1.

Introduction
1.1 Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller was one of the most distinguished dramatists of the twentieth century. He was born in Jewish family in New York on October
17th 1915. As his father’s business failed during the Depression and the family suddenly became poor, Miller had to discontinue his studies
and go to work to earn his university fees after he finished high school. He worked various jobs, such as a truck driver, a waiter, a farmhand,
etc. Through these jobs, he saw the injustice of the capitalist system and understood the hard life of workers. The personal experiences
provided him with firsthand knowledge about the lower class when he came to write plays and fiction. Through Miller’s career, he wrote lots
of valuable masterpieces which contributed a lot to the American theater, ranging from All My Sons (1947) to Death of a Salesman (1949),
from The Crucible (1953) to A View from Bridge (1955), from After the Fall (1964) to Broken Glasses (1994). Miller continually addressed
several distinct but related issues in both his dramatic and contemporary writings: the form of tragedy applicable to modern times and
contemporary characters, the individual’s relationship to society, and family relations, particularly interactions between fathers and sons
(黄家修, 2007: 421). He criticized the social problems sharply and at the same time showed his compassion to the common people living
at the foot of the society ladder. He has influenced many younger American dramatists, such as Edward Albee, August Wilson, and David
Mamet. Miller is a major pioneer in the development of American theater alongside Eugene O’Neil and Tennessee Williams, and Death of a
Salesman is his important work. The play suggested new theatrical possibilities with its unique blend of realism and expressionism, as well as
offering a challenge to previous definitions of tragedy (Susan C.W., 2007: 71).

1.2 The plot of Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman is one of the best three plays with Eugene O’Neil’s Long Day’s Journey into night and Tennessee Williams’s A Street Car
Named Desire. After it staged in 1949, it ran for 742 performances on Broadway. It won important awards, including the New York Drama
Critics’ Circle Best Play, Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The play presents the tragedy of a common person, Willy
Loman, an aging travelling salesman who is working for the Wagner Company. After having labored for thirty-four years for that firm, he is
fired by Howard Wagner, the head of the company, because he is too old to sell products to make profits for the company. But he is still in
debt, so he and his wife are struggling to pay the bills while his two sons are not helpful. Willy’s two goals throughout his life have been to be
popular and have his own company, but they haven’t come true. Biff, a habitual thief, and Happy, a self-deluded guy, have failed to fulfill their
father’s dream of achievement. Reviewing his life, he is forced to confront its futility and failure. He kills himself in a planned car accident,
hoping to provide Biff with twenty thousand dollars from the life insurance company to start his store. The play has profound social
significance, because it is from the real life and authentically reflects the tragedy of common man in America (啕代珏，2008).

1.3 Purpose of the paper

Willy Loman’s tragic experience shows the conflicts between the individual, the family and social values of the United States. Miller tells us
that we should not be misled by the money worship; otherwise we will become victims of commodity wrong values. In materialistic society,
People tend to ignore the cruel reality. Their cravings for material things seem never satisfied. People cannot distinguish reality and illusion.
Inevitably, this will causes contradictions between individual, family and society and eventually brings about people’s downfall, like Willy
Loman in the play. According to this phenomenon, this paper will analyze the tragic fate of Willy Loman from four different perspectives:
inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and being a victim of the American Dream, hoping to
inspire and enlighten the readers from the tragic fate of Willy Loman and to find our real selves in the complicated and changeable world.

2. Literature Review
Death of a Salesman is written in realistic dialogue about ordinary people. It is based in large part on the experiences of Miller’s family during
the Depression and his passionate belief in the honor of work and the difficulties of living the American dream. After its opening in Broadway,
response to the play was tremendous; audiences and critics had been attracted. The criticism on Death of a Salesman came from the anti-
communist movement known as McCarthyism,but the larger part of comments are praises. Robert Coleman of the Daily Mirror called the play
“emotional dynamite” and reported that “sobs were heard throughout the auditorium, and handkerchiefs were kept busy wiping away tears”
(Robert Coleman, 1949:360). Brooks Atkinson declared it “superb,” commenting on its poetry and calling it a “wraith-like tragedy” (Brooks
Atkinson, 1949:27). Richard Watts asserted that “under the director, Elia Kazen’s vigorous and perceptive direction, ‘Death of a Salesman’
emerges as easily the best and most important new American play of the year” (Richard Watts, 1949:359). Yes, Death of a Salesman is a
significant masterpiece of the American play. In theme, the play criticizes the role of capitalism in American society and condemns human
nature with pity and sorrow. In technique, Miller broke out of the realistic confinements of time, space and psychology, with the innovative
interweaving of the “past” with the “present” and of events inside Willy’s mind with those outside, which merges elements of both realism
and expressionism(黄家修，2007:423).
Compared to traditional tragedy, Loman, as a protagonist, is neither upper class nor very intelligence. But he still manages to strike an
emotional chord. He has a faulty vision of what makes a person successful, which makes him flawed, but regardless of the opposition and the
ultimate cost to himself, he refuses to give up that vision, which makes him, in Miller’s eyes, a tragic hero. A man of his time, Loman bears
realistic and far-reaching significance and connotation. In Contemporary American drama:a study in the plays of Tennessee Williams, Arthur
Miller and Edward A, Singh Abha comments that

Willy Loman, the salesman, is a typical embodiment of modern business morality, but he is also a more universal figure…Like the great tragic
figures of Sophocles and Shakespeare, Miller’s Willy is both an individual and a type (Singh, Abha, 1998: 70-71).

