Failure in a Success Oriented Society in Death of a Salesman Essays

Failure in a Success Oriented Society in decease of a Salesman In the nobble Death of a Salesman by Arthur moth miller, the playwright focuses on the theme of failure in a success oriented society. Willy Lowman, a failed salesman, is the central character. Willys downfall is caused by his belief in the propaganda of a society that only has room for winners. The significance of this theme, still very relevant today, is heightened by Millers skilful use of a range of key techniques, including setting, characterization and symbolism. The drama focuses on the life of a middle aged salesman, Willy Lowman, who, at the outset of the play is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He lives with his adoring but over protective wife, Linda, who acts as a buffer between her husband and their both adult sons, Biff and Happy, whose relationship with their father is permanently under tension. The play plots the tragic collapse of a man who cannot face up to his moral responsibilities in a societ y whose false values attach a dangerous importance to success as measured in such transient call as income and material possessions. Living according to these values means that failure is likewise defined in economic terms. The plays setting contributes to our understanding of the significance of this theme. Willy Lowmans abode is presented as small and fragile-seeming, dwarfed by a wall of apartment blocks whose presence contributes to the trapped, claustrophobic atmosphere. He makes reference to a time before the build up of this field of honor when there were two beautiful elm trees, now cut down by the builder and a garden in which scented wisteria and lilacs bloomed in profusion.Willy complains of the near quality within his apartment, despite... ...ary society. For todays audience, Willy Lowman remains a poignant figure of failure, partially as a result of societys false value system but partly because of Willys own inability to confront life with integrity. Works Cite d and Consulted Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York Norton, 1994. Corrigan, Robert W., ed. Arthur Miller. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, 1969. Florio, Thomas A., ed. Millers Tales. The New Yorker. 70 (1994) 35-36. Hayashi, Tetsumaro. Arthur Miller Criticism. Metuchen, NJ Scarecrow Press, 1969. Martin, Robert A., ed. Arthur Miller. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, 1982. Miller, Arthur. The Archbishops Ceiling/The American Clock. New York Grove Press, 1989. ---. Death of a Salesman. New York Viking, 1965.