Keywords: death of the salesman fate, will loman fate
Abstract Death of the Salesman is a tragedy written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It identifies a tale about Willy Loman whose American dreams shattered and eventually he lost his life for it. Willy Loman's tragic experience reveals the conflicts between the person, the family and social values of america. Miller tells us that we shouldn't be misled by the money worship; in any other case we will become victims of product wrong beliefs. This newspaper will examine the tragic fate of Willy Loman from four different perspectives: inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and being truly a sufferer of the North american Dream, expecting to inspire and enlighten the readers from the tragic fate of Willy Loman and also to find our real selves in the complicated and changeable world.
1. Introduction
1. 1 Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller was one of the very most distinguished dramatists of the twentieth century. He was created in Jewish family in New York on October 17th 1915. As his father's business failed during the Depression and the family suddenly became poor, Miller were required to discontinue his studies and go to work to earn his university or college fees after he finished high school. He functioned various jobs, like a truck driver, a waiter, a farmhand, etc. Through these careers, he observed the injustice of the capitalist system and understood the hard life of individuals. The personal encounters provided him with firsthand knowledge about the lower course when he emerged to write takes on and fiction. Through Miller's profession, he wrote plenty of valuable masterpieces which added a lot to the American theatre, ranging from All My Sons (1947) to Death of an Salesman (1949), from Crucible (1953) to A View from Bridge (1955), from After the Street to redemption (1964) to Broken Glasses (1994). Miller continuously addressed several specific but related issues in both his dramatic and contemporary writings: the form of tragedy applicable to contemporary times and contemporary characters, the individual's romantic relationship to contemporary society, and relatives, particularly relationships between fathers and sons (»Ґ¶ї, 2007: 421). He criticized the interpersonal problems sharply and at the same time showed his compassion to the normal people living at the foot of the contemporary society ladder. He has influenced many more radiant American dramatists, such as Edward Albee, August Wilson, and David Mamet. Miller is a major pioneer in the development of American theater alongside Eugene O'Neil and Tennessee Williams, and Fatality of your Salesman is his important work. The play advised new theatrical possibilities with its unique blend of realism and expressionism, as well as supplying a challenge to prior definitions of tragedy (Susan C. W. , 2007: 71).
1. 2 The story of Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is among the finest three plays with Eugene O'Neil's Long Day's Quest into night and Tennessee Williams's A Streets Car Named Desire. After it staged in 1949, it ran for 742 shows on Broadway. It earned important awards, like the New York Theatre Critics' Group Best Play, Pulitzer Award for Episode and Tony Honor for Best Play. The play presents the tragedy of any common person, Willy Loman, an ageing travelling salesman who is working for the Wagner Company. After having labored for thirty-four years for this firm, he's fired by Howard Wagner, the head of the business, because he is too old to market products to make revenue for the company. But he is still with debt, so he and his partner are battling to settle the bills while his two sons are not helpful. Willy's two goals throughout his life have gone to be popular and also have his own company, nonetheless they haven't become a reality. Biff, a habitual thief, and Happy, a self-deluded person, have didn't satisfy their father's dream of achievement. Researching his life, he is required to confront its futility and failure. He kills himself in a planned car accident, hoping to provide Biff with twenty thousand dollars from the life span insurance company to start his store. The play has serious social significance, because it is from the true life and authentically reflects the tragedy of common man in America (Ґ»Їј2008).
1. 3 Purpose of the paper
Willy Loman's tragic experience shows the conflicts between the specific, the family and cultural values of the United States. Miller instructs us that we shouldn't be misled by the amount of money worship; normally we will become victims of item wrong worth. In materialistic modern culture, People tend to disregard the cruel actuality. Their desires for materials things seem to be never satisfied. People cannot recognize simple fact and illusion. Undoubtedly, this will triggers contradictions between specific, family and contemporary society and eventually results in people's downfall, like Willy Loman in the play. According to this trend, this newspaper will analyze the tragic fate of Willy Loman from four different perspectives: inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on beliefs and being truly a sufferer of the American Dream, wanting to inspire and enlighten the readers from the tragic fate of Willy Loman also to find our real selves in the complicated and changeable world.