Furthermore, Loman has attracted international audiences and continues to interest them to the present day. Theater scholar Brenda Murphy
talks about “the ease with which audiences all over the world have understood and sympathized with the plight of Willy Loman, and have
grasped the issues of the play” (Brenda Murphy, 1995:126). No doubt, the play attracts numerous audiences and critics. Whereas, the
common audience are seriously concerned about the fate of Willy and are melt into tears for this tragedy of an everyman. In china, based on
my survey on the domestic journals from 1979 to 2009, there are above 22 articles studying on Willy Loman’s tragic fate in Death of a
Salesman. Different critics have their own views. Wang Yan, from Shandong University, considers that Loman’s tragedy is caused by the
conflict of his dream and the reality. Zhu Yaning, from Foreign Languages Department of Henan Mechanical College, views that the
disillusionment of American Dream leads to Loman’s tragedy. Wang Dongmei, from Foreign Languages Department of Liaoning Technical
University, regards that Loman’s fate is caused by his own personality distortion. Wang Hong, from Huainan Normal College analyzes Willy
Loman’s fate from the respect of family factors. But for me, inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on
values and being a victim of the American Dream resulted in Willy Loman’s tragedy.

3. Analysis of Willy Loman’s Fate

Willy Loman’s whole life seems to have been a sellout; his sons have turned out badly, and his relationship with Biff has soured.
Disappointedly, Willy chooses to end his life with expectation that his death could exchange for his son’s success. The quasi-resolution that
his suicide offers him represents only a partial discovery of the truth. He fails to grasp the true personal, emotional, spiritual understanding of
himself. His name provides insights. Compared to William, Willy is a childish version indicating an intrinsic immaturity in his nature. He is too
driven by his own “willy”-ness or perverse “willfulness” to recognize the slanted reality that his desperate mind has forged. Loman has been
read as indicating Willy to be a “low-man”, common and insignificant. From the insights of his name, we can infer that Willy Loman’s life will
be a tragedy in the end, like characters of Dream of the Red Chamber. Not his name resulted in Willy’s tragedy fate, but his inaccurate self-
evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and a victim of the American Dream resulted in his tragedy.

3.1 Willy Loman’s inaccurate self-evaluation

As a travelling salesman, Willy Loman sells products for Wagner Company by driving around New England. When he was young, he was
ambitious and set his mind to provide a good life for his family. He worked diligently and enthusiastically, so that he made good profits. He
averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in the year of 1928. He built up good relationship and reputation among his clients. He has
much confidence about his life and dreamed that one day he would set up his own company. However, thirty-four years later, as he became
too old to make profits for the firm, he was fired by his employer relentlessly, regardless of his thirty-four years contribution to the company.
But he could not confirm his failure. When he would not sell products and get his commission, he borrowed money from his neighbor
Charley and deceived his wife that the money was his commission. He trapped himself in the illusion and memory most his time. Under the
pressing realities of his life, he could not endure the overwhelming tensions and commit suicide to earn the insurance money to help Biff
become successful. Why Willy Loman lived so afflictingly? One of the reasons is that he can not evaluate himself accurately.

Throughout the play, there are many implications that Willy’s wrong self-evaluation leads to his wrong choice of profession. He failed to find
his real self, because he was covered by the illusions and the myths. From ACT ONE, Willy told Charley that, “A man who can’t handle tools is
not a man (Arthur Miller, 1949:44).” He can put up the ceiling in the living-room. That is a great piece of work, but Willy managed to do it. He,
like his father, can build things with his own hand. However, Willy failed to recognize his abilities. If he could realize his talent and choose the
job that can fulfill his talent, instead of being a salesman that “way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine (Arthur Miller,
1949:138)”, Willy might seek both job satisfaction and fortune from his job. Also, he failed to recognize his natural inclinations and instincts.
When Biff’s decision to seek a business loan raises Willy’s spirits, and the way in which Willy expresses his optimism is quite revealing. The
first thing Willy thinks about is planting a garden in his yard; he then muses to Linda that they should buy a house in the country, so that he
could build guesthouses for Biff and Happy when they have families of their own. These hopeful plans seem to illustrate how ill-suited Willy is
to his profession, as it stifles his natural inclinations. His wistful fantasy of living in the forests of Alaska strengthens the implication that he
chose the wrong profession. Indeed, the competitive, hyper-capitalist world of sales seems no more appropriate for Willy. He does not seem
to like living in an urban setting. He complains that “the way they boxed us in here. Bricks and windows, windows and bricks. The street is
lined with cars. There’s not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood. The grass don’t grow any more, you can’t raise a carrot in the back yard.
They should’ve a law against apartment houses (Arthur Miller, 1949:17). ” From his words, we can infer that Willy is looking forward to living a
leisure life, a farm life, not the busy, atwitter and strenuous life in New York. But Willy was unaware of this; he chose to be a salesman that
conflicts with his natural inclinations and instincts. At first, his motivation to be a salesman was impure. He chose the job not from his own
abilities and interests, but from the admiration for Dave Singleman. If Willy could evaluate himself accurately and respect his own needs, he
would live a totally different life from now. He would not commit himself to a pathetic death and meaningless legacy.

3.2 Incompetent Role-player in family

Willy is a salesman who struggles for a better life in the cruel society, a husband who has his wife’s love and support and a father who lives
with his children. It is important to examine the evolution of Willy’s relationship with his family, as the solid family is one of the most
prominent elements of the American Dream. But in the present, Willy’s relationship with his family is fraught with tension.

