Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays)
by Arthur Miller
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Book Reviews of Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays)
Book Review: Willy's struggle
Summary: 3 Stars
One of America's great tragedies is Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. During this time, soldiers were coming home from World War II and were not in the mood for light comedies or romantic stories. After seeing all of the tragic sights that they did, the soldiers began to think about their life. About the meaning of life, the reason that they survived this horrific war that they had experienced. And thus began the period in American drama where playwrights began to change the focus of their plays for the more solemn side of things.
Reading Death of a Salesman was an interesting experience for me. On one hand I like they way that it portrayed the American Dream and what America holds as important today. Yet on the other hand, the play did seem a little slow in some parts where I believe it was just a matter of it was written more than a half a century ago.
Arthur Miller began his story in the Loman house. We see that possibly later in the play Willy will snap the last fiber that is holding his saneness in place. The foreshadowing begins when he starts to talk to himself and when we learn that he has wrecked the car on more than one occasion. We later learn that whenever flute music is played in the story, Willy is reminiscing about the old days and actually has conversations with people in his past who have already died.
One example of Miller writing about the reasons of life is the different occasions of Willy's attempt at committing suicide. One specific time is when he tried to wreck the car, there were witnesses who said that it definitely was deliberate and the only thing that saved Willy was the shallow water that he drove into. Another would be when Linda, Willy's wife, finds a rubber pipe connected to the gas pipe where Willy is trying to suck gas and kill himself.
One thing that I have learned from reading Death of a Salesman is that you need to have your priorities in line. During the play, Biff and Happy, the two sons, constantly show a lack of maturity by not having their priorities in line. Even if things aren't necessarily fun, yet are more important then the enjoyable thing, they should be on the top of my priority list.
For example, Biff and Happy take Willy out to a restaurant to celebrate what should have been their new deal with a respected business man. After things go wrong at the meeting, Biff tries to explain, but Happy cuts him off. Not wanting to deal with the misunderstanding anymore, they sons go off on a date with two girls who they had met that night. Not having any previous relationship with them, the sons leave their father, who has been there for their whole life, for a night where they don't have to deal with some hardships.
When it comes to recommending the play, I feel torn. On one hand, I do think that this play has valuable lessons that need to be taught in today's society. Lessons like priorities, honesty, and unconditional love. These concepts are dwindling in America today and should be brought back into light. This Death of a Salesman in my mind would help fulfill that goal.
On the contrary, I do feel that the way that these concepts are portrayed is a little dull. This style of writing doesn't necessarily appeal to me. As I mentioned before, that may be because it was written over 50 years ago, in 1949. It also may be because I feel that the plot was a little weak. I feel that if Arthur Miller would have made the point of the play clearer, it would be more wildly accepted. Some of the ideas that he was trying to portray were ones that you almost had to dig deep into in order to find them.
Book Review: What American Dream?
Summary: 3 Stars
Death of a Salesman, a heart wrenching drama written by Arthur Miller, illuminates the falsehood of the American dream and the continuous struggle to achieve success and ultimately respect from his family and peers. This play portrays the life of a struggling salesman, Willy Loman, whose mind slowly deteriorates along with his relationships. Miller uses this to teach the positive lesson of the deep need for communication in a family as well as forgiveness.
Willy Loman is an ordinary American man, attempting to realize the American dream. However, Willy is horribly failing to achieve his aspirations. Each of his efforts are filled with heart, but he fails to receive the fruits of his labor or the success he deserves. This unfortunate truth is one of the main points Miller tries to reveal to his audience. As Americans, we are spoon fed this great "American dream", but we fail to capture the reality of our finite existence with an infinite God. God, our Creator, is omnipotent and omniscient. He is the one who has unlimited power and is all knowing, yet we as humans are faulty and therefore limited by God within the limits of His creative design. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon conveys his frustration about life because no matter how bountiful his success or the greatness of his possessions, all is vain, for one day we will all die and that will not matter. However, Solomon realizes that God does not measure our lives in a worldly perspective; God sees our attitudes and our service to others for Him. Man looks to the outside, but God looks at the heart.
Another point Miller makes is the necessity of communication in any and all relationships. Linda, Willy's wife, constantly dismisses the reality of her husband crumbling mental health by living a continuous facade. This point is also made through the relationship between Willy and his son, Biff. Each never spoke of Willy's affair, Biff harbored resentment toward his father for willingly choosing to betray his mother because of his loneliness and need for comfort. It is obvious through the lack of communication and forgiveness; the relationship between the two of them took a harsh turn. Willy's deception was the cause of a severe heartache that would remain with Biff forever.
