Is Willy Loman Presented as a Hero/Victim in "Death of a Salesman"?
Is Willy Loman Presented as a Hero/Victim in "Death of a Salesman"? Willy Loman is presented as both a tragic hero and an unconscious victim in "Death of a Salesman". "Death of a Salesman" is very much based upon the American Dream, and whether we are slaves or conquerors of this dream. This is an idea that the playwright Arthur Miller has very passionately pursued both through Willy's own eyes, and through his interaction with the different characters in the play. Firstly, the definitions of a hero and a victim very much influence the way that Willy is viewed by the audience. Miller has not used the play to suggest that Willy Loman is an ordinary hero, but more a tragic hero. A tragic hero, simply by definition means that the reader already begins to see Willy in a more sympathetic light. A tragic hero is somebody who cannot forget his past, and so is destroyed by the consequences of his own actions. In order to picture Willy as a victim, again one cannot think of a regular victim, but of an ignorant victim. This would mean that Willy was completely unaware of his role as a victim in the play. It would also imply that Willy was not in control of his own fate. From the beginning of "Death of a Salesman" we see Willy playing the very victimised role of the conformer. Near the end of the first scene, as he speaks to his sons in one of his flashbacks he says: "the man who
Examine how the family theme is presented in “Death of a salesman".
Arthur Miller set out in "Death of a Salesman" to paint a true portrait of how one person thinks, and, in fact, his original title for the play was "The Inside of His Head." Miller wanted to show us the feelings, observations, and associations that occur daily in our "subjective process of thought-connection," as he later put it. He was striving for a believable and accurate pattern of thought and language, with all its confusions and contradictions. In the "Introduction to the Collected Plays," Miller wrote, "I was convinced only that if I could make him remember enough he would kill himself, and the structure of the play was determined by what was needed to draw up his memories like a mass of tangled roots without end or beginning." In his daily life, Willy has recently been moving uncontrollably from the present to the past and back again, much to the distress of himself and his family. Within this play, the 'family theme' is one of the major ideas which Miller wanted to portray. I feel that this theme can be clearly seen through the individual characters, the relationships between these characters, and how the family was shown in the past and the present. In an essay entitled "The Family in Modern Drama," Miller states, "We are all part of one another, all responsible to one another. The responsibility originates on the simplest level, our immediate kin." The
Compare the ways in which the Miller presents John the Carpenter in 'The Miller's Tale' with the ways in which Miss Fozzard presents Bernard in 'Talking Heads 2.'
Laura Westwood Compare the ways in which the Miller presents John the Carpenter in 'The Miller's Tale' with the ways in which Miss Fozzard presents Bernard in 'Talking Heads 2.' In your answer you should pay particular attention to: * Vocabulary and style * Form * Any other features of language you consider to be important. The presentation of Bernard and John is largely different due to the narrative styles of the authors in the two stories. 'The Miller's Tale' is written in the style of third person intrusive narration, therefore the reader is influenced by the Miller's views and attitudes towards the carpenter. The Miller gives direct input to the presentation of the carpenter by expressing his feelings through comments such as "This sely carpenter goth forth his wey." This encourages the reader to agree with the suggestions the author makes, therefore in this case we believe the carpenter to be silly and naïve, this is also emphasized by the tone of the narrative voice, being quite diminutive of the carpenter. The Miller is also an omniscient narrator, so he 'knows all' and 'sees all' that is going on in the text. As there is not 'I' the story relates directly to the reader, therefore as a reader we tend to relate to the character the narrator relates to, and in the same way find humour in the way that John the carpenter is treated as the Miller obviously finds
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury is indubitably one of Faulkner's best novels. The precision with which the novel is constructed, and the use of obstructionist narrative devices, make this a challenging text. This book was published in October 1929, and continues to astound readers today. As a novelist he exploits the flaws in the southern American family life very well, as well as concentrating on many other aspects of human life. The book is divided into four sections, the first is narrated by Benjy, a thirty three year old retard, the second by Quentin a Harvard freshman who kills himself after the first year of university, and the third by Jason, a character created to represent the southern American man, and reflect on the tragic decline of the Compson family. The last section is told by Dilsey, the mother of the black family who have served the Compson's all their life. 'Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'. This statement is full of cynicsm yet is surprisingly apt for Benjy's section, as he is an idiot, he 'bellers', never listened to, and his mind frame causes him excessive pain when no one else can understand why he feels like that. He has no sense of time and is emotionally troubled my familiar smells ands sights. It is in his mind that we get the first perspective of the Compson family decline. The section starts off in the present
Discuss Miller's Presentation of Self-Deception in Death of a Salesman.