3.2.1 A father unfit for his position

As a common father, he hopes to win the respect and love of his sons and has great expectation to his two sons. But the cruel reality is that
Biff is a pilferer and Happy is a liar. Everything goes against his wishes. The main reason is that Willy’s improper education to his sons.

As a youth, Biff was led to believe that since he was “well liked” he could get away with anything. He begins to steal: a football from school,
lumber for the house, a crate of balls from Bill Oliver. Willy is desperate that Biff should succeed in life, so instead of punishing him, he
condones the thefts and makes excuses, neglecting to instill in his son the moral values a parent should teach a child. For instance, when the
young Biff stole the football from the school, Willy said, “Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative! … That’s because he likes
you. If somebody else took that ball there’d be an uproar (Arthur Miller, 1949:30).” This way of education makes Biff lose the ability to
recognize the correct moral views. Biff appears successful in high school as a football player, but reaps no benefit from this as he never goes
to college. Initially he had planned to retake the math course he needed, but he catches his father with a mistress. After leaving the high
school, he did many jobs but all failed. As biff said to Willy, “I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand
taking orders from anybody! That’s whose fault it is! (Arthur Miller, 1949:131)” Obviously, again it’ is Willy’s improper education that leads to
Biff’s failure.

3.2.2 A husband disloyal to his wife

In Willy’s reminiscence, there exists a woman, his mistress. Willy has affair with the woman and the affair was discovered by Biff. As a result of
this, his belief in the fantasies his father has fed him cannot be maintained. This adultery is an indirect cause that Biff gave up to retake he
math course, but evidence that Willy betrayed his wife, Linda. If Willy had had not affair with the woman, Biff might retake the math exam,
and then he would go to college and had a promising future.

Willy is always untrue to Linda. He tries to play the salesman with her. Every time he over his trip, he inflates his commission, but Linda also
his lie. Although she does not buy his pitch to her, she still loves him. She does not measure Willy’s worth in terms of his professional success.
Willy, however, needs more than love, which accepts character flaws, doubts, and insecurity—he seek desperately to be “well liked.” As such,
he ignores the opportunity that Linda presents to him: to view himself more honestly, to acknowledge the reality of his life, and to accept
himself for what he is feeling like a failure (Selena Ward, Brendan Greaves, 2003:61). If Willy could be true to Linda and himself, he would not
choose to commit suicide.

3.3 Wrong outlooks on values

Willy Loman is living in a time when the nature of business itself is undergoing intrinsic changes, partly due to the capitalist pressure to make
more money and become more efficient. But he fails to understand the complex and ruthless business community and he still pursue equity
and justifiability blindly. So he hugs his outmoded beliefs: Just work hard, be honest and well-liked, you will succeed. However, he is rebuffed
in the real life. The reason is that Willy’s outlooks on values are wrong. His recurring description and memory of Dave Singleman manifest his
ideal life in his mind:

What could be more satisfying than be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be
remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?” and “When he died—and by the way he died the death of a salesman, in
his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the New York, New Haven and Hartford, going into Boston—When he died hundreds of salesmen
and buyers were at his funeral. Things were sad on a lotta trains for months after that. (Arthur Miller, 1949:81)

He speakes of Dave Singleman as a legend and imagines that his death must have been beautifully noble. But he fails to realize the hopeless
of Singleman’s lonely, on-the-job, on-the-road death. During Singleman’s age, there was “personality”, “respect”, “comradeship” and
“gratitude” in it. But in the present day, it is all cut and dried. The time “full of light and friendship” is long gone. Today’s American society has
been a “concrete jungle.” Here the survival law is like the law of the jungle in the animal world in primitive time, even more relentless and
ruthless. People are molded to be more indifferent and greedy. They worship money. Money dominates—almost everything including
“personality”, “respect”, “gratitude” and even man, could be evaluated in terms of money. But Willy doesn’t realize the shift of the times and
values. He still keeps “riding on a smile,” making friends, exaggerating and hoping being liked so as to make a sale. He adheres to his own
principles and wrong values that cost his life in the end.

3.4 A victim of the American Dream

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States of America in which democratic ideals are perceived as a promise of prosperity
for its people. In the American Dream, first expressed by James Truslow Adams in 1931, he states, “The American Dream is that dream of a
land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a
difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it.
It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain
to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous
circumstances of birth or position” (James Truslow Adams, 1931) The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the second sentence of the
Declaration of Independence which states that “all men are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (the Declaration of Independence)

However, the industrialization of the 19th and 20th centuries began to erode the dream. After World War II, the United States faced profound
and irreconcilable domestic tensions and contradictions. Although the war had ostensibly engendered an unprecedented sense of American
confidence, and security, the United States became increasingly embroiled in a tense cold war with the Soviet Union. The propagation of
myths of a peaceful, homogenous, and nauseatingly gleeful American golden age was tempered by constant anxiety about Communism.
(Selena Ward, Brendan Greaves, 2003:3)The government cannot provide the citizen with a fair environment. People feel desperate and lose
themselves. They consider their American dream as making a fortune. They pursuit their dreams by centering their lives around material
possessions, such as cars, appliances. There are exhausted to keep up with their equally materialistic neighbors. Seemingly, they are rich in
materials, but they are in poor spirit. Many American families become the victims of the American Dream. Unfortunately, the Lomans is one of
them. In the search of the “good life”, the Lomans surroud themselves with many things above and beyond the necessities of life. However,
these goods are only available at a price, and not everyone in society can afford them. The Lomans try to keep up, with a refrigerator, a
vacuum, and a new car, but they find themselves in a constant state of worry that they may be not able to meet all the payments. So when
Willy is sixty-three years old, he is still in debt.