Through the reading of this play, I received several positive lessons. This play truly reminded me to appreciate the sacrifice my parents make daily for me. Without their willingness to serve, my family would not be what it is today. I also learned not to allow myself to harbor anger with someone, but to have open communication with everyone by applying the Matthew 18 principle to my daily life. In Matthew 18, it says that if someone offense you, you are to go to that person and make peace with them. Finally, I realized the overall faultiness of the "American dream". As what was previously stated, we are each given this extraordinary idea of America and the amazing opportunity to be successful, however, this dream is not all that it is cracked up to be.
I would highly recommend the reading of this play, however, I would caution that it does contain language and may be offensive to certain readers and not appropriate for younger youth. Nevertheless, the message Arthur Miller gives is extraordinary and is extremely relevant to all Americans. The realism that he vicariously portrays shows Miller's deep conviction for the American people and his compassion for those who dare to dream. This is a prime example of the genius of Miller's artwork and an excellent display of his innate talent.
Book Review: WIlly Loman, worked for a smile and a shoe shine
Summary: 4 Stars
In my opinion, the play Death of a Salesman was both positive and negative. Like any story, this one had its ups and downs which in a way are good to help the reader relate to the characters in different situations. Willy Loman, the main character, and his family had confrontations which are normal in a household occasionally, but the Loman family had them quite often, practically normal ion their daily routine. Willy's attitude were at first a turn-off for me, but upon further observation and seeing the whole story, behind Willy's hurt and pain, it is realized his disappointment seemingly toward everyone else honestly is aimed toward himself. Willy's ungrateful and unsatisfying spirit caused a downfall to both his family as well as himself. Nevertheless, I could have done without the use of all the profanity.
I believe Arthur Miller's main purpose in writing this piece was to brutally share his opinion of the "American Dream". Willy's search for happiness never came and all he had done didn't amount to anything when everything was said and done. Willy worked and worked, driving to Boston each week, hardly making enough money to cover the gas he spent on his trip there, for the satisfaction of his customers. Years passed and his customers were now either retired or dead, but Willy holds on to the faith that this new generation will give him the respect he needs and deserves. He is wrong and Willy is crushed by the harsh reality that he is a no one now and he feels useless and that his life is over, because he no longer received his "smile or a shoeshine."
Although this has not been my favorite play this year, I have learned a lot from it. Actually, I have learned something from each specific main character. From Willy, I have learned to be grateful for the family I have no matter how dysfunctional it may be. I have also learned to live each day to the fullest and to do what I love with my life because it will be gone before I have truly experienced happiness if I'm not careful. From Linda, the sweet and caring wife, I have learned to be more straight-forward with my concerns. She kept a lot of issues from Willy because she was afraid of hurting him, I noticed in my life I have that problem too, hoping and wishing it will go away but not taking action myself. She has taught me to be more aggressive with issues I face. Biff, the star child has taught me to do what I want with my life. Ultimately it is up to me what I will be and how I will succeed and that I shouldn't have to live in the shadow of anyone who has gone before me, whether they are a parent or close friend. Last but not least, Happy has taught me to not try to please others so much. It was ridiculous in my opinion to read abut him competing for attention form his own father, but in the end, he was the one trying to fulfill his fathers dream.
Despite the parts of this play I truly didn't agree with, concerning Willy's affair, I believe I would recommend this book to someone if I felt they were heading down the path Willy went. This play had a lot of double meanings though, so if I was to recommend it, I would also recommend a commentary of some sort, to help them analyze each situation as they read along, as we did in Drama class. I enjoyed this play and I am appreciative of Arthur Miller's bluntness toward his subject. The play spoken in modern-day English was also a plus for me because it lessened the confusion. In conclusion, I would like to say, be all you can be and live for yourself, not for those around you.
Book Review: Death of a Salesman; A good read
Summary: 4 Stars
Remember those television shows that displayed the perfect American families?Like, The Brady Bunch, Leave it to Beaver, or Seventh Heaven. All these shows displayed
the perfect American families: happy, secure, no problems or conflicts, and all these
dreams that came true. These types of shows were composed of illusions. These shows
were far from reality. These illusions are a lot like the ones Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman, by Arthur
Miller,experiences. Throughout the whole play Willy seems to have a hard time distinguishing these
two. The author does a good job at describing the journey of Willy and his problem
dealing with these two concepts.
