Death of a salesman - symbols.

Death of a salesman-symbols The cars that Willy Lowman own in Death of a Salesman symbolizes his mental well-being throughout his life. This will be examined in three separate sections, Willy's flashbacks, the 'present time' sections of the play, and finally the car crash. These explanations will be presented in chronological order to keep things from becoming confusing. When Willy is having flashbacks on his life it is shown that he was a very happy and stable person, the kind of person people liked. He had a job which let him travel and kept him from a cramped office space, he was able to pay the bills without too much trouble, and he loved his family and they loved him back. At this time in Willy's life he owned a red Chevy pickup. It was 1928 and Willy lead a happy life with a happy family. He had a great relationship with his children. "I've been wondering why you polish the car so careful. Ha! Don't leave the hubcaps, boys. Get the chamois to the hubcaps. Happy, use newspaper on the windows, it's the easiest thing. Show him how to do it Biff! You see, Happy? Pad it up, use it like a pad. That's it, that's it, good work. You're doin' all right, Hap." That quotation shows how much of a hero Willy was to the boys at this time in their lives. It also shows how he was indeed active in their lives and proud of them in every way. He, at this time coached them and taught them

  • Word count: 819
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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A Discussion of Symbols in "A Death of Salesman".

A Discussion of Symbols in "A Death of Salesman" Seeds: Reference in the play: (To Stanley) Willy: Tell me - is there a seed store in the neighborhood? Discussion: The seeds embody Willy's ambition to be both a good father and a "well-liked" salesman. Willy's nocturnal futile attempt to grow vegetables clearly demonstrates his failure in achieving the American Dream. Another perspective is to see seeds as the pure embodiment of Biff. Willy makes a hard attempt to raise and nurture Biff but despite all his desperate tries, Biff turns out to be a lazy bum. In the same way, Willy tries to grow vegetables but he fails. The other important fact about this symbol is that huge towering shapes behind Willy's house constrict the garden in which vegetables will grow. Because of the limiting space of the garden, nothing substantial can grow. This can be interpreted that the competition, the clemency lacking quality of the American Dream (represented by the towering buildings) ultimately leads to Willy's downfall (the futile seeds). This is a crucial point in understanding and evaluating the play because the American Dream that Willy thought as infallible, in the end proves to be fallible by leading Willy to his downfall. Linda's And Woman's Stockings Reference in the play: (To Willy) Biff: You - you gave her mama's stockings![His tears break through and he rises to go]

  • Word count: 986
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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To what extent are symbols used to convey the tragic death of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman

To what extent are symbols used to convey the tragic death of Willy Loman? Throughout “Death of a Salesman,” symbols are frequently used and referred to in an attempt to convey the death of Willy Loman, the frequent reference to the symbols reinitiates the reader with the level of Willy’s depression and the contributing factors to his tragic death. Ultimately all the symbols within the play link back to Willy’s main ambition – “The American Dream” Miller creates a sense that Willy believes wholeheartedly in what he considers the promise of the American Dream—that a “well liked” and “personally attractive” man in business will indubitably and deservedly acquire the material comforts offered by modern American life. Oddly, his fixation with the superficial qualities of attractiveness and likeability is at odds with a more gritty, more rewarding understanding of the American Dream that identifies hard work without complaint as the key to success. Willy’s blind faith in his stunted version of the American Dream leads to his rapid psychological decline when he is unable to accept the disparity between the Dream and his own life. Throughout the play the repeated symbols include: the car, seeds, the rubber hose, diamonds, Linda’s stockings and finally Alaska. For Willy, the majority of “Death of a Salesman” takes place within the confined landscape

  • Word count: 1180
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Death of a Salesman. Many symbols are included in the play. The tennis racquet, the seeds and the house are some of these symbols.

The American dream, a dream derived the ideals of life, liberty and happiness, is now merely defined in materialistic terms. Arthur Miller demonstrates how Willy's blind faith in the American dream turns into an obsession for success which destroys his life and almost that of his family. Miller communicates effectively with his audiences through the utilisation of literary techniques such as symbolism and motif. I shall begin by focusing on his use of symbolism and subsequently examine the use of motifs in the play. Many symbols are included in the play. The tennis racquet, the seeds and the house are some of these symbols. The tennis racquet which Willy observes is an obvious representation of Bernard's success and Biff's failure. Biff and Happy, who hope to make a fortune out of selling sports equipment, are revolving their lives around sport. Ironically, Bernard, who stood on the sidelines in high school while Biff played sports, now owns the tennis racquet. After spending a lifetime pursuing the unsuccessful American dream, Willy realises he has never left behind any accomplishments for his children in his name. The seeds represent the legacy that Willy will never leave with his family. "Oh, I'd better hurry. I've got to get some seeds. I've got to get some seeds, right away. Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground." (page 122) During this scene, we see

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  • Word count: 629
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: World Literature
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Death of a Salesman - review

Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Willly Loman is an elderly salesmen lost in false hopes and illusions. The sales firm he works for no longer pays him salary. Working on straight commission, Willy cannot bring home enough money to pay his bills. After thirty-four years with the firm, they have spent his energy and discarded him. Willy's sons, Biff and Hap, are also failures, but Willy doesn't want to believe this. He wants his sons, especially Biff, to succeed where he has not. He believes his boys are great and cannot understand why they are not successful. This is a major source of conflict throughout the play. As Willy has grown older, he has trouble distinguishing between the past and present - between illusion and reality - and is often lost in flashbacks where much of the story is told. These flashbacks are generally during the summer after Biff's senior year of high school when all of the family problems began. Willy has had an affair with a women he meets on sales trips and once caught by Biff. Now, Biff does not respect Willy and they do not get along. Willy eventually commits suicide so that Biff can have the insurance money to become successful with. Linda Loman Linda is Willy's wife and is the arbiter of peace in the family. She is always trying to stand between Willy and her sons to ease the tension. She is protective of Willy. She knows that Willy is