In Willy’s life, he has two dreams. One is to set up his own company while the other is his two sons can succeed. But Willy’s two great dreams
come to a totally failure. Because he believes that any “well liked” and “personally attractive” man can achieve the dream. And he also passes
this belief to his sons.

Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’ understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five
times ahead of him. That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an personal in the business
world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. (Arthur Miller, 1949:33)

His understanding of the qualities of attractiveness and likeability is very superficial. He blindly expects to achieve material, emotional, and
even spiritual satisfaction through “personal attractiveness” and being “well liked”. He fails to see that Charley and his son are successful
because of lifelong hard work and not because of the illusions of social popularity and physical appearances. His blind faith in his stunted
version of the American Dream leads to his rapid psychological decline when he is unable to accept the disparity between the ideal dream
and his own life.

4. Enlightenment from Willy Loman’s fate

From the previous analysis, we have a better understanding of Willy Loman’s fate. We cannot help showing our sympathy for his downfall.
But this tragedy leaves us not only the sigh, but also the deep meditation. We can gain a good deal of enlightenment from his fate. Firstly, we
should have a round and accurate evaluation about ourselves. Everyone is unique in the world. We have both merits and demerits. If we can
make best use of the advantages and bypass the disadvantages, then we will become more competent and more confidence to deal with the
changeable and competitive society. Secondly, our dreams should not go too far away from the reality. It is good to have dreams. Dreams
can motive us to work hard to live a better life. In this way, the society can make progress. But our dreams should base on reality. It should be
practical to realize the dreams. If the dreams seem impossible to realize, we may feel disappointed and lose confidence when we find the
disparity between the dream and our life. Thirdly, we should make a plan that fit ourselves to realize the dream. We should see through the
key to success. We should not like Willy Loman think it is “well liked”. But we can learn from Charley that the key to success is hard work and
maintain our morality intact. Fourthly, spiritual wealth is more important than material wealth. In the modern society, material civilization is
highly developed while there exists a crisis of mental world of human beings. Money worship and hedonism are prevailing, the view of value
is collapsing, and men tend to become the slaver of material desire. So we cannot ignore our spiritual world. In our spare time, we should
enrich our spirit world by reading books of real worth and live a worthy life.

5. Conclusion
In Death of a salesman, Miller charges America with selling a false myth constructed around a capitalist materialism. And this materialism
obscured the personal truth and moral vision of original American Dream described by the country’s founders. Willy Loman’s inaccurate self-
evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and being a victim of the American Dream bring about his downfall.
His fate reveals the contradiction between material and spirit, reality and dream. Thus it makes the play become one of the best modern
tragedies.

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Willy Loman In ‘Death Of A Salesman’

The play, Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, an American dramatist is one such play written by Miller to embody the tragic force of
traditional Greek plays. However, the primary aim of Miller’s plays is to relay the injustices and inadequacies of American society perpetrated
on individuals particularly those who live on the margins of their societies who find it difficult to advance due to constraints placed on them
by an established order.

An examination of when and under what conditions most of his plays were written gives us inkling as to why certain themes and issues are
focal in his plays. Plays such as Focus (1945) an attack on anti-Semitism which was prevalent at the time, The Crucible (1953) which reveals
much about the Salem witchcraft trials and there are others that sought to underscore societal problems an the demise of individuals who fell
prey to these injustices. All my Sons, which is an enthralling account of a guilty father who portrays the role of an inept father who later kills
himself, A View from the Bridge, is also another like Death of a Salesman which revolves around the whole concept guilt ridden fathers who
consummate their disfiguring role by committing suicide as they thought it to be the best route to take.

Death of a Salesman is very much relative to Miller’s life as an aspiring playwright after his father, a coat manufacturer lost his job after the
Great Depression of the 1930’s. The concept of the American Dream and a misinterpretation of this belief of attaining success which was
deeply imbued in persons of the working and lower class is also an issue dealt with in this piece of work which he Arthur Miller experienced
and witnessed.

These themes and issues in correlation to dramatic devices and literary devices and theories are all aid in Miller’s aim at creating an
interesting dramatic piece.

Through my Eyes
An examination of the main character and Tragic Hero, Willy Loman.

“Be liked and you will never want” this encapsulates Willy Loman’s belief on how to attain success; by displaying a charismatic and likeable
personality in order to gain the favour of others this will allow little or no difficulty in advancing oneself and attaining success. This is however
Willy’s fatal flaw as this misguided perception or understanding of the American Dream is what later leads to the ill fated end to his life.
Dreaming and hoping rather than working to realize these dreams and bequeathing his faulty views and opinions to his sons, this is where I
believe Willy made a huge blunder and is the worst thing he has done in the play.

This understanding of the American Dream would indubitably make one corrupt because in order to be well liked by all then this would
require that one becomes a hypocrite, a liar and one who compromises good values and beliefs and gives preeminence to pleasing others
rather than focusing on those who really matter like family. The statements he continuously makes-his theories to success, points to this
truth; “…start big and you will end big.”; “…personality always wins the day” (Act 1, Scene 11); “…be liked and u will never want.” (Act 1,
Scene 4). He condones Biff’s theft of the balls declaring that it was a good move; “Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative” (Act
1, Scene 3). Another incident demonstrating this man’s imprudence is when he encourages or rather insists on Biff copying from Bernard for a
math exam which would determine whether he graduates from high school (Act 1, Scene 4). From these incidents it is quite apparent that this
man is imprudent, unwise and irrational and his behaviour, words and actions demonstrate this.
From the outset, it is evident that Willy is troubled by many things and Act one Scene one reveals this. His deteriorating state of mind is made
evident from this Scene and Linda’s awareness of this is also apparent however it seems as though change was never possible because the
wife of this dying man failed to point out his flaws and the damage he did by imposing false values on his sons seemed irreparable.

