On the other hand, money has become the driving force in most facets of many people's lives. Many in today's world are becoming increasingly greedy, with little regard for what it takes or whom they have to step on to succeed. Money drives the business world as well as the social world. Unfortunately, our culture has become so enveloped with the idea of social status that people judge others not by their character but by how financially successful they are. Like Willy, a lot of people are obsessed with the "rags to riches" idea, that anything is possible in America, the great country of incredible opportunity. .
Willy feels that he is working overtime to provide for his family, but that in a sense his efforts are going to go to waste because by the time he reaches his desired place in life, he will be either too tired to enjoy the benefits, or no longer around. In a conversation with his wife Linda, Willy states, "Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it and there's nobody to live in it". Linda replies, "Well, dear, life is a casting off. It's always that way". As always, Willy refuses to accept that it just may not be possible for he and his family to make it to the top by saying "No, no, some people-some people accomplish something.
Willy desperately wants to do things right, but without extending much effort. Throughout the play, he drifts in and out of a dream where he talks to his dead brother Ben. According to Willy, Ben led an extremely successful life, which only reminds Willy of his inadequacies. He will argue with anyone about the fact that he still has some sort of dignity. He fought with Howard over the fact that he can still sell, and with Charley over a card game. It is very important to him that he not be just another face in the crowd. He wants his name to mean something prideful, and is greatly offended that no one, even his children seem to feel that it does.
Discuss a criticism of society, which Death of a Salesman may make. Death of a Salesman is a play filled with many undertones. ... Remember how Aristotle defined Greek Tragedy; reflect on how Death of a Salesman is rightfully known as the Classic American Tragedy. ... Death of a salesman can be considered a modern tragedy. ... Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman was a very eccentric character. ...
Willy Loman, the protagonist of the tragic Arthur Miller play, Death of a Salesman, can be exemplified as a tragic hero in American literature. Arthur Miller describes a tragic hero to be "one who attempts to gain his 'rightful' position in society, and in doing so, struggles for his dignity.... Willy Loman's sequence of life events stems from his fatal character flaws. ... Willy's flaw, however, comes in his inability to separate his "salesman" persona from his actual nature, because as his business as a salesman declines, the audience can see him trying t...
Willy Loman, the protagonist of the tragic Arthur Miller play, Death of a Salesman, can be exemplified as a tragic hero in American literature. Arthur Miller describes a tragic hero to be "one who attempts to gain his 'rightful' position in society, and in doing so, struggles for his dignity.... Willy Loman's sequence of life events stems from his fatal character flaws. ... Willy's flaw, however, comes in his inability to separate his "salesman" persona from his actual nature, because as his business as a salesman declines, the audience can see him trying t...
Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is a tragedy whose theme is the tarnishing of the American Dream. ... Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman breaks the mold of formulaic tragedies of previous eras. ... Death of a Salesman entirely reflects this general opinion of Miller. ... Realism is extremely prevalent in the play Death of a Salesman. ... Family problems were not exempt from the characters in Death of a Salesman. ...
DEATH OF THE AMERICAN DREAM "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller is a tragedy, which comments on American life and values. ... "Death of a Salesman" has earned Miller a number of awards, such as the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. ... Whether reading or watching "Death of a Salesman", the audience can relate to the tragic hero, Willy Loman. ... While Willy did have his flaws, it was the personal, economic, and social shortcomings of American life that caused him unhappiness and eventually consumed him. (123helpme.com) ...
Willy Lomans tragedy is due equally to his own flawed character and to society"'s flaws. ... For these reasons, his tragedy is due to society flaws. ... The most obvious flaw in society is greed, the desire to get ahead. ... The next largest flaw in society is a lack of compassion. ... It was the direct result of the flaws in society, which led Willy to his death. ...
An outstanding example of this is presented in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, which subtly points out many flaws with the American Dream. ... This misinterpretation of the Dream is represented well in Death of a Salesman, especially by the delusional aging salesman, Willy, who seems hell-bent upon monetary success; in Willy's mind success and money correlate directly to one another and money is the only barometer of success. ... This, however, is just one flawed view of the American Dream. ... The scene where Howard fires Willy is a strong example of how flawed Willy's vi...
Death of a Salesman is widely regarded by many as one of the masterpiece play of 20th century. ... Given the complex and compelling traits of the male characters in Death of a Salesman, it is surprising that Miller chose to give so little attention to the female characters. ... "marginalization of women"(Smith, Susan H.) permeates throughout the Death of a Salesman. ... They appear to have inherited only Willy's flawed teachings of life. ... In many respects, I am torn between compelling and tragic story telling of the play and the neglect of female character development in Miller's...
Willy Loman, the main character in Death of a Salesman is a complex and fascinating tragic character. He is a man struggling to hold onto what dignity he has left in a changing society that no longer values the ideals he grew up to believe in. ... Willy's main flaw is his foolish pride, this it what makes him a tragic hero. ... In 1949, shortly after the play's premiere, Miller wrote a controversial essay about how Death of a Salesman was a true tragedy, only with common people rather than kings. ... His foolish pride, bad judgement and his disloyalty are also at fault for his tra...