  • Word count: 2257
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman From the outset death of a salesman portrays the pitfalls of the American dream. The dream centred on the high chance that anyone can strike it rich in this Land of opportunity. Even in 1950s USA people were still taking a chance on this myth. Death of a Salesman shows the traps of the dream. The failures centred on poor Willy Loman This fine line between making it and become your average Joe becomes heavily apparent when Willy decides he has had enough and kills himself. Willy begins to believe that [In a thick American accent] "No man needs a little salary." Willy perceives himself lower than everybody else partly due to his low wages. One of his great dreams would just be "forty dollars a week" but his new generation bosses decide even his 34 years of experience wont warrant him a proper salary. Now if Willy Loman a salesman of 34 years cannot even command a low rate salary what is the profession coming to? The book marks the passing of time, where no longer men can simply become great being simple salesmen. They can no longer just roll up with a big smile and sell their good. Being known like Willy was just aint cutting it any more. Dave Singleman had pioneered the traditional salesman. One who could sell over the phone in any state? When Willy dies this breed of gentleman passes. Sadly, Willy never realises the coming news. As a result he drifts

  • Word count: 528
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Death of a salesman

Death of a Salesman: Discuss the importance of dreams in the play After studying 'Death of a Salesman', which won the Pulitzer Prize and the Drama Critics' Circle Award, I realised that a lot of dreams take place, but not only in the story but even in real-life situations because all the time you are thinking of fantasies and what you are going to do in the future. In 'Death of a Salesman' dreams such as the American dream, daydreaming, hopes and ambitions, fantasies, etc, take place. These dreams not only motivate the characters but also explain and influence their behaviour as they try to dream what is going to happen to them in the future. Hopes and ambitions play a vital part of being rich because Willy, Biff and Happy have always had an ambition of being rich, most significantly the 'million dollar idea', which was invented by Happy, whose real name is Harold. However, after all that dreaming these hopes never became true. Daydreaming could kill, as Willy would know after he crashed in the wall, while he was dreaming of something while driving. Nevertheless, after going through the rest of the story I find out that he was actually trying to commit suicide. However, I think that the American dream plays the most crucial part because the play is all about having money and being successful as Willy, Biff and Happy have been dreaming for a long time. The American dream is

  • Word count: 779
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Death of A Salesman

'Death of a salesman' coursework Introduction In 'In death of a salesman' we see an optimistic salesman, Willy Loman, in the last 48 hours of his life. The play has frequent flashbacks to Willy's past that are representative of how Willy is having a nervous breakdown and later commits suicide. We see Willy as a broken man under the cutthroat capitalist system he has so loyally served and supported all his working live trying to make the best for his family and trying unsuccessfully to become a successful salesman. Arthur Miller, the author, wants to show Willy as another victim of capitalism and makes us sympathise at how Willy and the people around him act. He shows us a man disillusioned by the world around him and confused by his sons who he wants to follow the same career as him. His sons, Biff and Happy are also unsuccessful or just not motivated. Biff wants to get out the city and live a laid back lifestyle where Happy tries in vain to be like his father but can not face the fact that he is also unsuccessful. Another aspect of the play is that Miller comments on the fake American Dream and measures of social status are made by the commodities or job that one has. He criticised capitalism at a time when the communist witch-hunts were carried out in America and he was arrested for sympathising with communists. It is obvious this play is an attack on the American

  • Word count: 1267
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Death Of A Salesman

Death Of A Salesman The Death of a Salesman is a tragedy, which I have studied with the intention of this essay. Willy Loman is the main character of the play; he has always believed America to be a country where anyone with ambition and energy can succeed. Despite this, he fails in what he sets out to do! For the purpose of this essay I am going to explain why he has failed to be successful and what his ambitions were. Willy's ambition was to be successful and well known as a salesman but as he gets older people begin to laugh at him and his attempts, he loses all his energy to carry on. Willy Loman was a salesman all his life. He travelled everywhere to try and support his wife and two sons. Throughout the play Willy cannot distinguish between reality and illusion. This is a major theme and source of conflict in the play. Willy cannot see who he and his sons really are. He believes that they are great men, who have what it takes to be successful and beat the business world, like he believes he has, but he is mistaken in reality, Willy and his sons are both not successful, in the business world. The American dream offers chances of riches even to those who start with nothing; it works back to the early history of America when the pioneers conquered the wilderness of the future. The image that was created was that becoming rich was a simple matter of asserting your

  • Word count: 1090
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Death of a Salesman.

Death of a Salesman 'The American Dream´ is based on the 'Declaration of Independence´: 'We believe that all men are born with these inalienable rights - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.´ (Thomas Jefferson, 1776). This 'dream´ consists of a genuine and determined belief that in America, all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth; you work hard enough you will achieve anything. However, Miller says people have been 'ultimately misguided´. The origins of the American Dream seem to have been rooted in the pioneering mentality of the 18th and 19th century immigrants, most of whom came to America because of a promise of a new and better life. In particular, the opportunity to own one´s land. But land 'ran out´ and so cities developed and massive variations arose in wealth, which meant that this 'American Dream´ changed from being a potential reality, into being a dream, like the name implies. Most of Miller´s plays are directly or indirectly about the American Dream, because ultimately this dream wasn´t going to succeed as lots of people wished. 'Death of a Salesman´ written in 1949, is a moving destruction of the whole myth. To be hard working, honest and have ambition were the ways of the American Dream. This lead onto success, wealth and in due time - power. But this dream for everyone developed, and encouraged greed, selfish

  • Word count: 2078
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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