Firstly, this man is exhausted, he is not as young as he used to be and it seem as though his charm has also lost its vigour and vitality. He feels
encumbered by the demands of his changing environment; he feels confined and constricted which is also depicted in the stage direction
and how he views the developed neighbourhood-“…they boxed us in here. Bricks and windows, windows and bricks”(Act 1, Scene 1). He
says adamantly in the same scene “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese. Why am I always being contradicted”, this speaks indicatively
of his stagnancy and refusal to change which I think is another flaw that leads to his demise. He refuses to experience change, detach himself
from the past and become more forward thinking. He seems to also be disinclined to challenge and rivalry, and unable to deal with the
thought of failure or being less influential which is what he gradually became. He says in the same scene; “The competition is maddening!”
Society has become a virtual jungle and one must work towards preempting worthwhile opportunities before they are lost or seized by
others. He failed to acknowledge this phenomenon and thus failed as a husband, a businessman and most importantly as a father.

Loman’s aim seemed to be about aggrandizing wealth and status and assuming a particular social class. He also sought to mask his true
identity by lying about whom he associated with, how much he earned and what he owned. He lied to his sons; “I can park my car in any
street in New England, and the cops protect it like it is there own”, he lied to his wife about how much he earned and had to resort to
borrowing from Charley.

His pride and jealousy will not allow him to be pitied or helped by others for example Charley, he would rather remain in his deteriorating
state than make the slightest attempt at changing; “I got a job…Why the hell are u offering me a job for?” (Act 1, Scene 8) and in Act 2,
Scene he is once again advised by Charley to take the job and he refuses.

He is guilt ridden and must and did atone for his wrong doings. The mending of stockings by his wife Linda constantly reminds him of his
betrayal the night he cheated on her. His guilt is what makes him treat her as though she should be silenced and not allowed to give her
opinions or views in conversations. He is always on the offensive when he thinks he is being challenged. He feels offended by the mere
cynicism by Charley in Act 2 ,Scene also in Act 1, Scene 9 Charley objects to the boys stealing sand from the building site so too does Linda
but Willy only ignores Linda and makes fun of Charley.

It is never a good thing to take one’s own life however removing himself from his family is the best thing Willy has done in the play. Linda no
longer had to put up with being treated as secondary and unimportant. She no longer had to endure the pressures of deranged husband
whom she was constantly wary of with regards to his attempts at suicide. His sons were now free to embark on their own ideas of a successful
and fulfilling life even though this would be difficult due to his misleading teachings that have basically corrupted them. The family can now
move forward.

Poem- Change Makes Good.

Wake up your life is basically a dream,

An impractical game that will end in either life or death,

Which do you chose?

There are many routes to vast sea

Of opportunity.

Are you looking with your natural eyes,

Or surreally through the eyes of your imagination,

Regardless, reality is what you should focus primarily on,

Not what is lost, not what you have won.

The race is ahead of you,

You have not trained, you have been evasive and have avoided the cues,
Nonetheless you have to run this race,

Change your attire,

Change your approach,

Gear up,

Its time wake up.

The woods are burning you say to your sons,

Ha, how ironic,

When ashes cover the ground before you,

And you have nothing to show for it,

But, change your approach,

Gear up,

There is some time left,

To wake up.

Don’t take the cues lightly,

Charley doesn’t intend to spite you,

He realizes that your days now seem nightly,

So he is offering you another route,

A changed path,

Wake up,

Don’t let guilt, pride and jealousy through you off course,

Wonder how Ben did it?

He didn’t live in his dreams,

He was wide awake,

He saw success and worked, toiled and ran that race,

His aim was not reputation,

It was self actualisation.

Change your approach,

Do what you must, do what you should,

Because…

Change makes good.

An examination of the character Linda Loman.

Linda is a seemingly passive and submissive woman who is bent on pleasing her husband. She says, “He’s the dearest man in the world to me,
and I wont have anyone make him feel unwanted and low…” (Act 1, Scene 10), she does in fact make every attempt to achieve this much to
the detriment of her husband Willy. The remarks she continuously make with regards to Willy and how she consoles him speaks truly of how
fond she is of him. Examples of this include her denial of the fact that Willy is mentally unstable; “Maybe it was your steering again.”, “Maybe
it’s your glasses.” Willy often feels insecure and conscious of what the critics may say about him to negate what they say she highlights his
strengths or sometimes stretches the truth; “…you are doing wonderful dear…”, “…you’re the handsomest man in the world.” It is
significant to note also that in all these incidents where she exalts Willy she fails to point out to him when he has faltered for example with
the boys she is not forceful in challenging Willy with regards to teaching the boys the right values-in Act 1 Scene 7 she is not adamant that
Biff returns the balls he stole from Bill Oliver also in Scene 9 of the same Act she does not insist that the boys do not steal from the building
site. Through inductive reasoning however, it is evident that she is conscious of obvious problems affecting Willy and his judgment but fails
to avert the ruin of her family by intervening at times when Willy has obviously faltered.

