LITERATURE ANALYSIS #1

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

 

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

- Exposition: The play begins with Willy Loman, a tired salesman past the age of sixty, returning home early from a business trip. Linda, Willy's wife, greets her husband. The couple then begins to talk and Linda begs Willy to ask Howard Wagner, his employer, for a non-traveling job in New York City. Willy tells Linda that they don't need him in New York because he is "the New England man." Willy and Linda then talk about their son, Biff Loman. Willy tells Linda that "Biff Loman is lost.... And such a hard-worker. There's one thing about Biff- he's not lazy." (Act one, page 16). As they continue to talk, the reader then learns that Willy wants nothing more than for his sons, Biff and Happy Loman, to become successful.
- Rising Action: The rising action of the play occurs when Charley visits Willy. While the two men play cards, Charley offers Willy a non-traveling job with a weekly commission of fifty dollars. Willy finds Charley's offer to be an insult and is too proud to accept it. When Charley wins the game of cards Willy gets mad and Charley ends up leaving. We then learn that Willy lost his salary and now works on a commissioner's salary and borrows fifty dollars from Charley each week in order to pay the family's expenses. 
- Climax: The climax of Death of a Salesman occurs when the Loman family learns about Willy's suicide attempts. Linda tells Biff and Happy that all his car accidents were in fact failed suicide attempts. Linda also tells her sons that Willy has tried to asphyxiate himself. While looking for a fuse one day, she went down to the cellar where she found a length of rubber pipe behind the fuse box. She then informs them regarding the new little nipple on the gas pipe on the bottom of the water heater.
- Falling Action: Willy finally realizes that he is alone and that Ben was actually never present when Willy was talking to him. After this realization, Willy then speeds away in his car and kills himself. Willy ended his life in order to give Biff the settlement from his life insurance. 
- Resolution: The play ends at Willy's funeral. Linda, Biff, Happy, Charley, and Bernard are the only ones to attend the funeral. Linda wonders where all of Willy's business friends are. Linda then questions why Willy ended his life when he was extremely close to paying of their last bills.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid clichés.

- The theme of Death of a Salesman is false hopes and dreams. Throughout the play, Willy Loman is blinded from reality by his desires to become successful. Willy lives his life in constant hope, wishing for things that are ultimately never going to happen. In the Play, Willy eagerly hopes and dreams for success, however, he eventually loses himself as an individual and begins to live his life in his very own made up fantasy. Willy hopes that Bliff will settle down and become successful and dreams of making it big and becoming the best salesman; two desires that are very unlikely to ever occur.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

- The author's tone in the play is both hopeful and sincere. Throughout the play, the author lets reader know all of the character's feelings, hopes, thoughts, and dreams.
"You and Hap and I, and I’ll show you all the towns. America is full of beautiful towns and fine, upstanding people. And they know me, boys, they know me up and down New England. The finest people. And when I bring you fellas up, there’ll be open sesame for all of us, ‘cause one thing, boys: I have friends. I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own. This summer, heh?" - Willy Loman (Act one, page 31)
"You wait, kid, before it's all over we're gonna get a little place out in the country, and I'll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens..." - Willy Loman (Act two, page 72) 
"I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him." - Linda Loman (Act one, page 56)
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.) 
- Symbolism: In Death of a Salesman, seeds symbolize the legacy that Willy wishes to plant and leave behind. Planting the seeds represent the growth Willy strives for; His main priority is to 'grow' something that will provide for his sons and that he will be remembered by. "[anxiously] Oh, I'd better hurry. I've got to get some seeds. He starts off to the right. I've got to get some seeds, right away. Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground." - Willy Loman (Act two, page 122)
- Flashback: Willy has a series of flashbacks throughout the entire novel. These flashbacks help readers understand Willy's past, giving them the opportunity to learn about Willy's failures in life and the fact that he was never truly respected by others. "No! Boys! Boys! Young Bliff and Happy appear. Listen to this. This is your Uncle Ben, a great man! Tell my boys, Ben! - Willy Loman (Act one, page 48)
- Characterization: In the play, the author describes the characters by using very simple descriptions. "Bernard enters in knickers. He is younger than Biff, earnest and loyal, a worried boy." (Act one, page 32)
- Point of View: Death of a Salesman is mainly told through the eyes of Willy Loman (first person). However, due to the fact that the book is a playwright, it's based entirely on dialogue. Every character expresses their inner thoughts and feelings throughout the play. "[enthralled] That's what I dream about, Biff. Sometimes I want to just rip my clothes off in the middle of the store and outbox that goddam merchandise manager. I  mean I can outbox, outrun, and outlift anybody in that store, and I have to take orders from those common, petty sons-of-bitches till I can't stand it any more." - Happy (Act one, page 24) 
- Foreshadowing: Willy's car accident at the beginning of the play foreshadows his suicide later on in the book. "Well, it seems she was walking down the road and saw his car. She says that he wasn't driving fast at all, and that he didn't skid. She says he came to that little bridge, and then deliberately smashed into the railing, and it was only the shallowness of the water that saved him." - Linda Loman (Act one, page 59)
- Irony: Happy's name is ironic in itself. His name suggest that he's content when he's truly very unhappy with himself and his life. "I don't know what the hell I'm workin' for. sometimes I sit in my apartment- all alone. And think of the rent I'm paying. And it's crazy. But then, it's what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car, and plenty of women. And still, goddammit, I'm lonely." - Happy (Act one, page 23)
- Diction: The diction in the play is very simple, active, and clear. The author's word choice is straightforward and makes the play extremely easy to understand. "The trouble is he's lazy, goddammit." - Willy Loman (Act one, page 16)
- Setting: "The action takes place in Willy Loman's house and yard and in various places he visits in the New York and Boston of today." (opening stage directions)
- Apostrophe: Throughout the play, Willy often hallucinates and speaks to his dead brother regarding the past. "No, Ben! Please tell about Dad. I want my boys to hear. I want them to know the kind of stock they spring from. All I remember is a man with a big beard, and I was in Mamma's lap, sitting around a fire, and some kind of high music." - Willy Loman (Act one, page 48)
- Imagery: The blue light is used to describe not only the sky, but the optimistic bubble that that Willy is living in. The orange light is used as a contrast to the blue light, ultimately representing the reality of Willy's life. "Only the blue light of the sky falls upon the house and forestage; the surrounding area shows an angry glow of orange." (Act one, page 13)