Death of a Salesman

A detailed Summary of Death of a Salesman


Society's Role in Willy Loman's Demise.

In Death of a Salesman, the main character, Willy Loman, embodies the confusion and frustrations of a dying generation. Through his many hardships and failures he comes to realize that he no longer has a place in society. His dreams, which were based on the old traditions of pride and nobility, have been overrun by the machine of capitalism. Thus, the tragedy of Willy Loman is ultimately attributable more to society than to his own personality.

In the beginning of the play, Willy foreshadows its ultimate theme by criticizing the changes brought about by industrialization. "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" (Miller 1195). Through


Willy's tragedy was not so much the result of his own personality, but rather a result of the industrialization of society. The world in which Willy lived and worked was dominated by the faceless machine of capitalism. Willy could not understand the mechanisms of this machine and thus eventually became its victim.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literarture.

these remarks, Willy attempts to define the conflict between nature and industry. It is this conflict that brings about Willy's downfall. Willy's father, a pioneer inventor, represents the traditional values and way of life that Willy was brought up on. So does Dave Singleman, the eighty-four year old salesman that inspired Willy to go into the sales industry. Howard, the young boss of Willy's c

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Approximate Word count = 538
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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