Arthur Miller

A man is not an orange. You can’t eat the fruit and throw the peel away.

What to find on this page

This page is all about Arthur Miller, a writer from the most known act Death of Salesman. Arthur Miller is an interesting writing if you are interested in some historical events. Death of a Salesman is based on the 1900s. On this page analysis and new scene will be written. Hopefully you find my work interesting.

Critical essay: American Dream

The American dream: “the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved.”

Wikipedia. American Dream.

Various characters in the play achieve their American Dream. Ben goes off to the wilderness of Alaska and Africa, having luck that he found a diamond mine. Howard Wagner inherits his dream through his father’s company and Bernard becomes a successful lawyer through hard work.

Willy Loman’ version of the American Dream, which will be analyzed in this essay, was influenced by his brother Ben. He believes that any man who is manly, good-looking, charmastic, and well like deserves success and will naturally achieve it.

“That’s just the way I’m bringing them up, Ben rugged, well liked, all-around.”

Miller, A. (1998). Death of a Salesman: page 34 Penguin.

Over the course of his lifetime, Willy and his sons fall short for the impossible standards of this American Dream. The real tragedy of the play isn’t that Willy fails in achieving his financial success his dream promised, however he wants to achieve his dream so thoroughly that he ignores the loveable things and people around him, such as his family. He hopes through success he could bring his family security. At the end of the play Willy literally kills himself to get his family from his life insurance policy. This process argues that the American dream not only a powerful meaning, however, the American dream can make a human being into the product whose sole is worth all the financial worth.

“All right, boy. I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It’s the only dream to have—to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this where I’m gonna win it for him.“

Miller, A. (1998). Death of a Salesman: Happy explaining to Biff. Penguin

The cited text argues that Willy’ American dream was to fight for his family and that is what he did. He may not have gotten the American dream like the other characters, however, he eventually wanted to give his family everything he could do and that even ended in suicide.

“We’re free and clear.”

Miller, A. (1998). Death of a Salesman: page 112. Penguin

Linda is crying and telling Willy that they made the last payment on the house. Meaning that Willy achieved his American dream by giving his family the money they needed.

Characterization : Ben

Willy Loman’s brother Ben is a minor but important character in Death of a Salesman. Ben represents success, something Willy desperately wants to achieve.

“There was the only man I ever met who knew the answers.”

Miller, A. (1998). Death of a Salesman: page 31 conversation between Ben, Willy and Charley. Penguin.

Ben had already died when the play began, and he appears only in his brothers memories.

“Good, keep playing; you’ll sleep better. Did you call me Ben?”

Miller, A. (1998) . Death of a Salesman: page 30. Penguin.

Willy calls Charley, Ben, because he is talking to him in his memories. However, while his talking to Ben in his mind, people in reality can hear him talk; Charley.

Willy looked up to Ben and holds him up as an example for his sons Biff and Happy.

“You see what I been talking about? The greatest things can happen!”

Miller, A. (1998). Death of a Salesman: page 33. Penguin.

The dream of instant riches, represented in the play by Ben, had no good to the Lomans. He was able to achieve success at a young age without putting in the years of hard work. Willy doesn’t see this success as an abnormality. Ben found diamonds in Africa, which made him a wealthy man even when he passed. Biff and Happy astonished by their Uncle’s tales of life, think they can follow that easy path of life to achieve success. Biff in particular came closet to this belief and wanted to reach the same things his uncle had done.

“Yeah. Lotta dreams and plans.”

Miller, A. (1998) . Death of a Salesman: page 9 Penguin.

Biff dreams big and wants to be rich just like Ben.

“Why boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich.

Miller, A. (1998) . Death of a Salesman: page 33. Penguin.

Ben telling Willy how he became so rich, and how his children could too. Willy craves for this success not only for himself, but for his sons as well.

Ben teaches Biff that you ain’t need to play fair, because that is the way of winning.

“Never fight with a stranger, boy. You’ll never get out of the jungle that way.”

Miller, A. (1998) . Death of a Salesman: page 34 Penguin.

