Death of the Salesman- A tragic hero?
The following post is about the play "Death of the Salesman". If you have not read or seen the play before, I suggest that you do before reading the post, lest it become completely boring and devoid of any sense for the reader. For those who have read it however, if I do make any mistakes about the story I apologize, for I have not done much analysis on the storyline of the book. I only have a vague memory of what the story was like and so, if I do make any mistakes, I request that you correct me as soon as possible.
For my English class, we have recently begun reading the text "Death of the Salesman", a famous play written by Arthur Miller. It is very well known for its very "Shakespearean" like tragedy style play and the literacy techniques used to describe and exaggerate the impact of the death of this "tragic hero". It is also well known as one of the first plays which involves the unsung hero of the middle class and the faults in the American Dream. Of course, the audience are all aware of the good intentions of Willy Loman, who only dreams of living the life he once had in the past, where his children will remain ever loyal to him and where he can have a steady income. Unfortunately this is not so for this salesman, who lives off his no-pay, commission only job.
Although I do feel sorry for this man, I do not see, in some cases, why he would do the things he did throughout the play. One of the first things I do not see is why he seeks no better job. He already knows how strenuous his job is, and any sensible man would know how unimportant he is in a company where they refuse to pay him a regular wage. Why not take Charlie's offer for another job which pays him at least a daily wage? Many may argue that it is his pride at stake but of course, if put in similar situations, the pride will surely cave in. There is no way a man, due to his pride, would be willing to keep holding onto a job that barely gives him fifty a week. It is plausible, however, that if things actually get worse, that he would take the job in the end. However we would never know would we? He committed suicide after all.
Another strange thing I see is why he would commit suicide at all. Sure life for him is tough, but through it all, never give up. If you actually think about it, suicide is probably the most cowardly thing to do. It is a form of escape, of which you can never go back; the final retreat. The scenes before his resolve to commit suicide seems a little peculiar. How could the fact that his crying son, Biff, led him to have the idea to commit suicide? I find this very strange and probably blame it on the fact that I may perhaps have not read the scene as efficiently as I thought I had; perhaps I have missed out something. That is the only reason I have come up with. However, after comparing my version of the end of the story with my fellow classmates, they have found it peculiar as well. How strange. Why would he do it?
From your confused blogger,
Matthew Tan
For my English class, we have recently begun reading the text "Death of the Salesman", a famous play written by Arthur Miller. It is very well known for its very "Shakespearean" like tragedy style play and the literacy techniques used to describe and exaggerate the impact of the death of this "tragic hero". It is also well known as one of the first plays which involves the unsung hero of the middle class and the faults in the American Dream. Of course, the audience are all aware of the good intentions of Willy Loman, who only dreams of living the life he once had in the past, where his children will remain ever loyal to him and where he can have a steady income. Unfortunately this is not so for this salesman, who lives off his no-pay, commission only job.
Although I do feel sorry for this man, I do not see, in some cases, why he would do the things he did throughout the play. One of the first things I do not see is why he seeks no better job. He already knows how strenuous his job is, and any sensible man would know how unimportant he is in a company where they refuse to pay him a regular wage. Why not take Charlie's offer for another job which pays him at least a daily wage? Many may argue that it is his pride at stake but of course, if put in similar situations, the pride will surely cave in. There is no way a man, due to his pride, would be willing to keep holding onto a job that barely gives him fifty a week. It is plausible, however, that if things actually get worse, that he would take the job in the end. However we would never know would we? He committed suicide after all.
Another strange thing I see is why he would commit suicide at all. Sure life for him is tough, but through it all, never give up. If you actually think about it, suicide is probably the most cowardly thing to do. It is a form of escape, of which you can never go back; the final retreat. The scenes before his resolve to commit suicide seems a little peculiar. How could the fact that his crying son, Biff, led him to have the idea to commit suicide? I find this very strange and probably blame it on the fact that I may perhaps have not read the scene as efficiently as I thought I had; perhaps I have missed out something. That is the only reason I have come up with. However, after comparing my version of the end of the story with my fellow classmates, they have found it peculiar as well. How strange. Why would he do it?
The following is the DVD cover of the movie
From your confused blogger,
Matthew Tan
Comments
Post a Comment