Arthur Miller, one of the most
successful American dramatists, had distinction of being the most outspoken
American writers of the last four decades He belongs to the expressionistic
school of drama and has insisted that courage, truth, trust, responsibility,
and faith must be the central values of men. As a socialistic dramatist, Miller
says,
“The
greatest dramatist seems
to have been speaking for
some
fate-making power
behind the social force itself.”
‘Death
of Salesman’, Arthur Miller’s third play, had 742 performances in Broadway
theatre in New York. The common theme of
‘Death of Salesman’ is the individual versus society. Like Ibsen, Shaw and Galsworthy, Miller
also deals with social problem of modern men. He broaches the questions of a
social status, social honour and recognition which expand its vision. Let’s discuss
the theme of the play in a detailed.
‘Death of Salesman’ deals with the common
theme of the individual versus society. Like Ibsen, Shaw and Galsworthy Miller also deals with social problem
of modern men. The play is not so much concerned with the life of an
individual-Willy Loman but with the life of a section of society, which the
representative of Willy is. The play is a good example of so called ‘middle
class tragedy’, having social impact on it. It depicts the fate of a
commonplace man in a common place environment. In words of John Mason Brown,
“Saturday Review of Literature”
“Death of Salesman broaches
the questions of a social status,
social honour and recognition,
which expand its vision and
lift it out of the merely parti-
cular towards the fate of the
generality of men.”
In
‘Death of Salesman, Miller depicts hollowness of American Dream. Willy Loman is a victim of the American
Dream. Much of Willy’s suffering is due to the nature of American
society. One of the most dominant beliefs of American society goes by the name
‘the great American Dream’. It means the view held by most Americans that it is
possible to for a man to rise to the top through good looks, personality, attractiveness, winnings manners, and social contacts.
Willy Loman is a fervent believer in the romantic American Dream. He
believes, “Success falls inevitably to the man with the right smile, the best line,
the most charm, the man who is not only liked, but well liked.”
An overriding theme of the play,
Dillingham says the theme of the play is ‘loss of conscience’. It highlights
the terrifying consequence of man’s littleness of his failure to be himself or
to belong to the human society. Willy Loman is in search of seeds so that he too may plant himself somewhere in this
wild world. He fails to identify himself; he fails to establish a harmonious
and balanced and rationalistic relationship with the society. This way, the
significant aspect of the play is the search of man for ‘personal dignity’.
‘Death
of Salesman’ is deals with the evils of Capitalism. Howard’s treatment
of Willy shows us how an innocent man is made victim by selfish and harsh
society. Howard doesn’t pay any attention to Willy Loman and is fully absorbed
with a toy like machine. Willy tells him to give him travel. But Howard
suggests a cut in salary from sixty to forty dollars a week.
Howard
grants none of Willy’s requests and casually dismisses from the company. Willy
fails to convince Howard. Willy remembers Howard’s father but Howard doesn’t
move. We see Willy caught by evils of Capitalism. In this way, the play can be
regarded Communist propaganda denouncing the evils of Capitalism. In a word of Eleanor
Clare,
“The play is a crude Marxist
attack on the
brutal capitalist
system in America..”
The
“Death of Salesman” is a criticism of American System. Willy is a victim
of this merciless social system which drives people to frantic,
all-consuming dreams of success. The commercial society gives importance to
success, appearance, ambitiousness and self interest. Willy is ruined by all
such forces. He loses his life in seeking his place in that society. Thus the
American Social System leads Willy to kill himself as he is unable to provide
comfort and he gives it after his death as insurance amount. Willy’s fate shows
that Miller seems to be disapproving a system that demands total commitment to
success without regard to human value. Esther Jackson rightly remarks
“Death of
Salesman represents
‘perhaps most nearly nature
myth about human suffering
in an industrial age.”
There are some others critics who have
interpreted the play in Freudian term and attribute it another abstruse
psychological theories. Most of action of the play takes place inside Willy’s
mind and the technique adopted is similar to that of the stream of
consciousness which presents both past and present of a character’s life
together and simultaneous. Magnificent transitions of action are achieved
through a psychological conflict. That is why, Daniel E. Schneider
remarks, “The play is an analysis of the ‘Oedipal’ father –son
relationship.”
‘Death
of Salesman’ can be interpreted as an indictment of the modern urban
civilization to which thousands of Lomans are becoming every day men. Willy
is a representative of Everyman American. He represents the whole mass of
American civilization, ‘a slogan out of the 1930s’, ‘a banner of liberate
people’, ‘a criticism of society.’ He is an indictment against the
machine-civilization of America which has deprived man of his real content and
peace of mind. He is indeed, an average of American. The play deals with social
problem of modern men.
Thus ‘Death of
Salesman’ is a great work of art, a major play which can never be dated.
Miller presents the relationship between a man’s identity and the image those
society demands of him. It deals with Willy Loman’s loss of identity. It
illustrate failures and strength of ‘the hero of American Society.’-the
salesman. Miller was trying in “Salesman” to set forth what happens when a man does
not have a grip on the forces of life. Finally to conclude in the words of William
Hawkins.
‘Death of Salesman’ is a play
written alone the lines of the
finest classical tragedy. It is
the revelation of a man’s down-
fall, in destruction whose roots
are entirely in his own
soul.
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