Analysis of "Death of a Salesman" The tragedy of a family The play "Death of a Salesman" was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. He was born on October 17, 1915 in New York City. Most of Miller's works emphasizes the common man struggling through the misconceptions and false illusions that modern society imposes. In the case of "Death of a Salesman", Miller uses social realism, which is the attempt to describe human behavior and surroundings or to represent figures and objects exactly as they act or appear in life (Encarta 1). The main themes of this play are the idea of the American dream and what it takes to success, the struggle to distinguish between reality and illusion, and the emotional problems of the family. "Death of a Salesman" is the story of the Loman family, especially Willy, trying to accomplish the American dream, but with no success. Willy Loman is married to Linda, and his two sons are Biff and Happy. Other characters as Ben, Charley, Bernard, and the women in the hotel play a major role in Willy's downfall through the story. Willy has always wanted to be successful and well-liked among people, but he has not accomplished anything. Miller presents a common man, Willy, as the tragic character of the play. In an article Miller states, "I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing - his sense of personal dignity" (Miller, 1). In this article Miller clearly conveys that a person will sacrifice anything, even his or her own life, to protect his or her dignity. In "Death of a Salesman" Willy is willing to sacrifice anything to accomplish his dreams of being successful and known as a powerful salesman. The play starts with Willy returning home from a sales trip. He is getting old and tired of traveling long distances. His two sons, Biff and Happy, are visiting the family.
