A Critical Look at Death of a Salesman

A Critical Look at 'Death of a Salesman' Have you ever loved a rock band that had lots of great songs you cherished? But then the band’s hit single, the one everyone knows by heart, the one that gets all the airtime on the radio, isn’t a song you particularly admire? That’s the way I feel about Arthur Millers   Death of a Salesman. It’s his most famous play, yet I think it pales in comparison to many of his less popular dramas. Although it’s by no means a bad play, it certainly is overrated. Wheres the Suspense? Well, you have to admit, the title does give everything away. The other day, while I was reading Arthur Miller’s esteemed tragedy, my nine-year-old daughter asked me, â€Å"What are you reading?† I replied, Death of a Salesman, and then at her request I read a few pages to her. She stopped me and announced, â€Å"Daddy, this is the world’s most boring mystery.† I got a good chuckle out of that. Of course, it’s a drama, not a mystery. However, the  suspense is a vital component of tragedy. Sure, when we watch a tragedy, we fully anticipate death, destruction, and sadness by the play’s end. But how will the death occur? What will bring about the destruction of the protagonist? When I watched Macbeth for the first time, I guessed that it would conclude with Macbeth’s demise. But I had no idea as to what would be his undoing. After all, he and Lady Macbeth thought they’d never be â€Å"vanquished until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.†Ã‚   How the heck is a forest going to turn against them?! Therein lies the suspense because, sure enough, the forest comes marching right up to their castle! The main character in  Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, is an open book. We learn very early on in the play that his professional life is a failure. He’s the low-man on the totem pole, hence his last name, â€Å"Loman.† (Very clever, Mr. Miller!) Within the first fifteen minutes of the play, the audience learns that Willy is no longer capable of being a traveling salesman. We also learn that he is suicidal. Spoiler! Willy Loman kills himself at the end of the play. But well before the conclusion, it becomes clear that the protagonist is bent upon self-destruction. His decision to kill himself for the $20,000 insurance money comes as no surprise; the event is blatantly foreshadowed throughout much of the dialogue. The Loman Brothers I have a hard time believing in Willy Loman’s two sons. Happy: He is the perennially ignored son. He has a steady job and keeps promising his parents that he’s going to settle down and get married. But in reality, he’s never going far in business and plans to sleep around with as many floozies as possible. Biff: He’s more likable than Happy. He has been toiling on farms and ranches, working with his hands. Whenever he returns home for a visit, he and his father argue. Willy Loman wants him to make it big somehow. Yet, Biff can’t hold down a 9-to-5 job to save his life. Both brothers are in their mid-thirties. Yet, they act as though they are still boys. The play is set in the productive years following World War II. Did the athletic Lowman brothers fight in the war? It doesn’t seem like it. If they had, perhaps they would be completely different people. They don’t seem to have experienced much during the seventeen years since their high school days. Biff has been moping. Happy has been philandering. Well-developed characters possess more complexity. By leaps and bounds, the father is the best part of Arthur Miller’s play. Unlike many of the show’s flat characters, Willy Loman has depth. His past is a complicated tangle of regrets and undying hopes. Great actors such as Lee J. Cobb and Brian Dennehy have mesmerized audiences with their portrayals of this iconic salesman. Yes, the role is filled with powerful moments. But is Willy Loman truly a tragic figure? Willy Loman: Tragic Hero? Traditionally, tragic characters (such as Oedipus or Hamlet) were noble and heroic. They possessed a tragic flaw, usually a bad case of hubris. (Note: Hubris means excessive pride. Use the word hubris at cocktail parties and people will think you’re ever-so-smart! But dont let it go to your head!). In contrast, Willy Loman represents the common man. Arthur Miller felt that tragedy could be found in the life of ordinary people. While I certainly agree, I also believe that tragedy works best when the main character’s choices become whittled away, much like a masterful yet imperfect chess player who suddenly realizes he is out of moves. Willy Loman has options. He has a lot of opportunities. Arthur Miller seems to be criticizing the American Dream, claiming that Corporate America drains the life out of people and casts them away when they are no further use. Yet, Willy Loman’s successful neighbor continually offers him a job! Willy Loman declines the job without ever explaining why. He has a chance to pursue a new life, but he wont let himself give up his old, soured dreams. Instead of taking the decent paying job, he chooses suicide. At the play’s end, his loyal wife sits at his grave. She does not understand why Willy took his own life. Arthur Miller would claim that the dysfunctional values of American society killed him. However, I believe that Willy Loman suffered from senility. He exhibits many of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Why couldn’t his sons and his ever-attentive wife recognize his failing mental condition? It’s a mystery to me.

More people are living longer Essays

More people are living longer Essays More people are living longer Essay More people are living longer Essay Our population is at a new stage; . It is such a mixed blessing for although medical science, diet, and technology can provide the resources for a longer life, not all aspects of being older are pleasant; It is a fear and inconvenience. On the other hand, it is the revealed wisdom and confidence of people because I believe that growing older is growing wiser; we become wiser only through living experiences that we have been through. The day that I started my internship in a nursing home for a week when I was in nursing program, I felt meeting that I could not express because I had seen some elderly residents who did not have a visit from their loved ones for a long period of time. In my Asian culture, we value our elderly the most, and we love to listen to the experiences that they share. We have to keep in mind that it is nearly impossible for a single caregiver to provide all the needs for an aging parent. Am I adequately able to give care for my elderly parent on a daily basis? Do I need help providing supervisory care for my parent? Is my parent showing signs of confusion or dementia? These are basic questions that we all ask ourselves to determine when it comes to caring for our elderly parents. Dementia is a loss of intellectual ability that effects memory, learning, attention, thought and language skills. People with dementia may forget family members or not know that what day it is. Sometimes they become very angry or sad, hear voices, or see things that are not there. For example, there is one resident with dementia who committed to walk everyday. He walks from his Alchemies (most common type of dementia) Unit to the other unit (where I work at) three times a day. Every time he sees me, he says, There you are! Have you made your eight dollars yet? When I respond and start a conversation, he will say that he used to live at country side; he has a dog named Missy and she is 11 years old now. He has a fixated way of communication to others especially with the staff members. Also, there is another resident who checks the main dining room repeatedly. He has a short term memory ass, but what interesting is that it mainly affects his meal time. He comes back to look at main dining room to check if the meal being served right after he returned to his room after meals. As care givers of nursing home staff members, we have experienced some elderly patients become confused or irritable after the last meal of the day and it lasts until bedtime because during the evening hours, the constant daily mental processes for normal living can become overwhelming for the elderly. It is called sundowners syndrome. One good example of a sundowner is a 60 year old lady who was Just admitted in my rehab unit for rehabilitation. She was a small and frail person who needed to rest and rehabilitation. At first, she was medicated for agitation. Right before the medication kicked in her system, she started to run towards the emergency exit door of the unit to escape. When I caught her at the door way and stopped her from elopement, she became the strongest person in elderly people that I have known and her behavior was completely changed and became ere combative. I was attacked because I was holding the door to keep it shut to In Conclusion, modern technology, medical science, and diet have provided longer life spans compare to the previous generations. It is inconvenient to live a long life in all aspects. For although modern technology world would provide physical comforts to prolong life, elderly parents want to be surrounded with family members who give them love and support. We Just have to keep in mind that one day we will be in the same position where the elderly are now.