Death of a Salesman Essay

Question 1

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Answer 1

In the exposition of the play, Arthur Miller introduces the audience to Willy Loman, the main protagonist. Miller uses both stage directions and the dialogue to highlight the flaws in Willy’s personality and his lack of success in life.

Question 2

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Answer 2

Willy is a man who has worked hard all his life to become a success and achieve his deluded, mistaken and flawed view of the American Dream, however it becomes clear to the audience that he is starting to lose his mind and all his energy when he exclaims to Linda:

Question 3

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Answer 3

‘ I’m tired to the death.

Question 4

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Answer 4

Willy has worked himself to the ground and is now at breaking point. He describes his exhaustion as close to death which foreshadows his’ suicide later in the play. ‘Tired’ evokes connotations of weary, drained and ageing, this emphasises that Willy is nearing the end of his life. Willy is a proud, hardworking and career driven man who has worked hard all his life but has never achieved success.

Question 5

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Answer 5

One of Willy Loman’s greatest flaws is he is still living under the delusion that he is a successful salesman, something he likes to boast about often to his sons

Question 6

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Answer 6

‘I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England.’

Question 7

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Answer 7

Willy defines himself based on career. He doesn’t just see himself as the man who sells for New England but he as the new England man. He believes himself to be vital to the company, but in reality it is the company that is vital to him and his feelings of self worth. Willy suffers from this crippling self delusion as he cannot see that the company does not need him. Willy continues to attempt to convince not only himself but Linda and his sons that he is successful and has in fact achieved the American Dream when in reality he is a complete failure.

Question 8

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Answer 8

In the exposition of the play we are introduced to Willy and his many flaws, it becomes apparent that Willy is becoming old and tired and despite working hard has never achieved success.

Question 9

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Answer 9

Miller develops Willy’s flawed personality as his deluded view and obsession with the success of others around him is further explored.

Question 10

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Answer 10

Willy lives vicariously through his son Biff and cannot accept that Biff is not yet settled in a job or found success. He believes the only way to become a success is to become a successful salesman and therefore wants Biff to pursue the same dream that he has:

Question 11

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Answer 11

“How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand?…Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such personal attractiveness, gets lost.”

Question 12

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Answer 12

Biff’s idea of success is not adequate for Willy; he believes that Biff was born to succeed and has instilled in Biff from a young age that looks are all you need to succeed in life. We see yet again Willy’s blind faith in the American dream and the wrong values that he has and is continuing to instil in his sons, that personal attractiveness is more important in achieving success than dedication, honesty and hardwork. ‘The greatest country in the world’ highlights the fact that Willy believes that America is the land of opportunity and the fact that he thinks that due to his sons ‘personal attractiveness’ that he can be more than just a farm hand.

Question 13

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Answer 13

Willy is not only obsessed with the triumphs of his sons but that of his now deceased brother Ben, he obsesses over his sons achieving the success that his brother Ben achieved, relatively easily

Question 14

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Answer 14

‘Was rich! That’s the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle!

Question 15

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Answer 15

Willy wants his sons to achieve the success he never did and become like his brother Ben . The jungle symbolises success and the unseen struggles you need to overcome in order to be successful. Ben literally walked into a jungle in Africa and found diamonds which made him a success in life but he wants his sons to metaphorically walk into their own jungle and achieve success that he believes is adequate

Question 16

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Answer 16

Willy has always had a flawed view of what success is and he is fixated on his sons gaining the success that he envisioned

Question 17

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Answer 17

In a key scene of the play, while out for a meal with his sons Willy looks back to his past and to his future.

Question 18

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Answer 18

While in Frank’s Chop house having a meal with his son Willy has a daydream about a conversation he had with Biff after Biff discovers Willy’s affair with the woman and how it changed his relationship with his son

Question 19

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Answer 19

‘You fake! You phoney little fake!(Biff)’

Question 20

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Answer 20

Biff’s anger towards Willy is evident. After discovering the affair Biff’s illusions of his father as a great man are shattered. He describes Willy as a ‘fake’ and a ’phoney’ showing that Biff has had the sudden realisation his father is not the man he thought he was. The repetition of ‘fake’ emphasises the feelings of betrayal and hurt that Biff feels. This is a turning point in Biff and Willy’s relationship, since this conversation their relationship has never and will never be great again

Question 21

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Answer 21

After the daydream, and as his sons leave him alone in the restaurant, Willy decides he needs to have something to leave behind for his sons:

Question 22

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Answer 22

‘I’ve got to get some seeds, right away. Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground. ’

Question 23

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Willy realises that he is poor and unsuccessful and now unemployed, he has nothing to pass down to his son. He has never been successful in growing and developing his career or anything in his life. The seeds symbolises Willy’s desire to leave something behind for his family, this is his last attempt to provide for his family and to make his sons proud of him. However, this will never be a success as Willy’s garden cannot grow anything. Willy is close to suicide in this part of the play, he belives the that if all else fails killing himself will provide for his family due to his life insurance.

Question 24

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Answer 24

We see again that Willy’s flawed personality get in the way of his life once again.

Question 25

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Answer 25

At the denouement of the play, Willy is nearing his inevitable end, his suicide. Biff is trying to make Willy see sense and fix his flaws. However, Willy cannot contemplate the fact that he is just an ordinary man who has not made success for his family.

Question 26

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Answer 26

In the kitchen there is a heated exchange between Willy and Biff where Biff tries to get Willy to see the reality of their situation

Question 27

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Answer 27

‘I’m a dime a dozen and so are you! (Biff). I’m not a dime a dozen, I am Willy Loman (Willy)’

Question 28

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Answer 28

The use of the phrase ‘a dime a dozen’ suggests that they are nothing special they are just like everyone else, Willy cannot accept this as he is still delusional and he thinks he is more successful than everyone else around him. He cannot accept that he is not well liked and that he is average, at best. He shouts that he is ‘Willy Loman’ this emphasises the fact he feels his name has an air of importance and is well known. When in reality his name means nothing to anyone, in fact the sound of his name has connotations of a low man, suggesting that Willy will never be and never has been high up in society. However, His upset and distraught tone suggests that deep down, he knows his name means nothing. When Willy hears his son say he is nothing special it seals his fate, he decides to kill himself

Question 29

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Answer 29

After his conversation with his sons Willy leaves the house never to come back again. Willy’s flawed character yet again effects him negatively, this time drastically leading to his suicide. During his funeral, his family contemplate what went wrong in Willy’s life and Biff states to the audience that

Question 30

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Answer 30

‘ He had the wrong dreams. All,all wrong’

Question 31

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Answer 31

Biff highlights that Willy’s downfall was his biggest flaw, his blind faith in the American dream, Willy’s pursuit of the American dream and his desire to be well liked and respected was ultimately his downfall. Repetition of ‘All’ emphasises how far off Willy’s dreams were from what would truly make him happy. One of Willy’s greatest flaws was he always failed to see that he was chasing the wrong dream despite his family telling him that he was. Willy should have followed his passion of working with his hands, there he may have found success.

Answer 32

This emphasises Willy’s proud nature and self worth and his flaws ultimately being his downfall.