She becomes vocal however in her defense of Willy, despite how he often treated her, in Act 1 Scene 10 a rational and deep thinking Linda is
presented she speaks truthfully of Willy and his deteriorating state while still making excuses for him; “Willy Loman never made a lot of
money…he is not the finest character that ever lived.”; “the man is exhausted.” In Act 2, Scene she is greatly angered by Biff and Happy’s
desertion of Willy at the restaurant, it upsets her to the point where she wants her sons to leave and not return; “Get out of here, both of you,
and don’t come back!…You pair of animals!”.

Failing to point out to Willy his flaws and not contesting Willy and his ill conceived beliefs and imprecise values and theories to attaining
success is the worse thing Linda has done in this play. It contributed significantly to the family becoming dysfunctional.

Linda’s best move however was in Act 1, Scene 10 when she was most vocal in the play. She brings to light the secrets of the family at least
those which she is aware of and finally has an open and honest discussion with her sons. The family has a new resolve at this point in the play
as unspoken of issue were brought up and dealt with and in the subsequent Scene a resolution is arrived at. She however could have been
this assertive with Willy and had these open and honest discussions earlier to forestall the unfortunate turn the family took.

Dear Linda,

I do hope you and your family are coping with the

unfortunate turn of events with regard to Willy’s job loss and
the difficulty of the boys in getting settled. I realize that you
do adore Willy and you will do all you can to please hi but
Linda you must not ignore the fact that Willy has some
misconceptions and faulty assumptions concerning his life
and the life of his sons. Linda this is a serious matter, you
cannot sacrifice the future of your children in an attempt to
gain the favour of your husband. He has failed in many ways
and you need to acknowledge that. You should take the
 correct approach to dealing with the problems of your family
whether or not any particular individual will be displeased. If
you do love your family you will do what you know will help
them to change and improve. I do hope you consider my
advice and your conscience.

Your friend,

Camille.

Dear Diary

Journal entries from Biff’s perspective

I really want to please dad and become the great business man he always dreamed me to be but I just can’t…its not my passion…I don’t
feel happy within the walls of an office…paperwork and all of that. I want to be in the open field get my hand in the rough. What am I doing
in an office making a contemptuous fool of myself? If only I had not flunked math maybe my life would have turned out better all the lies and
theft…dad made my life what it is today. How could he be such a liar! A big fake, a fony! Cheated on the woman he devoted his love and life
to! He betrayed all of us! And then says I am spiting him such a fool, he has definitely lost it. Mom deserves better, I love that woman so
much and I can’t bear to see her pressured and overcome by the problems of this family.

If only he would accept that he is wrong and allow me to realize my dreams not the dream he wants to live through me. It is not fair to me. It
was not fair to mom…neither Happy whom he paid little attention to and now he too, an assistant of the assistant lies about his reality and
who he truly is. I will live my life Dad…I will live my life. This is the decision I should have made a long time ago and it is my best yet. I was
wrong to have thought that dad view of me was the view I had to adopt as my own. I believe that we most all stop living a lie and be true to
ourselves. Dad needs to accept that he is not as great as he makes himself out to be and I am who I am he needs to also accept that.

I am the Product of your Failing

Let’s go make endless memories dad just you and me,

Carry me on your shoulder dad, I wana be just as above the ordinary

Just as you said I should be,

Teach me how to ride a bike, play ball I want to do it all dad

You and me I want this to be an endless memory.

Dad I think you are the greatest there is,

You conquer them all; your charm always wins the unfeeling heart,

Your answers to life’s question are never wrong,

Whatever you do Dad it seems to be an art.

I guess your right Dad, once my motives are good then I am not wrong,

Once I have a goal I can seek all the help I want to achieve it,

I will never take without a reason,

I am not likely to fail because I am admired.

So you taught me Dad so I learnt,

The traits, the habits that now leave my burnt,

Still a child in search of selfhood,

Patterning the ways of my Dad; the ways I understood.

Though I am grown and seek to find the truth,

The truth about me, about you about why,

About why and how…

How you could have lied; cheated on us, disregarded us.

My questions you can never answer,

Because your mind,

You can’t even conquer,

It controls you,

And the blind cannot lead the blind,

So you will no longer lead me,

Loman love is waning,

Whose fault we all are still contemplating,

Sad to say but I am the product of your failing,

We all are.

Happy’s Reflections
I feel cheated and starved of love and affection maybe because Dad failed to play his role effectively. I guess considering that Biff was older
and would face the demands of the world of work before me, Dad placed more emphasis on his future. Nevertheless I want to please Dad. I
want to achieve what Biff does not seem to be able to achieve.
Mom says all I am is a philandering bum! How could she…it has always been my desire to make Dad recognize me for something
praiseworthy. I might be a little bit off track trying to demean my superiors by sleeping with their spouses but I must admit I get gratification
from it, I feel powerful, fulfilled. I know this is probably a big problem of mine, the worst thing I have done, using women for my own selfish
desires, but I do intend to change. I hope to get married someday and run that department before the year is up. I think this family deserves
a change.

Dialogue: Happy cajoles an associate

Happy: Lovely morning isn’t it, I wake up Happy (’cause that ma name -laughs-), and I am greeted this morning by divine beauty. (He smiles
at her)

The Woman: (Flattered) Hi it’s my first day on the job, it’s a pleasure meeting you Happy, I am Colleen (She says with a smile).

Happy: Wow, your smile is so engaging, I am sure you get complemented a lot about your smile, mm it’s lovely.

The Woman: (Laughs) I do actually, I think it is my greatest asset, thank you.

