Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman”

In In death of a salesman we see an optimistic salesman, Willy Loman, in the last 48 hours of his life. The play has frequent flashbacks to Willy’s past that are representative of how Willy is having a nervous breakdown and later commits suicide. We see Willy as a broken man under the cutthroat capitalist system he has so loyally served and supported all his working live trying to make the best for his family and trying unsuccessfully to become a successful salesman.

Arthur Miller, the author, wants to show Willy as another victim of capitalism and makes us sympathise at how Willy and the people around him act.

He shows us a man disillusioned by the world around him and confused by his sons who he wants to follow the same career as him. His sons, Biff and Happy are also unsuccessful or just not motivated. Biff wants to get out the city and live a laid back lifestyle where Happy tries in vain to be like his father but can not face the fact that he is also unsuccessful.

Another aspect of the play is that Miller comments on the fake American Dream and measures of social status are made by the commodities or job that one has.

He criticised capitalism at a time when the communist witch-hunts were carried out in America and he was arrested for sympathising with communists. It is obvious this play is an attack on the American social values of which he disapproves. The Set There are many stage directions throughout the play, to increase the dramatic impact, but the longest is at the start, it details the various lighting, music and stagecraft that must be used to make the play have an effect on the audience.

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Another feature of the set is the fact that there are many imaginary wall lines around the set.

In the past these wall lines are ignored and the actors can pass freely through the boundaries. In the present ‘the actors observe the imaginary wall lines, entering the house only through its door at the left. This is important as the action in the play frequently skips from past to present, and can tell an audience more about what time the scene is set in. The set ‘is wholly’ and is a house structure surrounded by tall, imposing building’s that are tower blocks.

The kitchen is placed in the centre and has all the typical features of a kitchen e. g. A fridge, table, sink etc. Miller says that ‘an air of the dream clings to the place. This is very hard for a direct to do but helps the dramatic impact of the play. Above the kitchen is the boy’s bedroom with two beds and Willy’s bedroom. There is a stairway leading from the kitchen to the two bedrooms. The way the tower blocks surround the house is almost claustrophobic, and could be interpreted as an analogy for Miller feeling threatened by surrounding capitalism in the USA. Music

In ‘death of a salesman’ music is used to a dramatic effect and the main characters, such as Ben and Willy, have their own pieces of music/ This may be to affect the audience and to make the characters entry seem more dramatic.  At the start of the play ‘a melody is heard, played upon a flute, It is small and mine, telling of grass and trees and the horizon. This is an optimistic piece of music, relative to the rest of the play and is used to give us hopes and dreams for the rest of the play. This music is dramatic and is played upon one flute, it is simplistic and powerful.

At the end of the play, just before the requiem, the music rises to a frenzy as Willy drives off and as he dies, the music is used to a dramatic effect as the music turns to ‘the soft pulsation of a cell o string. This is striking to the audience and has a great emotional impact upon them. Another quality of the Melody is that it feels out of place in a city scene, which is the appearance of the set. The music is the opposite and tells of a rural, peaceful, tranquillity and Willy’s dreams of a quiet life in the country.