The Struggle for the American Dream

In Arthur Miller’s playwright Death of a Salesman (1949) Miller demonstrates the extent to which people would go to reach the American Dream in order to portray some of the emotions and sentiment of many Americans during the 1940s, where the recent stock market crash and World War 2 had just plagued the nation. Miller starts out the play by introducing and identifying the role the main characters serve in the play: Willy as the head of the household with a deadbeat job, Lilly as the wife and caretaker of the household, and their grown sons, Biff and Happy. He also begins to introduce the plot of the story- the bitter relationship between Biff and Willy over Biff’s job and career aspirations- and then further heightens the tension between their relationship through Willy’s illusions of the past, where Willy tries desperately to bask in the moments where everything seemed to be going good and also searches for past clues and mistakes that could have led to this bitter relationship. After shifting the dismal mood to that of hope when Biff gets an "appointment" for a business proposal, Miller concludes the play by shifting the tone again to that of shame and discouragement with Willy losing his job, the failed business meeting with Biff, and eventually, the tragic death of Willy. Although many themes arise from this playwright, including the cost at trying to be someone you are not and covering up one’s true self through lies and denial, Miller demonstrates the extent to which some Americans long for the American Dream in order to show the consequences that result in doing so. His audiences are the lower, middle-class American families, business workers, sellers, parents, and the jobless who might also be caught in false hopes and realities to show to them that pursuing the American Dream is one thing, but to go to the extent as to hide one self’s true identity and get caught up in lies and excuses to achieve that goal will just bring about negative consequences in the end.

Vocabulary Words

•   Simonize- to shine or polish to a high sheen
•   Bashful- one who is easily embarrassed or shy
•   Chamois-a soft type of leather made from the skin of an antelope
•   Hubcaps- a removable cover for the center of an automobile wheel
•    Ignoramus- an extremely ignorant person
•   Caliber-high degree of excellence or merit
•   Spiting- a desire to harm, ridicule, annoy, or humiliate a person
•   Contemptuous- expressing deep contempt or despise for someone or something

Tone: Distraught, Hopeful, Ashamed

Rhetorical Strategies

•  Simile: “BIFF enters the darkened kitchen… ‘Like a Young God. Hercules-something like that’” (pg. 51); “‘A star like that, magnificent, can never really fade away!’” (pg. 51)
•  Idiom: “‘Knock him dead, boy.’” (pg. 50)
•  Metaphor: “‘Yeah, but when he walks into the store the waves part in front of him. That’s fifty-two thousand dollars a year coming through the revolving door, and I got more in my pinky finger than he’s got in his head.’” (pg. 13)
•  Rhetorical Questions: “‘How can they dare refuse? Didn’t I work like coolie to meet every premium on the nose? And now they don’t pay off? ...Does it take more guts to stand here the rest of my life ringing up a zero?’” (pg. 100)
•   Foreshadowing: “BIFF reaches behind the heater and draws out a length of rubber tubing. He is horrified and turns his head toward WILLY’S room…quickly goes up the stairs” (pg. 51) 

Discussion Questions

•  How would Willy use the rubber tubing to commit suicide? (pg. 51) (Disclaimer: Not that I would do it, but I have never heard of “rubber tubing” used in these types of situations)
•  How does the use of Willy’s illusions add tension and suspense to the plot of the play?
•   Is it wrong to have high hopes or seek for the American Dream? To what extent does it become a detriment to one’s own life?

“‘Why boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out…And by God I was rich.’” (pg. 33)

Final Thoughts:

                Although I say this with nearly every book or literary piece I read, I have to say, again, this playwright was amazing! At first I was sort of confused on what the issue was and what was happening in the scene, considering that the play would jump back and forth with reality and Willy’s illusions, but I was quick to come to senses with it once I was able to understand each character and the role that they serve in the play. Furthermore, although the history books mentions the struggle of many American families, especially after the great stock market crash and World War 2, this playwright further deepened my understanding of how terrible and how much of an impact these historical events really had on some people during that time. At times I would feel a little overwhelmed because of the many themes and lessons I was able to take from the play and although the themes had some connections with each other, I found it difficult to process each one, in order to come up with one general theme that would apply to the playwright, overall, while incorporating all the other little ideas and themes. Either way, I truly enjoyed this playwright and I would highly encourage others to read it.

Death of a Salesman

The Death of a Salesman is a playwright that was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. Written just after World War 2, the Death of a Salesman reflects the great boom in literature and playwrights postwar during the Eisenhower era, which lasted from 1952-1960. The playwright also reflects how society was at the time, where everyone was so focused on living the "American Dream". I remember seeing mention of the playwright in my AP US History book and so far after reading the first couple pages, I can already see the similarities and reflections the characters in the play have so far with how people from that society were at the time. For one thing, the play opens with a man (Willy) who is having problems at work just like much of society in the 1940s-1950s, where many people also had to struggle with work. Furthermore I noticed that the patriarchal roles of men and women at the time were still reflected in the play as Willy's wife, Linda, was there to take care of Willy, while he just focused on his job. Although the time in which the book was written saw a change in womens' roles, in terms of the availability of more service and clerical jobs for women, many women still continued traditional gender roles in being the chef and maid of the household, there to serve their families and husbands. So far the book has been interesting and I have been predicting events that could possibly occur (such as maybe a change in traditional gender roles or family issues that arise), but just like with any play, it was tough for me to understand what was going on at first, considering that playwrights are just all dialogue with the exceptions of  monologues and stage notes. The jargon used throughout the play is also different considering that the play was published in the 1940s, which also makes it sort of harder to understand, but other than that I look forward to seeing how the story will unfold and getting to understand the characters in the play so far.