Saturday, 25 October 2008

What is Arthur Miller's view of the "common man tragedy" in Death of a Salesman?

Willy Loman
faces the kind of struggles that are more or less universal for ordinary people. He is aging,
and American culture has traditionally not been kind to people as they enter their later years.
This is particularly true when it comes to employment; age discrimination is real, and Willy
Loman in some ways falls victim to it. Times have changed in his profession, but he is mired in
the old ways of doing things. The scene with his younger boss's tape recorder is meant to
emphasize the point that technology is changing the world and Willy is out of touch with those
changes. Men traditionally define themselves by their career success, and Willy is forced into
the uncomfortable position of realizing that he is well past his window for success.


Another way that adult men define themselves is through the success of their families.
Willy cannot be proud of himself as a husband. He has been unfaithful to his loyal wife who
sacrificed having nice things because of his unstable income. He...

No comments:

Post a Comment

To what degree were the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, the USSR, and Japan successful in regards to their efforts in economic mobilization during the...

This is an enormous question that can't really be answered fully in this small space. But a few generalizations can be made. Bo...