Critical Essay on Death of a Salesman

Introduction

As a parent, the greatest joy is seeing their children succeed in everything they couldn't. The impact a parent has their child's character is almost as important as the genes that make up their being. Positive influence, as well as negative influence, can affect a boys whole attitude towards life which will be noticeable in their ability to do hard work, interact socially, and even the way he thinks as he walks the path into manhood. In Arthur Miller's 1949 play “Death of a Salesman”, the main character and father Willy Loman refuses to accept the fact that what he thinks to be the key to success in the business world has sculpted his two sons, Hap and Biff, into a pair of liars and thieves.

Critical Analysis

Written in 1949 Arthur Miller's the play is set in the late 1940s when the United States was in recession and feared another economic depression. The play tells the story of one family's struggle to survive. The play looks at the dream during a period of decline in wealth. Arthur Miller said that “There is a crash in every generation” and that it had marked the United States with a “congenital fear of failure” (Miller, 87). It is a play about a man (Willy Lowman) who is so obsessed with success that he has deluded himself with the fact that he is himself successful. Throughout the play arguments occur between Biff (Willy's son) and Willy, the contrast between these two characters reveals the main concern which is Willy's obsession with success.

Throughout the play there are many flashbacks to when Biff and Happy (Willy's other son), in these we see that Biff is very much his father's favorite as he is a very good sports athlete. When we are brought back into the current time we can see that the tables have been turned and now Happy is his father's favorite. We find out that this is because Biff moved away from home in order to work outdoors on a farm, his father resents him for this as he wanted him to go into a sales job like him. Happy on the other hand has followed in his father's footsteps and went into a sales job. Willy refers to his brother Ben throughout the play and often has visions where he is speaking to him. This again proves that Willy is obsessed with success. it is almost as if this is the only thing that keeps him alive is the constant search for success, because he does not have this he lies to all his family by telling them that “I'm the New England man. I'm vital in New England.” His family believes him as they have no reason not to.

Charley says something to Willy that pretty much sums up his whole life; he asks him, "When the hell are you going to grow up?" (Miller, 1256). Willy behaves like a child. Willy dreams of moving to ...