Death of a Salesman Symbols
Arthur Miller is recognized as an important and influential playwright, not to mention essayist and novelist. Although he has had plenty of luck in his writing career, his fame is the product of his ingenious ability to control what he wants his readers to picture or feel. As one of his critics states, "Miller writes ingeniously, conveying the message that 'if the proper study of mankind is man, man's inescapable problem is himself (Brown, 306).'" Miller accurately puts into words what every person thinks, feels, or worries about, but often has trouble expressing. By the use of symbolism, Arthur Miller portrays Willy's (along with the other Lowmans') problems with family life, the society, and himself in Death of a Salesman. Arthur Miller is an interesting author in the sense that many of his plays reflect or are a product of events in his life. He was born in 1915 in New York City and was the son of a successful businessman, up until the Great Depression when his father lost most of his wealth. This greatly impacts Miller's life, and influences the themes for many of his future writings. To make ends meet at home, Miller worked as a truck driver, a warehouse clerk, and a cargo-mover; consequently, these odd jobs bring h
In addition to symbolism relating to family life and the society, Miller uses symbolism to expand on issues concerning each of the characters. Not only do numerous symbols exist in the play that relate to each of the characters, but the characters themselves often represent something as well. To start off, Linda Loman stood for many things, but mostly as Willy's supporter and "security symbol." While the reader sees Willy slowly losing control of his life, Linda stands as his loving housewife who is always there to clean and cook for him, and to love him unconditionally; in other words, some sort of stability. Although she is the strongest supporter of Willy's dreams, one of the critics claims that she is the one who prods Willy to his doom by loving him, but not knowing him well enough to help him (Bliquez, 321-2). Though he may seem insignificant, Howard Wagner also plays a somewhat important role: he provides the technical means of the deterioration of Willy when he lays Willy off from his job (Dusenbury, 317). The scene in Howard's office where Willy asks for a different job, and Howard refuses, finalizes Willy's uselessness in the society. As mentioned before, Happy and Biff represent two sides of Willy's personality. Another significant character is Ben, Willy's dead brother who he often talks to in his illusions. Ben is Willy's hero in that Ben is his ideal of economic and personal success; Willy always regrets not taking up Ben's offer to come with him to Alaska and become rich. On the other hand, Ben also represents false standards of conduct. His character leads Willy away from realistic ideals (Dusenbury, 317). Another significant scene in the play is the garden scene where Willy is "talking" with Ben. Here, they are contemplating whether Willy should commit suicide or not. Willy believes that the insurance money his family will receive from his death will provide for Biff's "magnificent future." This scene with Ben obviously signifies Willy's unstable mentality (Rollyson, 1341.) Critics say that Willy's need for Ben sometimes conflict with his need for Linda because Linda symbolizes something stable and certain, while Ben represents something unrealistic (Bliquez, 322). Lastly, Willy stands as the most significant character in Death of a Salesman. Miller uses various symbols in the play to expand on Willy's role. One of the first symbols readers encounter is the flute music. The music shows the transitions from past to present (and vice versa) in Willy's mind. Furthermore, the music also represents an unknown musical father; Willy can't quite remember him, but he wants and is in need of his guidance (Dusenbury, 317). Next, the car stands as a symbol. At first, it is Willy's transportation for work as a traveling salesman; however, it comes to be Willy's mode of killing himself later on in the story. A similar symbol is the tubing that Linda and Biff find in the basement. Early on in the story, im close to the working-class type people that will later be the basis of many characters in his plays. It is while he is involving himself in these jobs that Miller forms his love for literature; he is greatly impressed by
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2143
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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