Research Paper on Literary Elements in Death of a Salesman

Introduction

The death of a salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller which premiered in 1949. It was about a man who had lost his identity by living a lie as based on his delusions that he had a successful career and marriage. The play is based on memories, confrontation, and dreams of the last moments of Willy Loman's life who commits suicide and buried afterward. The storyline reveals how Willy had created a false image for himself and the society about things he hoped to accomplish, but he failed and once discovered that he not only been a cheating husband, but a self-centered and poor salesman deluded by his marginal success he decided to end his life. Thus, to capture the attention of the audience, Miller utilized various literary devices to unfold these events through various themes in the drama which shall be the primary focus of the essay.

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Symbolism in "The Death of a Salesman"

The dram has utilized two primary literary devices which are symbolism and irony. Symbolism refers to the use of symbols to represent qualities or ideas. In the play, the death of a salesman has utilized various symbols to present ideas. The seed has been symbolically represented the salesman frustrations and the need to start afresh (Ardolino 174). This has been revealed in Act 2 where he said that he has to plant something since he has nothing for himself. In this context, the seeds were referring to his sons who had discovered the kind of man he was, a cheat and a poor salesman, but pretending to be the opposite and consequently abandoned by his family. He had bred his sons on his wisdom and resources and had nothing tangible to show for his lifetime of work. His efforts to plant the seed in a direction where there was no direct sunlight for the seeds to germinate and grow revealed his thwarted efforts to start afresh and build something for himself. Also, the image of the of silk stocking has been recurrent in the death of a salesman to symbolize a cover up for imperfections, sensuality, and the inability for Willy the main character to fend for his family. The silk stocking appears in the hands of Willy's wife, Linda Loman, and the unnamed lady he was having an affair (Bliquez 384). Willy had consistently reprimanded his wife for mending her stockings in a promise to buy her new ones. It is unfortunate that his wife had to endure such embracement while he met his trysts in Boston and offered her new stockings. This situation reminded Willy that because of his affairs he was unable to satisfy his family's needs due to his infidelity (Centola 30). Additionally, diamonds have been used to symbolize the wealth and opportunities that willy missed but still imagines he has a chance to redeem himself by encouraging his children to follow the path that his broth, Ben, the successful diamond dealer. While they were still young Ben encouraged Willy to move to Alaska to do timber business but he could since he was stuck in the safe salesmanship he already knew and was poorly performing without acknowledging. Other symbols used include the mentioning of Africa, Alaska, and the American west to represent an opportunity and chance for freedom to escape poverty.

The Use of Irony in the Play

The other literary device used in the play was irony which refers to the use of actions or words that refers to or reveals the opposite of the intended meaning. This device is used to add humor, poignancy, or show a broader sense of a text. The irony could be situational, dramatic, or verbal. The drama relied on the Willy Loman, the main character, an ironical expectation which did not match his reality even after working hard in his salesman career (Bates 165). Dramatic irony unfolded when Willy decided to commit suicide following his frustrations and considering himself a failure having lost his family due to his acts of infidelity. It was ironical that he considered himself a failure even after paying off the mortgage for the house (Bates 167). His wife was saying to him in a loud voice that she had just deposited the last payment for the mortgage, but there would be nobody to enjoy the home after his hard work. During the 1940s a person who owned a private home was considered wealthy, and thus it would be ironical for a homeowner to kill himself after confirming that he had joined the affluent class which was his goal (Collins and Robert 357). Verbal irony occurs when Wily is offering financial advice to his sons by telling them that the way to success is to make people like you. He bragged about how his clients liked him and how they do not make him wait which was the opposite. He was a failed case both socially and economically, but he confidently kept offering financial advice to his sons.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the death of a salesman by Miller revealed Willy and his pursuit of the American dream that he had failed already despite his brother, a diamond dealer, showing prosperity. The author used various literary devices, but irony and symbolism stood out and were effectively used to reveal the themes presented in the play.

Works Cited

Ardolino, Frank. "I'm not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman!": the significance of names and numbers in Death of a Salesman." Journal of Evolutionary Psychology (2002): 174.

Bliquez, Guerin. "Linda's Role in Death of a Salesman." Modern Drama 10.4 (1968): 383-386.

Bates, Barclay. "The lost past in Death of a Salesman." Modern Drama 11.2 (1968): 164-172.

Collins, William J., and Robert A. Margo. "Race and Home Ownership from the End of the Civil War to the Present." American Economic Review 101.3 (2011): 355-59.

Centola, Steven R. "Family Values in" Death of a Salesman."" CLA Journal 37.1 (1993): 29-41.