Arthur Mills is a famous author who has capability to attract the peculiar feelings of the every reader who enjoys reading books and wish to feel author’s illustration power. The play Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller in the Aristotelian sense is a classic tragedy. It brings empty capitalism’s promises, the American dreams materialistic version and a sense of capitalism critique. It is a tragic play written by Arthur Miller. It is commonly known as the first tragedy of Modern American society. It is based on the foundations, values and moral principles of the American society by utilizing the American Dream. Miller portray around the play Willy Loman as a hero. He is a common person and has a small family. Miller throughout the play characterizes Will and his family to show the tragic mishaps and unerring devotion for that dream. Although this play by Miller is a classic tale of tragedy, it also shows a biting criticism and the emptiness of the capitalism’s materialistic edition of the American dream.
The main features of this tragedy tale that was observed by Aristotle were the emotions that were catharsis. These emotions were characterized as symbols by Miller. He reflected these emotions throughout the drama and revealed it throughout the play. The relationship of Willy with all the characters in the play shows a strong sense of despair, sorrow and disillusion. This clings Willy to the version of the American Dream that attack and defends people in his life. In the first Act, Willy shouts at Biff, saying the words, “At first Willy imagines that he makes sure that his son lives the best life according to the Dream of American. However, as the play advances ahead it, one begins to see that Willy’s treatment for Happy, Biff and all the other characters is just an expression to protect the capitalist progress philosophy. The play shows the feelings of anger sorrow and despair that comes all around from the idea that if Willy’s dream is an illusion, and then the life, which he has given, has all been in vain.
The other technique of literature Miller used in the play to convey engenders emotional intensity and the catharsis is the repetition and words phrasing. This can be found along the play. Used by any character. Miller shows these repeated words or phrases in such a way that these display some emotional meaning and message. The phrase “dime a dozen” shows the reality of the common person living a meager living. This seeds Willy in the third quote of the success that Willy never achieved. Throughout the play, the actions just opposed the past and the present as the experiences of Willy, Happy, Biff and happier people as well. In this present state of failure, disillusionment and failure, this explains why their lives have advanced in the way they have. This is because they figured out the mistakes and deluded aspects of Willy’s thoughts (Janson 7). The example is that Willy insists Biff to me prosperous than Bernard and later in life think that he is “well-liked”. Even Bernard succeeds in education whereas Biff is not. It is clear that Willy was wrong about the prospects of Biff and “well-liked” was not the success key. As Biff had no career, Bernard had become successful lawyer. These events portray the present and show how the hero Willy past the actions have led directly to these circumstances.
Another aspect of this tragic tale is that it represents a fortune reversal. They had a house in Brooklyn, NY,. This is a significant example that occurred when they were little. Their house was a part of a secure neighborhood. In the present, their house is the only one left in the area while the other lots have been sold to the developers of high-rise buildings. This is one of the main symbols of Willy’s changed fortune. This also shows a sad theme that Miller reveals how development capitalism swallowed the common person and this casted a shadow in all of the working class. Capitalism played a vital part in the “waste of potential of Human” as one can see in the demise of Willy.
All these actions and the act of unwavering devotion of Willy are built upon the faith in the dream. Even though it does not seem synonymous to the present moment in which others are gaining success. It is not a criminal act but it caused Willy to defend his son’s failures. This raised his son to look towards an uncertain life ahead instead of facing the present and eventually die without a legacy that passes onto his children. In this way, Willy embodies a sense of nobility that is found in the American culture and is the foundation of this noble personage. Willy is noble because he fights to the death and was faced with various proof that he was wrong and the American Dream is false (Chopik and Robin 96). To be precise, the modem society; the sales clerk nobility is defined from the values of the capitalism. This places a big premium on the profit, materialism, and the success. Miller portrays the qualities that were not the key to success but the power usage by the rich shows that there is a grave threat to the common person (Chopik and Robin 94). In the death of a Salesman, this feature is achieved well throughout Willy’s position as a sales clerk. This symbolizes the greatest Nobel calling within the capitalist society. Miller himself protected that Willy as a common person and he was portrayed as a tragic hero. He exemplified the plight of the entire common person. Charley, who is Willy’s former boss, describes Willy’s nobleness and irrational clinging to the dreams. As a sales clerk, there is no rock bottom in life. By showing Willy as a tragic hero of the common person and the American dream, Miller also builds a commentary that is on capitalism and its effects. Finally, the love of Linda shows the audience that Willy never accepted himself for who he is and be happy with what he had. For instance, Willy ignores Linda’s love and focus on the other women instead. Linda shows through the play that Willy never realized his own worth and he is immersed in the materialism and worldly gains.
Works Cited
Feillet, Dominique, Pierre Dejax, and Michel Gendreau. “Traveling Salesman Problems with Profits.” Transportation Science 2005 : 188–205.
Janson, Charles. “Death of the (traveling) Salesman: Primates Do Not Show Clear Evidence of Multi-Step Route Planning.” American journal of primatology 11 (2013): 1–11.
Chopik, William J., and Robin S. Edelstein. “Death of a Salesman: Webpage-Based Manipulations of Mortality Salience.” Computers in Human Behavior 31 (2014): 94–99.
Appendix
Published Critiques
- Miller Shows the Ways in Which Capitalist Values have Warped the American Dream by talking about the Willy's Fall which is ignoble because there is no increase in self-knowledge
- Willy's Materialism Blinded Him from his Inner Worth