Happy: One of, if I may say so myself, you ought to be on a magazine cover.

The Woman: Really? I am more of an office girl the camera is not for me. (She says with a smile)

Happy: Oh I beg to differ; you seem like a natural talent.

The Woman: (Laughs) Why thank you but I must be getting back to work.

Happy: She is also a responsible employee, very attractive…say could we have lunch this afternoon, get acquainted and discuss some
business proposals I have?

The Woman: Sure, no problem at all, this afternoon…

Happy: (Smiling) Good, enjoy the rest of your day then Colleen…

He leaves feeling accomplished and confident that through this woman he can achieve reckoning. He will use her for his own pleasure and
achieve some mobility in the business.

Linda’s Journal Entries

I try my best, I honestly do try but I am always silenced by Willy. He is the dearest man to me and I will go to great lengths to please him. I
often allow him to do as he pleases because I am afraid; afraid of what may happen if I challenge him. I love that man, and I can see he is
dying but what more can I do now? I can only plead with Biff and Happy especially Biff his favourite to make something of his life. How can
he be so unsettled? So unthinking? The least he can do is lighten the heart of his father, the man is exhausted! I may have done a lot of
things wrong in the past like not objecting to Willy at times when he is wrong, when he misleads the boys but I didn’t think this would be the
result at all. I only want the best for this family. They must however not upset Willy anymore than he already is Biff and Happy must try
getting this family out of its deteriorating state because Willy simply can’t.

Lullaby for Willy

Go to sleep,

Go to sleep,

Go to sleep Willy darling,

Close your eyes,

Think about me,

Don’t think about our dying family,

I am here with you,

Don’t you worry about a thing,

Don’t you weep,

Don’t you think of that taking great leap.

Get your rest,

Your exausted,

You must not worry about your sons great mess

Close your eyes, am here with you, go to sleep.

Journal Entries from Willy’s Perspective

How did you do it Ben? How did you become so great? Share the secret Ben! I am confused I do not know where I went wrong! Bernard, why
did he lay down? Was it my fault? Sigh deeply. I told them exactly what they needed to become successful. Why didn’t they just listen?
Bernard was Biff’s friend why didn’t he emulate some of his characteristics maybe he would have been just as successful as Bernard.

If only I had taken up that job in Alaska1 that’s where I went wrong, I could have been a more successful man today paving the way for my
sons. It pains my heart to know that Linda made me miss out on that opportunity. Things would be much better, happier the family would be
as it was in the past. Aah, those good old days when Biff and I would wash the car, play ball and talk for hours, those fond memories.

I think I taught my boys well I only regret not seeking more advice from Ben and taking up that job in Alaska. Now I am so frustrated I don’t
know what to do the woman in my head keeps laughing, the memories of that night keep haunting me…maybe that’s why Biff…No! No, I
gave him a command he owes me! He is trying to spite me and look what it is doing to me. I cant endure anymore, I just cant.

Letter from Willy to Biff

Dear Biff,

Son it has been so long, I was so pleased when I saw your letter in the mail. Your mom and I was just talking about the time when we hung
the swing between the two great beautiful elm trees and when you used to be the center of attention at high school; when you smiled their
faces lit up. Such wonderful memories, sometimes I wish we could return to those happy times of the past and we could have that bond we
once had. You must be engaging in some business venture or the other now, a young man with such personal attractiveness I always say.
Make me proud son, do not disappoint your mom! I want to see you become the baron that I was, well I still am but I am not as impacting as
I once was. Take my advice son, charm them and you will win them, works like a charm, ha haha. Well son, take care now and write soon, send
something for your mom she will be expecting it, and always remember what I taught you and you will never go wrong. Bye now son, I love
you.

Yours with love,

Dad.
 Charley’s Reflection
It is rather sad that this man’s pride and jealously will lead to self destruct. I am only a concerned friend who is doing all in my power to help
him and his family make ends meet. It is simple, all he has to do is take the job I am offering, he can get by a lot better. Willy needs to change
his arrogance will lead to his demise. I did the best I could by offering him this job and only sorry I could not do more.

Bernard’s Reflection on Biff

My aim as a friend was to be supportive and helpful I did do this, I was a wits ends with Biff and his Dad Willy. It was as if my voice wasn’t
heard. It didn’t matter if I was not well liked, I was goal oriented and bent on achieving success and encouraging and insisting that my good
friend Biff becomes just as ambitious and forward thinking is my best attempt at helping him. What I am still baffled by is why Biff didn’t
continue. What happened when he had gone up to New England to see Uncle Willy? He had such a promising future…what happened?

Behind the Scenes

An examination of the conditions and time during which the play Death of a Salesman(1949) by Arthur Miller was written will answer the
questions of why certain themes and issues are particularly dealt with in the piece, why the dramatis personae epitomized certain
characteristics, how society affected these individuals and how they responded to the environment around them.

Arthur Miller was born in New York in 1915, and studied at the University of Michigan. His father worked at a factory as a clothing
manufacturer and after the Great Depression lost his job. Miller consequently had to work to sustain himself and send himself to University.
These are the conditions under which Miller grew and lived. He witnessed the plight of individuals who had difficulty attaining and keeping
jobs, people who eventually fell into a state of abject poverty, depression and frustration. These individuals were denied opportunities of
upward social mobility and thus fell victim to the established system.

Miller’s play sought to underscore these issues, centrally the issue of false values of society imposed on the most vulnerable classes of
people. His plays are usually concerned with the responsibility of individuals to other members of society. He views himself as a social and
political spokesman and he uses theatre as a means to highlight the drawbacks of the society that ought to facilitate the improvement of the
lives of the indigent and less fortunate.