2. Books Review
Death of an Salesman is written in reasonable dialogue about standard people. It is located in large part on the experiences of Miller's family during the Depression and his passionate idea in the honor of work and the down sides of living the North american dream. After its beginning in Broadway, reaction to the play was huge; audiences and critics had been enticed. The criticism on Fatality of any Salesman came from the anti-communist movements known as McCarthyism, but the much larger part of comments are praises. Robert Coleman of the Daily Reflection called the play "emotional dynamite" and reported that "sobs were noticed throughout the auditorium, and handkerchiefs were placed active wiping away tears" (Robert Coleman, 1949:360). Brooks Atkinson declared it "superb, " commenting on its poetry and calling it a "wraith-like tragedy" (Brooks Atkinson, 1949:27). Richard Watts asserted that "under the director, Elia Kazen's strenuous and perceptive path, 'Death of your Salesman' emerges as easily the best & most important new American play of the year" (Richard W, 1949:359). Yes, Fatality of your Salesman is a significant masterpiece of the American play. In theme, the play criticizes the role of capitalism in American modern culture and condemns individuals characteristics with pity and sorrow. In strategy, Miller broke from the realistic confinements of your time, space and mindset, with the ground breaking interweaving of the "past" with the "present" and of occurrences inside Willy's mind with those outdoor, which merges components of both realism and expressionism(»Ґ¶їЇј2007:423).
Compared to traditional tragedy, Loman, as a protagonist, is neither upper class nor very brains. But he still handles to strike an mental chord. He has a faulty vision of why is a person successful, which makes him flawed, but whatever the opposition and the best cost to himself, he won't quit that vision, making him, in Miller's sight, a tragic hero. A guy of his time, Loman bears natural and far-reaching value and connotation. In Modern day American drama:a report in the works of Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Edward A, Singh Abha commentary that
Willy Loman, the salesman, is a typical embodiment of modern business morality, but he is also a more universal numberLike the great tragic numbers of Sophocles and Shakespeare, Miller's Willy is both an individual and a sort (Singh, Abha, 1998: 70-71).
Furthermore, Loman has captivated international audiences and is constantly on the interest them for this day. Theatre scholar Brenda Murphy discusses "the convenience with which audiences worldwide have recognized and sympathized with the plight of Willy Loman, and have grasped the problems of the play" (Brenda Murphy, 1995:126). No doubt, the play allures numerous audiences and critics. Whereas, the normal audience are very seriously concerned about the fate of Willy and are melt into tears because of this tragedy of everyman. In china, predicated on my survey on the home journals from 1979 to 2009, there are above 22 articles studying on Willy Loman's tragic fate in Loss of life of a Salesman. Different critics have their own views. Wang Yan, from Shandong College or university, considers that Loman's tragedy is induced by the turmoil of his desire and the reality. Zhu Yaning, from Foreign Languages Division of Henan Mechanical College, views that the disillusionment of North american Dream brings about Loman's tragedy. Wang Dongmei, from Foreign Languages Division of Liaoning Technical University, regards that Loman's fate is caused by his own personality distortion. Wang Hong, from Huainan Normal College or university analyzes Willy Loman's fate from the esteem of family factors. But for me, inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, incorrect outlooks on worth and being truly a victim of the American Dream resulted in Willy Loman's tragedy.
3. Analysis of Willy Loman's Fate
Willy Loman's very existence seems to have been a sellout; his sons have proved badly, and his relationship with Biff has soured. Disappointedly, Willy chooses to get rid of his life with expectation that his death could exchange for his son's success. The quasi-resolution that his suicide offers him presents only a partial discovery of the truth. He fails to grasp the true personal, emotional, spiritual understanding of himself. His name provides insights. Compared to William, Willy is a childish version indicating an intrinsic immaturity in his characteristics. He is too powered by his own "willy"-ness or perverse "willfulness" to identify the slanted truth that his eager brain has forged. Loman has been read as indicating Willy to be a "low-man", common and insignificant. From insights of his name, we can infer that Willy Loman's life will be a tragedy in the end, like people of Dream of the Red Chamber. Not his name resulted in Willy's tragedy fate, but his inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, incorrect outlooks on ideals and a sufferer of the American Dream led to his tragedy.