One of Willy’s long time regrets was that he didn’t go to Alaska with his brother. Ben was able to take that risk, which makes Willy realize that dreaming big can be realistic. Willy associates Ben with acknowledgment and self-awareness, the traits he lacked. Willy wants advice and Ben always gives it to him, not always good advice, since it is his imagination. He wants to know things about their father and how he should parent his children.

“ No, Ben! Please tell about Dad. I want my boys to hear. I want them to know the kind of stock they spring from.”

Miller, A. (1998). Death of a Salesman: page 33. Penguin.

There was however, some sketchiness about Ben’s way of achieving his success. That he didn’t easily get the diamonds handed to him.

“ The jungle is dark but full of diamonds. That’s the big stuff right there.“

Shmoop, Death of a Salesman analysis Ben: 4th paragraph.

Scene 1 from Act 2: My Scene 1

Act two; death of a salesman

I cooperated with Femke Klemans and Lisa Vermeulen

My Scene 1

Area of exploration 1

What happened in ‘The Depression of the 1930s?’ Economic downturn in history of the industrialised work it began after the stock market crash. The Nationals wealth doubled = roaring twenties. Stock market underwent rapid expansion, production declined and unemployment had risen, leaving stock prices high, consumers debt proliferating agriculture section was struggling due to drought and falling food prices. Consumers spending slowed and unsold goods priced up.

What does ‘The stock market crash of 1929’ refer to? With all the booming people were buying, stock values soared and people thought they would go up even further however it crashed. So a rapid drop in stock prices. At then end of October, panic gripped and people began to sell massive amounts of their stock. Until October 28, 23 % of the value dropped to 0%, everyone started selling, the banks couldn’t handle that so people lost their stock.

What does the ‘roaring 20s’ refer to? The times of hope, prosperity and cultural change. With the economic and the stock market booming, people were spending a lot. Everything seemed to go great and people hoped it would never end.

Describe several elements that describe Post-war America: As the Cold War unfolded in the decade and a half after World War II, the United States experienced phenomenal economic growth. The war brought the return of prosperity, and in the postwar period the United States consolidated its position as the world’s richest country. Gross national product, a measure of all goods and services produced in the United States, jumped from about $200 thousand-million in 1940 to $300 thousand-million in 1950 to more than $500 thousand-million in 1960. More and more Americans now considered themselves part of the middle class.

What does ‘Manifest Destiny’ refer to? Manifest Destiny was the idea that white Americans were divinely ordained to settle the entire continent of North America. The ideology of Manifest Destiny inspired a variety of measures designed to remove or destroy the native population.

Explain Bigsby’s statement: ‘In an immigrant society,w high has, by definition, chosen to reject heh past, faith in the future is not a matter of choice.’ Remembering and Imagining the Holocaust is an excellent work of scholarship in the field of Holocaust literature. Bigsby begins with a discussion about the simultaneous importance and unreliability of memory as a form of witness; this is a theme he will return to in examining respective authors’ works throughout the book. He then includes chapters and analyses of major Holocaust writers who explore ideas of memory/testimony in their work; these include W. G. Sebald, Rolf Hochhuth, Peter Weiss, Arthur Miller, Anne Frank, Jean Améry, Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel, and Tadeusz Borowski. He follows these sections with a fascinating chapter titled “Memory Theft,” which examines the writings of several well-known Holocaust impersonators—authors who falsely claimed to have survived the Holocaust—and illustrates how their works were originally embraced.

Explain the phrase ‘the business of America is business’ Who said it and what does it mean? When President Warren G. Harding died from a heart-related problem in 1923, Vice President Calvin Coolidge became the 30th President of the United States. The following year, with his popularity buoyed by a strong economy of the “Roaring Twenties”, Coolidge handily won the 1924 presidential election, using the campaign slogan “Keep Cool With Coolidge.” Unlike some presidents, “Silent Cal” Coolidge wasn’t known for making memorable statements. The most famous quote associated with him is a line about business being the business of America. That line is often given as “The business of America is business” or “The business of the American people is business.”In fact, both of those versions are misquotes. They aren’t radically different from what he actually said, which was “the chief business of the American people is business.”However, when this short quote or the misquote versions are cited alone, out of context, they tend to give the inaccurate impression that Coolidge was a totally one-dimensional, pro-business cheerleader.

