states that he would like to go West but Biff has “never given [him] a chance,” unaware that in reality his son hates him and does not wish for him to come along. Willy goes out in the world and realizes that nobody cares about his birthday anymore because it is an old man’s day. His wife Linda tries her best to make Willy feel better, but she only makes the situation worse when she tells Willy they cannot afford a new home in their current position.
Death of a Salesman contains many parallels between Death of a Salesman and Death of a Swan. Death of a Salesman contains many allusions to Death of a Swan, such as when Willy compares his own birthday to Death of a Swan’s opening scene. The main theme in Death of a Salesman is the illusory American dream and how it affects not only Willy Loman, but also Biff and Happy Loman, an aging salesman who struggle economically and socially. Throughout the play, Willy loses more and more hope that he can achieve his American Dream without actually doing anything about it.
He has given up on finding better work opportunities because he thinks his age will never allow him to be successful. Death of a Salesman includes social commentary about society’s ageism and how it affects Willy Loman. Death of a Salesman emphasizes the importance of pursuing dreams and working hard in order to achieve them, which is an ironic concept because Willy fails despite having worked very hard all his life, only to lose everything. Death of a Salesman is about fighting for your American Dream no matter what, even if you have lost it already, as shown when Willy tells Biff that “you never get it back once [it’s] gone”.
Death of a Salesman included many techniques associated with realism such as parallelism and situational irony which helped make Death of a Salesman a significant event in American theater history. The play has been performed on Broadway and in many other countries across the world. Death of a Salesman is still performed today and it continues to be a popular choice for high school drama clubs, due to its simple language and emotional plot. Death of a Salesman was a significant play because it brought realism into American theater.
Death of a Salesman included many techniques associated with realism such as parallelism and situational irony which helped make Death of a Salesman a significant event in American theater history. In Death of a Salesman, Willy is portrayed as an intelligent man who has been unable to achieve the “American Dream” because he does not know when to stop dreaming or how far he can go if he tries hard enough. He seems unaware that he is his own downfall and that-while he feels age has been a barrier to success-ageism in the workforce is the real reason for the failure of Willy’s American Dream.
Death of a Salesman offers a powerful message about how it is possible to fail in spite of all your hard work, because some obstacles are impossible to surpass. Death of a Salesman includes many techniques associated with realism such as parallelism and situational irony which helped make Death of a Salesman a significant event in American theater history. Death of a Salesman was very influential during its time because it brought realism into American theater, setting an example for more contemporary works like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
Death of a Salesman is still performed today and it continues to be a popular choice for high school drama clubs, due to its simple language and emotional plot. Death of a Salesman contains many parallels between Death of a Salesman and Death of a Swan. Death of a Salesman includes social commentary about society’s ageism and how it affects Willy Loman. Death of a Salesman emphasizes the importance of pursuing dreams and working hard in order to achieve them, which is an ironic concept because Willy fails despite having worked very hard all his life, only to lose everything.