3. 1 Willy Loman's inaccurate self-evaluation
As a going salesman, Willy Loman provides products for Wagner Company by driving around New Great britain. When he was young, he was ambitious and set his mind to give a good life for his family. He did the trick diligently and enthusiastically, so that he made good earnings. He averaged 100 and seventy dollars weekly in the entire year of 1928. He developed good marriage and reputation among his clients. He has much confidence about his life and dreamed that 1 day he would create his own company. However, thirty-four years later, as he became too old to make profits for the firm, he was fired by his company relentlessly, no matter his thirty-four years contribution to the company. But he could not confirm his failure. When he would not sell products and get his commission, he borrowed money from his neighbor Charley and deceived his partner that the money was his commission. He caught himself in the illusion and storage most his time. Beneath the pressing realities of his life, he could not put up with the overwhelming tensions and commit suicide to earn the insurance money to help Biff achieve success. Why Willy Loman resided so afflictingly? One of the reasons is the fact he cannot evaluate himself accurately.
Throughout the play, there a wide range of implications that Willy's incorrect self-evaluation leads to his wrong selection of profession. He failed to find his real do it yourself, because he was included in the illusions and the myths. From Action ONE, Willy told Charley that, "A guy who can't manage tools is not a man (Arthur Miller, 1949:44). " He can set up the ceiling in the living-room. That is a great piece of work, but Willy managed to get it done. He, like his father, can build things with his own hand. However, Willy failed to recognize his expertise. If he could realize his talent and choose the job that can fulfill his talent, instead of being truly a salesman that "way out there in the blue, using over a smile and a shoeshine (Arthur Miller, 1949:138)'', Willy might seek both job satisfaction and bundle of money from his job. Also, he didn't acknowledge his natural inclinations and instincts. When Biff's decision to seek a small business loan raises Willy's spirits, and the way in which Willy expresses his optimism is quite revealing. The first thing Willy considers is planting a garden in his backyard; then muses to Linda that they should buy a house in the united states, so that he could build guesthouses for Biff and Happy when they have got groups of their own. These hopeful strategies seem to demonstrate how ill-suited Willy is to his career, as it stifles his natural inclinations. His wistful fantasy of residing in the forests of Alaska strengthens the implication that he chose the wrong vocation. Indeed, the competitive, hyper-capitalist world of sales seems forget about appropriate for Willy. He will not appear to like moving into an urban setting up. He complains that "the way they boxed us in here. Bricks and home windows, home windows and bricks. The street is lined with cars. There's not a breath of fresh air in a nearby. The turf don't grow any more, you can't increase a carrot in the back backyard. They should've a rules against apartment properties (Arthur Miller, 1949:17). " From his words, we can infer that Willy is getting excited about living a leisure life, a farm life, not the busy, atwitter and challenging life in NY. But Willy was unaware of this; he thought we would be considered a salesman that conflicts along with his natural inclinations and intuition. Initially, his motivation to be always a salesman was impure. He chose the job not from his own abilities and passions, but from the admiration for Dave Singleman. If Willy could evaluate himself accurately and value his own needs, he would live a totally different life from now. He'd not commit himself to a pathetic fatality and meaningless legacy.
3. 2 Incompetent Role-player in family
Willy is a salesman who struggles for a much better life in the cruel population, a husband who have his wife's love and support and a father who lives with his children. It is important to examine the progression of Willy's romance along with his family, as the sturdy family is one of the very most prominent components of the American Goal. But in today's, Willy's relationship along with his family is fraught with pressure.
3. 2. 1 A daddy unfit for his position
As the father, he expects to gain the respect and love of his sons and has great expectation to his two sons. But the cruel the truth is that Biff is a pilferer and Happy is a liar. Everything should go against his needs. The main reason is that Willy's improper education to his sons.
