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"DEATH OF A SALESMAN" (ARTHUR MILLER).
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Analyzes play as example of psychological realism. Style, characterization, plot, theme.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Analyzes play as example of psychological realism. Style, characterization, plot, theme.

Paper Introduction:
Psychological realism delves into the mental states of characters and seeks the underlying causes for their actions, causes rooted in their psychology. The style of the play need not be realistic in the usual sense, and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is such a play. The set and the way the action moves from place to place is not realistic but expressionistic, but the psychological picture created for each character and the way characters interact is real and rooted in mental states, and the connection between the two generations is the key issue. The character of Biff is a reflection of his father and carries on in his own life the same sorts of failures seen in his father. It is Willy's wife who states that attention must be paid to the life of Willy Loman. She understands him and his problems, and she forgives his shortcomings. She is, after all,

Text of the Paper:
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Willy insistentlymaintains his illusions (illusions that, in the end, destroy him). As a young man, Biff has beenmuch closer to Wily and has accepted the values the father passes to theson. As a young man, Biff has beenmuch closer to Willy and has accepted the values the father passes to theson. . No, Dad, I was a shipping clerk. Biff had potentialonce, and perhaps he can find it again once he stops blaming his father andlooks to himself. . In the end,Willy leaves a legacy behind in the form of his sons, and this is a mixedlegacy. He is also able to get pasthis anger and see his father as a human being, with both good and badsides, thus recognizing that he himself has both good and bad. Still, there is some hope offered for Biff because he has been ableto see finally the failure of these values. . . Work CitedMiller, Arthur. These two acts show that he has not progressedand that he has become locked into a pattern by the values he has gainedfrom his father. He has learned a lessonfrom the life of Willy Loman, and this is a lesson that others could learnas well if they paid closer attention to his life. (1 7). In the scene in question, Biff tries to tell his father the truthabout the job interview with Oliver. It is Willy'swife who states that attention must be paid to the life of Willy Loman.She understands him and his problems, and she forgives his shortcomings.She is, after all, the one who has been most wronged by his behavior on theroad and by his leaving her to handle the problems at home. It is this knowledge that leads Biff to challenge his father and todeny the way of life Willy represents, but the fact is that Biff hasrepresented that same way of life and those same values. Dad, I don't know who said it first, but I was never salesman for Bill Oliver (1 6).As usual, Biff's problems are twisted by Willy into an occasion foraddressing his own concerns instead of the concerns of his sons: I'm not interested in stories about the past or any crap of that kind because the woods are burning, boys, you understand? The acts of theft performed by Biffbecome the defining points in his life, one when he was a young man and theother now that he is older. These psychological tensions are brought outthrough the contradictory actions the boy takes toward his father overtime. He shows again andagain that he is not really listening but is creating a fantasy of whathappened and insisting that it is true: Imagine, man doesn't see him for twelve years and gives him that kind of a welcome! Biff seems always to reject Willy's views and to be opposed to theway Willy lives his life, but in truth Biff has an affinity for his fatherthat he is usually denying. The acts of theft performed by Biffbecome the defining points in his life, one when he was a young man and theother now that he is older. Biff does not understand the true nature of his father,though he thinks he does, and Hap always feeds the delusions by which Willylives: "You tell him something nice" (1 5). The character of Biff is a reflection of his father and carries on inhis own life the same sorts of failures seen in his father. Biff has gone to the interview filled with illusionsplaced in him by his father: Who ever said I was a salesman with Oliver?. He never had thechance to develop any values of his own, and now he is lost because thereis no more time for him to do so. There's a big blaze going on all around. Psychological realism delves into the mental states of characters andseeks the underlying causes for their actions, causes rooted in theirpsychology. . Most of theproblems between father and sons are apparent in this scene, all derivingfrom the character of Willy Loman and the fact that he creates his ownreality and refuses to see or admit the truth. Willy has Biff go over the matter again and again, but only becausehe is trying to get Biff to tell him something positive. Miller'spsychological realism includes the creation of several dimensions for hischaracters, and they are never simply good or bad. Death of a Salesman. It is also apparent that the failures in his own life can be tracedto similar values as espoused by his father. Whetherhis sons succeed will depend on whether they can overcome their illusions. Willy hears what hewants to hear and believes what he wants to believe, and this is the sourceof the failure between father and sons as well as the failure of the fatherin the long run. Willy seems interested--he keepsasking Biff to tell him what happened--but he does not want to hear whatreally happened. Theinterchange between these characters in this scene concerns one specificday and a specific event, but the pattern is the one seen throughout theplay. A key scene in the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller comes inAct II when Willy and his two sons meet in a restaurant. These psychological tensions are brought outthrough the contradictory actions the boy takes toward his father overtime. . Happy says the truest thing about Willy in this scene:"Dad is never so happy as when he's looking forward to something" (1 5).When Willy does enter, the result shows that it matters little whether Bifftells Willy the truth or not--Willy is not listening. Those values are false--something Willy never really learns, but Biffdoes. These two acts show that he has not progressedand that he has become locked into a pattern by the values he has gainedfrom his father. (1 7).Happy supports his father's delusions, frustrating Biff all the more. The true nature of Biff'sday has been revealed in the previous scene as he talks to his brotherabout the job interview he had that day. Biff is the one who gains some awareness of reality, just as hetries to face the truth here. He never had thechance to develop any values of his own, and now he is lost because thereis no more time for him to do so. It is this knowledge that leads Biff to challenge his father and todeny the way of life Willy represents, but the fact is that Biff hasrepresented that same way of life and those same values. It is also apparent that the failures in his own life can be tracedto similar values as espoused by his father. Biff seems always to reject Willy's views and to be opposed to theway Willy lives his life, but in truth Biff has an affinity for his fatherthat he is usually denying. . Those values are false--something Willy never really learns, but Biffdoes. Happy wants Biff to tellWilly that he has a lunch date with Oliver the next day, rather thantelling him that Oliver did not remember Biff at all and that the interviewwas a failure. The set andthe way the action moves from place to place is not realistic butexpressionistic, but the psychological picture created for each characterand the way characters interact is real and rooted in mental states, andthe connection between the two generations is the key issue. I was fired today. I was fired, and I'm looking for a little good news to tell your mother. New York: Viking, 1949. The style of the play need not be realistic in the usualsense, and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is such a play. Happy accepts the American dream, and more specifically Willy'sdream of success, while Biff finally rejects it and proves to be strongenough to face reality as his father never could. He has asked Happy for help, and Happydisappoints him and feeds his father's delusions. . Biff tells Happy that he needshelp in explaining things to Willy: "You gotta help me, Hap, I'm gonnatell Pop" (1 4).

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