The play starts out when Willy returns home from a failed sales trip. Finding out
his son Biff is home he criticizes him for not living up to his full potential. After feeling
really depressed he immerses himself in a flashback. These flashbacks happen quite
frequently throughout the play and are very confusing. On the contrary, the authors
placement of these flashbacks help represent the theme. His flashbacks are examples of
his illusions. Willy looks back on better times when his life becomes unsatisfactory to
him. He surrounds himself in these illusions so he does not have to face reality.
His flashbacks are only one of his types of illusions. Another illusion of Willys
deals with his definition of a good salesman. He thinks that if there is a man who makes
an appearance in the business world, [a] man who creates personal interest, is [a] man
who gets ahead (33).Willy feels that success in the business world is based on looks and
response from others around them. Hard work has no merit at all. This is an illusion as
well. This illusion replaced the little reality that Willy had left in his mind. It was this
illusion that explained the affair he had. He felt that if he was well liked and attractive
someone would want to have an affair with him. After this point Willys mind only falls
deeper and deeper into his illusions.
By the end of the play Willys sense of reality was so far gone he ended up
committing suicide. He could not handle what was really going on in his life. His inability
to distinguish reality from illusion is what led to his downfall. This was the point that
Arthur Miller expressed exquisitely.
This play is excellent at showing the affects of a life surrounded by illusion. It was
clearly stated that a life immersed in illusion leads a person to their ultimate downfall.
This play gives a dramatic look at this concept. It was probably very easy for Arthur
Miller to write this play because he said that he relates and understands, [Willy
Lomans] longing for immortality, Willys writing his name in a cake of ice on a hot day,
but he wishes he were writing in stone(Miller). He understands the reason for Willys
illusions. It is this understanding that helps the play be the masterpiece it is. These
illusions that Willy experiences are similar to the ones that television watchers can have
everyday. The television families that they thought were real were a lot like Willys
flashbacks. Millers play taps into that concept through a dramatic and tragic drama. A
drama that is good for anyone and everyone to read.
Book Review: Lore. Lies. Dreams.
Summary: 5 Stars
At the beginning of the play, Arthur Miller establishes Willy Loman as a troubled and misguided man, at heart a salesman and a dreamer with a preoccupation with success. However, Miller makes equally apparent that Willy Loman is no successful man. Although in his sixties, he is still a traveling salesman bereft of any stable location or occupation, and clings only to his dreams and ideals. There is a strong core of resentment within Willy Loman, whose actions assume a more glorious and idealized past. Willy sentimentalizes the neighborhood as it was years ago, and mourns the days working for Frank Wagner, while his son Howard Wagner fails to appreciate him. Miller presents Willy as a strong and boisterous man with great bravado but little energy to support that impression of vitality. He is perpetually weary and exhibits signs of dementia, contradicting himself within his conversations and showing some memory loss. Linda, in contrast, displays little of the boisterous intensity of Willy. Rather, she is dependable and kind, perpetually attempting to smooth out conflicts that Willy might encounter. Linda has a similar longing for an idealized past, but has learned to suppress her dreams and her dissatisfaction with her husband and sons. Miller indicates that she is a woman with deep regrets about her life; she must continually reconcile her husband with her sons, and support a man who has failed in his life's endeavor without any hope for pursuing whatever dreams she may have had. Linda exists only in the context of her family relationships as a mother to Biff and Happy and a husband to Willy, and must depend on them for whatever success she can grasp.
The major conflict in Death of a Salesman resides between Biff Loman and his father. Even before Biff appears on stage, Linda indicates that Biff and Willy are perpetually at odds with one another because of Biff's inability to live up to his father's expectations. As Linda says, Biff is a man who has not yet ?found himself,' thus using a euphemism to describe his string of perpetual failures. At thirty-four years old, Biff remains to some degree an adolescent, as demonstrated by his inability to keep a job. He and Happy are even at home in their old bunk beds; for Linda this is a reminder of better times, yet this is also a sign that neither of the sons has matured.
A major theme of the play is the lost opportunities that each of the characters face. Linda Loman, reminiscing about the days when her sons were not yet grown and had a less contentious relationship with their father, regrets the state of disarray into which her family has fallen. Willy Loman believes that if Frank Wagner had survived, he would have been given greater respect and power within his company. And Willy also regrets the opportunities that have passed for Biff, whom he believes to have the capability to be a great man, despite his repeated failures.
Miller uses the first segment of the play to foreshadow many of the significant plot developments. Willy worries about having trouble driving and expresses dissatisfaction with his situation at work, while Linda foreshadows later conflict between Willy and his sons. Each of these will become important in driving the plot and the resolution of the play.