What does the idea of “the American Dream” refer to? (Here’s a little help: American Dream video with some help. Here is some general information: wikipedia). The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.

Bigsby writes about Willy Loman: “His vulnerability comes from the fact that he is a true believer.” (p. xviii). What is he a true believer about? What does this mean from the context? One who is deeply, sometimes fanatically devoted to a cause, organization, or person: “a band of true believers bonded together against all those who did not agree with them”

Vocabulary list 1

Area of exploration 2

Miller describes Manny Newman as the model for the character of Willy Loman: “a competitor, at all times, in all things, and at every moment.” (p. viii) And it is this sense of competition that is “a perfection of America” (p. viii) What do you think this means? Connect your answer with something you found in the historical events or cultural context sections you completed above. The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance. So I believe that the American dream is The character Willy Loman being perfect for this role and therefor the perfection of America or being the dream of America.

Miller describes the scene of an encounter (reported p. ix) with Manny years later, after the successful debut of his play All My Sons: “We confronted one another. And he said, referring to his eldest son—out of the blue, now mind you I haven’t seen this man in all those years—he said, ‘Bobby is doing very well.’” What do you think this encounter says about the character of Manny? And what does it say about Willy Loman, the character? I believe both characters Manny and Willy are similar to each other, they don’t really speak to someone if they don’t want to, since Manny didn’t speak to Bobby for many years and Willy doesn’t really speak to Biff only when needed.

Miller describes Manny’s wife as someone who “bore the cross of reality for them all” (p. viii). In particular, in supporting her husband, Miller says she was always “keeping up her calm, enthusiastic smile lest he feel he was not being appreciated” (p. viii). How does this characterization compare to Linda? Find one example from Act One which seems to bear this point out. Linda and Manny’s wife are also quite in common since they want the best for their husband and make him feel comfortable. Linda always asks if Willy wants to eat something or wants to help with his job since he is getting old and she wants the best for her children too and advices them what to do and what not and giving advice to Biff how to bond with their father.

Like Biff, Miller himself was an athlete in his youth. A sports injury, however, precluded Miller’s participation in WWII. We are never told whether the sons in the play, Biff and Happy, were participants in WWII. Do you think either of the sons were participants in WWII? How might their involvement or non-involvement explain the behavior of either of the characters in the play? I believe Biff could have in WWII since he wants to make adventures, basing on the fact that he wants to live in a farm and do something adventurous. However, I don’t see happy fighting in WWII, he is more a thinker and doesn’t want to take huge steps at the time therefor I can only see Biff fighting in the war.

The play takes place within a single twenty-four hour cycle; however, suggests that this is only one kind of time in the play. There are also “social” and “psychic” times (p. xif.). What is meant by each of these different “times?” With these words the definitions could be that social means that the characters are bonding, they have family time together they sit down with their friends. Psychic could mean that they are irritated by each other due to fights or arguments.

Bigsby states: “For the very structure of the play reflects his anxious search for the moment his life took a wrong turn, for the moment of betrayal that undermined his relationship to his wife and destroyed his relationship with a son who was to have embodied his own faith in the American dream.” (p. xi) Describe why Willy Loman might be looking for the moment his life took a “wrong turn,” especially given what you said about the American dream above. Maybe Willy always thought his life was an American dream and that nothing could go wrong, but at some point he thought things were changing and that his American Dream was not meant to be forever. Therefor he is looking for the cause of changing his American Dream so maybe he could fix it.

Bigsby describes Willy Loman’s problem as “he has so completely internalized the values of his society that he judges himself by standards rooted in social myths rather than human necessities” (p. xviii). What might some of those social myths rather than human necessities be? Give an example from the play. They could be the fact he doesn’t like it around Biff but doesn’t change anything about it. Or he always talks to himself and to his dead brother Bill instead of living people, he enjoys it more to talk to Bill than other people.

Bisby writes about Willy Loman: “Meaning is deferred until some indefinite future. Meanwhile he is a salesman, traveling but never arriving.” (p. xiii) What might this statement mean? The future is not clear since he is always away from home so stating something which can’t really be for sure is a waste, he must look at now because the future can’t be predicted.

Vocabulary List 2