The Great Depression had a substantial and varied impact on the lives of Americans. Physically and psychologically, it was devastating to
many people, who not only lacked adequate food, shelter, and clothing but felt they were to blame for their desperate state.

Because society expected a man to provide for his family, the psychological trauma of the Great Depression was often more severe for men
than women. Many men argued that women, especially married women, should not be hired while men were unemployed. The aftermath of
the Great Depression, around which time Death of a Salesman was written, was not to a great extent dissimilar to the conditions discussed in
the aforementioned.

The American Dream a perception held by many as ideally what life should typify. This dream life featured an affordable home with a
backyard swimming pool, year-round barbecues, and a convertible automobile for commuting to a white-collar job-possibly in Hollywood-
during weekdays and to the beaches for surf parties on weekends. Society existed and operated on the basis of wealth creation and
increasing one’s wealth. Miller sought to depict this Hedonistic society, which failed to emphasize the integral component of the American
Dream- hard work and perseverance.

These U.S social ideals influenced individual thinking and persons became persuaded and bent on achieving what was deemed to be the life
of an American. Consequently, parents in an effort to realize this dream felt pressured if circumstances were not favuorable and conducive to
exacting the merits of this dream. Families unable to live in this capacity of the ideal American family would thus feel unaccomplished and for
some due to obsession would feel distraught.

The Loman family felt unaccomplished. The head of the Loman family; Willy, felt distraught, fruitless he presumed that he had failed because
he did not achieve a specified amount of success for which he did not concentrate the required amount of work. He was discordant with any
thing that was less than equal to the life depicted in the American Dream. Willy’s irrationality, false pride and jealousy which resulted in his
non acceptance of his social echelon and his non realization of success led to his downfall.
Miller sought to capture this sense of competion and obsession with opulence that was so imbued in the minds of Americans. He used the
Loman family, lead by a disillusioned Willy to demonstrate the impact this obsession could have particularly if one went about realizing this
dream the wrong way.

Character Temperature Ratings

Willy and Biff: the relationship that exists between Willy and Biff is plagued by secrets and lies. Willy had betrayed Linda and the entire family
and Biff is aware of this and they can non longer share the bond they once had. The tension between these two vitiates the respect Biff once
had for his father and communicating without some sparring. Hot 90-100Ëš

Willy and Linda: Willy is disillusioned and guilt-ridden. This affects his relationship with his wife who he constantly verbally abuses. He treats
her with little regard and this is manifested in his response to her when she makes attempts to voice her opinions or challenge him. Linda’s
adoration for Willy is not a mutual feeling as he does not seek to embrace her as a wife deserving of love and respect. Lukewarm 52Ëš

Willy and Happy: This relationship does not reflect the characteristics of the ideal father-son relationship. The two do not connector share a
bond. Communication seldom occurs between these two and Willy does not allot time to the development of Happy’s future. Cool 29Ëš

Willy and Charley: Charley is concerned about Willy whom he recognizes is in a troubled state. He realizes also that pride and jealousy is a
serious problem that Willy has and that they will lead to his demise. Willy will not admit his problem and make amends by accepting the help
of his concerned friend. This is a peculiar relationship due to Willy’s disinclination to being self-effacing and accepting of Charley’s success
and appreciating him as a friend.

Linda and Biff: Biff adores his mother and this explains why he is so upset when he he found out about his father’s infidelity. He felt betrayed
for her, himself and the family. Linda is desirous of change foe her sons, and the family. She wants Biff to be as assertive as he once was and
make Willy proud. Despite the problems that may exist Linda and Biff share a good relationship. Warm 87Ëš

Linda and Happy: Linda loves Happy but does not approve of very much dislikes his misuse of women. She wants him to also be a success
and help the family to get out of its misery but they do not share much closeness. Lukewarm 60-70

Biff and Happy: the two appear to be close. They share their experiences with each other and offer each other advice. Happy always looked
up to Biff and was obedient to him as the older sibling. As adults they still share that brotherly love and special bond. Hot 98Ëš

Literary Scrutineer
In thoroughly analyzing the play, the topical issues presented, the central idea and additional knowledge that the writer aims to impart to his
readers, his stance on the subject matter then one must do so critically in observation of certain literary components that may be present
within the play.

Miller seeks to speak profoundly about the society and its drawbacks and how these affect the individual. This issue of man rising above the
constraint placed on him by society, elevating himself and becoming prosperous is very much relative here. Marxism ideals are averse to the
aggrandizing of the individual’s social tier. It supported solidarity communal living, a society that benefited its nationals and promulgated as
much as possible equality; recognition of all and ruled out against divisiveness. A root feature of communist states has been their
subscription to the ideology of Marxism-Leninism. The society that Miller sought to portray-the American society- did not reflect this social
idealology. The American society under the auspices of the American Dream taught the theory of “Survival of the Fittest” and thus rivalry and
competition for what one desired. A firm whether or not proficient in business would not alter conditions of wage earning for example to the
benefit of employees. The higher achiever sought the increase there power on those below them and the aim was therefore increasing one’s
wealth and status and strengthening one’s influence. It was basically a society defined and operated on the basis of wealth. Wealth defined
who you were in society and how influential you could be.

In the play this issue is represented through Willy in particular. Loman his employer did not value his position in the firm. His firm would not
in any way be at a loss without Willy and as the aim of any business profit creation is the