As a youngsters, Biff was led to think that since he was "popular" he could easily get away with anything. He commences to grab: a football from institution, lumber for the house, a crate of balls from Expenses Oliver. Willy is needy that Biff should flourish in life, so instead of punishing him, he condones the thefts and makes excuses, neglecting to instill in his son the moral values a parent should teach a child. For example, when the young Biff stole the basketball from the school, Willy said, "Coach'll probably congratulate you on your effort! That's because he loves you. If someone else required that ball there'd be an uproar (Arthur Miller, 1949:30). " In this manner of education makes Biff lose the ability to recognize the right moral views. Biff shows up successful in high school as a football player, but reaps no benefit from this as he never would go to college. Initially he previously designed to retake the mathematics course he needed, but he catches his dad with a mistress. After departing the high school, he do many careers but all failed. As biff thought to Willy, "I never acquired everywhere because you blew me so filled with hot air I possibly could never stand taking purchases from anybody! That's whose fault it is! (Arthur Miller, 1949:131)" Definitely, again it' is Willy's inappropriate education that leads to Biff's inability.
3. 2. 2 A man disloyal to his wife
In Willy's reminiscence, there exists a woman, his mistress. Willy has affair with the woman and the affair was learned by Biff. Because of this, his opinion in the fantasies his dad has given him can't be managed. This adultery is an indirect cause that Biff quit to retake he math course, but information that Willy betrayed his partner, Linda. If Willy acquired hadn't affair with the woman, Biff might retake the math exam, and then he'd go to school and possessed a appealing future.
Willy is often untrue to Linda. He tries to play the salesman with her. Each time he over his trip, he inflates his commission rate, but Linda also his rest. Although she will not buy his pitch to her, she still adores him. She will not measure Willy's price in conditions of his professional success. Willy, however, needs more than love, which accepts character flaws, uncertainties, and insecurity---he seek frantically to be "well liked. " Consequently, he ignores the chance that Linda presents to him: to view himself more honestly, to acknowledge the reality of his life, also to acknowledge himself for what he's feeling like a inability (Selena Ward, Brendan Greaves, 2003:61). If Willy could be true to Linda and himself, he would not choose to commit suicide.
3. 3 Wrong outlooks on values
Willy Loman is surviving in a period when the nature of business itself is undergoing intrinsic changes, partially because of the capitalist pressure to earn more income and become better. But he fails to understand the complex and ruthless business community and he still go after equity and justifiability blindly. So he hugs his outmoded values: Just work hard, be genuine and well-liked, you will succeed. However, he is rebuffed in the true life. Associated with that Willy's outlooks on prices are incorrect. His recurring explanation and memory of Dave Singleman manifest his ideal life in his mind's eye:
What could become more satisfying than be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and grab a phone, and become remembered and adored and helped by a wide variety of people?" and "When he died---and by the way he perished the death of the salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the brand new York, New Haven and Hartford, going into Boston---When he passed away hundreds of salesmen and clients were at his funeral. Things were unfortunate on the lotta trains for weeks from then on. (Arthur Miller, 1949:81)
He speakes of Dave Singleman as a tale and imagines that his fatality must have been beautifully commendable. But he does not realize the hopeless of Singleman's depressed, on-the-job, on-the-road fatality. During Singleman's get older, there is "personality", "respect", "comradeship" and "gratitude" in it. But in present, it is all chop and dried. The time "filled with light and camaraderie" is over. Today's American world has been a "concrete jungle. " Here the survival law is similar to regulations of the jungle in the pet world in primitive time, even more relentless and ruthless. Folks are molded to become more indifferent and greedy. They worship money. Money dominates---almost everything including "personality", "respect", "appreciation" and even man, could be examined in terms of money. But Willy doesn't realize the transfer of the times and values. He still continues "riding over a smile, " making friends, exaggerating and wishing being liked so as to make a sales. He adheres to his own principles and wrong principles that cost his life in the long run.