Jonathan Ensall Discuss Miller's Presentation of Self-Deception in Death of a Salesman Throughout the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman distorts the truth. Often his lies and exaggerations are not immediately recognisable as symptoms of his self-deception because they appear true. For example, Willy's claim that he is, 'Vital (to business) in New England' is not disproved until he loses his job in Act II. In this way Miller establishes a complex pattern of self-deception throughout the play which the characters either condone or refute as suits their purpose. There are, however, other presentations of Willy's self-deception that I find more straightforward. There is an immediately observable disparity between Willy's perception and reality when Willy physically enters his memories. He experiences what could be described as flashbacks however Miller asserts that, 'There are no flashbacks in, (Death of a Salesman) but only a mobile concurrency of past and present' Suggesting that Willy's delusional visions of the past are as real to him as his experiences in the present. Miller introduces Willy's older brother Ben as a hallucination when Willy has to make important decisions. Willy idolises Ben, despite having only met him a few times during his adult life, because Ben has achieved easy and lucrative success. I view their interchanges as representative of the mental
The themes of illusion and Reality in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
Tennessee Williams epic play, 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', is much more than a story highlighting the inadequacies of the Pollitt family, it is a carefully planned critique of American society during the fifties. One of the leading themes that Williams explores in order to do this is that of illusion and reality. The theme is brought to attention by Bricks claim that he is dismayed by the presence of 'mendacity' in society. The theme is quickly defined as 'lying and liars' by Brick and his father. It has become quite clear that Brick is not revealing the truth about an element of his personal life. He is eventually forced to reluctantly do so by his father. Williams is keen to display the complexities between the relationship Big Daddy has with his children. On one hand there is Gooper, an established lawyer with a prosperous family, and on the other there is Brick, whom by all accounts; including his own at times, is a has been footballer who has thrown in the towel. However, it can be claimed that Gooper, along with his partner Mae is really motivated the prospect of financial prosperity. Both he and Mae appear to be loyal and complaint to Big Mama and Big Daddy. Yet, despite the fact that Gooper has achieved all that society has asked of him, he remains unable to please his father, who seems to prefer Bricks company to his. Furthermore, the main link between the two
In what ways do the language rituals in "The Homecoming" and "Waiting for Godot" suggest the play wrights' respective perceptions of the human condition?
In what ways do the language rituals in "The Homecoming" and "Waiting for Godot" suggest the playwrights' respective perceptions of the human condition? Introduction The role of language and communication is a central issue in both plays on a purely theatrical level, serving to advance the plot and enhance characterisation, yet it achieves far more than simply forming an entertaining piece of drama. Throughout the plays there are periods where dialogue between the characters manages to display human language's most powerful capabilities, yet others where its shortcomings are dramatically exposed. Behind the conversations, hidden in the silences, both plays offer far more to the audience than can be gathered from the words alone. What is stated, what is implied and what is left unsaid are all of equal importance, as each simple line provokes thoughts on a series of deeper issues. The use of language and language rituals offers an insight into wider thoughts than simply those concerning the characters in the play. Both playwrights' ideas and suggestions concerning the human condition may be interpreted from these rituals; the interaction of the characters and the way they choose to communicate with one another present perceptions of our very existence as human beings. When seeking to compare the ways in which this is achieved by the playwrights, a fundamental difference
Analyse how character, language, setting and structure contribute to the dramatic effect of Death of a Salesman.
Death of a Salesman Analyse how character, language, setting and structure contribute to the dramatic effect of Death of a Salesman. The American Dream is the promise that any man may become a success through hard work and a good personality. Death of a Salesman is based on the false promises of the American Dream and follows the struggles for success of Willy Loman and his Family. Arthur Miller sets the play mainly in the Loman household in 1942. However, there are several dramatic flashbacks where Willy remembers back t o1928. Miller has set the play in the time of the American Dream and by using this real life situation he adds realism and dramatic devices in historical context. During scenes in the present, the actors ignore walls and all physical boundaries on stage. In the past, however, these boundaries are totally ignored. By using this theatrical technique, Miller not only helps to differentiate past from present, but also adds a dramatic effect by creating a sense of illusion and dreams. Another way in which Miller helps to separate the flashbacks from the rest of the play is by using music. In one of the scenes that is set in the past, happy and joyous music is played. This music is to represent the happiness of the past in Willy's mind; it also adds a sense of darkness and unhappiness to the present. At the start of the play, flute music is played. This gives
Arthur Miller said that his first title for “Death of a salesman” was “The inside of his head”. Why do you think Miller considered using this as a title and how can a production of the play convey to an audience that it is about Willy
The Perse school for girls English Literature Centre number: 22135 Twentieth Century Drama Michelle Cheung November 2001 Arthur Miller said that his first title for "Death of a salesman" was "The inside of his head". Why do you think Miller considered using this as a title and how can a production of the play convey to an audience that it is about Willy Loman's way of mind. "The image was of an enormous face the height of the proscenium arch which would appear and then open up, and we would see the inside of a man's head . . . it was conceived half in laughter, for the inside of his head was a mass of contradictions." - Arthur Miller Miller of course, did not use this 'arch' in any way in his play, but he did use a number of things to show what was going on inside Willy Loman's head. He not only showed the audience reality the way Willy Loman did, but at the same time show what was real. There are three levels of understanding: Willy's perception of reality, Willy's memories of his past, and the audience's perception of reality in the present. Past and present are used to show the audience what Willy Loman's past was like and how the present is linked
"The American Dream" in Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman
The American Dream "The American Dream" is that dream of a land in which life should be better, richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. American society is a curious thing. It has been praised, derided, ridiculed, and condemned throughout the years. In addition, over the years, people have flocked from foreign nations to come for diversity of America. They come with the hopes and dreams of the silver screens. However, many are faced with the brutal hardship, rather than the fairytale ending of a famous millionaire. Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman examines the clashing of dreams against American Reality through the eyes of Happy, Biff, Linda, and Willy Loman. Happy is the Loman's youngest son. He is also of low moral character. Happy has always been the "second son" and tries to be noticed by his parents by showing off. Hap tries to be on Will's good side and keep him happy, even if