3. 4 A victim of the American Dream
The American Desire is a countrywide ethos of america of America where democratic ideals are regarded as a offer of prosperity because of its people. Within the American Goal, first indicated by James Truslow Adams in 1931, he suggests, "The American Aspiration is that imagine a land where life should be better and richer and fuller for everybody, with opportunity for every according to capacity or achievement. It really is a difficult desire for the European top classes to interpret adequately, and way too many folks ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful than it. It isn't a imagine motor autos and high wages only, but a imagine social order in which each man and each girl shall be able to attain to the fullest stature which they are really innately capable, and be identified by others for what they are simply, whatever the fortuitous circumstances of labor and birth or position" (James Truslow Adams, 1931) The thought of the American Goal is rooted in the next word of the Declaration of Independence which declares that "all men are created equal" and they are "endowed by their Inventor with certain inalienable Privileges" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Pleasure. " (the Declaration of Independence)
However, the industrialization of the 19th and 20th generations began to erode the desire. After World Conflict II, america faced profound and irreconcilable domestic tensions and contradictions. However the war experienced ostensibly engendered an unprecedented sense of American self-confidence, and security, america became more and more embroiled in a tense cold war with the Soviet Union. The propagation of misconceptions of a peaceful, homogenous, and nauseatingly gleeful American gold era was tempered by regular nervousness about Communism. (Selena Ward, Brendan Greaves, 2003:3)The government cannot supply the citizen with a good environment. People feel eager and lose themselves. They consider their American dream as making a lot of money. They pursuit their dreams by centering their lives around materials property, such as cars, appliances. You will discover exhausted to keep up with their equally materialistic neighbors. Seemingly, they are abundant with materials, however they are in poor soul. Many American young families become the victims of the American Dream. Regrettably, the Lomans is one of these. Inside the search of the "good life", the Lomans surroud themselves with a lot of things above and beyond the needs of life. However, these goods are just available at a cost, rather than everyone in world can afford them. The Lomans make an effort to continue, with a refrigerator, vacuum pressure, and a fresh car, but they find themselves in a continuous state of be anxious that they might be unable to meet all the repayments. So when Willy is sixty-three years old, he is still in debt.
In Willy's life, he has two dreams. The first is to set up his own company as the other is his two sons can succeed. But Willy's two great dreams come to a totally inability. Because he is convinced that any "well liked" and "personally attractive" man can perform the fantasy. And he also passes this idea to his sons.
Bernard can have the best markings in college, y' understand, but when he gets out available world, y'understand, you are going to be five times before him. That's why I say thanks to Almighty God you're both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an personal available world, the person who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you'll never want. (Arthur Miller, 1949:33)
His understanding of the features of attractiveness and likeability is very superficial. He blindly desires to achieve materials, mental, and even religious satisfaction through "personal attractiveness" and being "well liked". He fails to see that Charley and his kid are successful because of lifelong hard work and not due to illusions of communal level of popularity and physical appearances. His blind trust in his stunted version of the North american Dream contributes to his rapid psychological decline when he's unable to acknowledge the disparity between the ideal aspiration and his own life.
4. Enlightenment from Willy Loman's fate
From the prior analysis, we have a better knowledge of Willy Loman's fate. We cannot help demonstrating our sympathy for his downfall. But this tragedy leaves us not only the sigh, but also the deep meditation. We are able to gain a good deal of enlightenment from his fate. First of all, we ought to have a circular and accurate analysis about ourselves. Many people are unique on the planet. We have both merits and demerits. If we can make best use of the advantages and bypass the disadvantages, then we can be more competent plus more confidence to deal with the changeable and competitive modern culture. Secondly, our dreams should not go too far away from the truth. It is good to possess dreams. Dreams can motive us to work hard to have a much better life. In this way, the modern culture can make progress. But our dreams should base on reality. It should be practical to realize the dreams. If the dreams seem impossible to understand, we may feel disappointed and lose self-assurance when we find the disparity between the desire and our life. Thirdly, we have to make a plan that fit ourselves to understand the dream. We have to see through the key to success. We should not like Willy Loman believe that it is "well liked". But we can learn from Charley that the key to success is effort and keep maintaining our morality intact. Fourthly, religious riches is more important than material wealth. In the present day society, materials civilization is highly developed while there is a crisis of mental world of humans. Money worship and hedonism are prevailing, the view of value is collapsing, and men have a tendency to become the slaver of materials desire. So we can not ignore our religious world. In our spare time, we have to enrich our spirit world by reading literature of real well worth and live a deserving life.
5. Conclusion
In Death of an salesman, Miller charges America with reselling a fake myth created around a capitalist materialism. And this materialism obscured the personal fact and moral eye-sight of original American Aspiration defined by the country's founders. Willy Loman's inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, incorrect outlooks on principles and being truly a victim of the North american Dream bring about his downfall. His fate reveals the contradiction between material and spirit, truth and aspiration. Thus it creates the play become among the best modern tragedies.
