by Mary Beth Gayle
Dramatic Action
A. The Inciting Incident
The inciting incident, Willy Loman’s return home, begins Death of a Salesman. This Monday evening when Willy returns, the audience sees him for the first time, exhausted, irritated, and appearing to be victim of a serious conflict.
Hey there! It’s Mary Beth here and I just wanted to write to let you know that I’m here working on things… I know it’s kinda terrible that I haven’t made all of my official posts yet, but I’ll have more up shortly—-
As for our “final post” or page that Walter was talking about, should we agree on this and post a specific page? Are we supposed to edit the template, or compile everything into a page? Is either one ok?
BY ALEJANDRO SEIJAS
"Ben: when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty one. And, by God, I was rich!"
Willy:€¦ was rich! That's just the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right! I was right! I was right!"(52)
(The following analysis of the action is through what these quotes evoke of the general metaphor of the play). THE ACTION THAT IS MOST PROMINENT IN THESE TWO QUOTES IS TE CONTINUOUS REINFORCING OF WILLY. As he says: “I was right!…”
why? because it leads to the basic idea of the play. He misperceives reality because of being caught in a framed state of mind given that, at the same time, he has misperceived the American Dream. The means to the end. The capitalist dilemma/ paradox which makes of people, the ends, the means to an end! It is due, and by, to the complicated and bizarre nature of the idea of Capitalism, its paradoxical nature as misperceived by the common man, the fact that it is ethereal and in air, an idea, that Miller criticizes the referred state of affairs. It is with the the idea of this story, the story of Willy and his family, his house, his neighbors, that the sorts of actions as the one aforementioned gain significance.it is in relation to the immediate context, and by focusing on specific details, that Millers makes the life and death of man an analogy for the failure of the American Dream; not as an idea only, but, directly, to its people who represent the ends. These people, like Willy, have names (in the name of), perceive status and profession as they see them in themselves. They are salesmen caught in the constant hustle of traveling, as perceived by Willy in his adulthood but not in the memories of how he used to be.
The actions in the very beginning of the play elucidate that stubbornness so characteristic of Willy, which in turn condemn him. He doesn’t perceive things clearly!!!!!! but he says he does!!!!
“LINDA: Maybe it’s your glasses. you never went for your new glasses.
WILLY: No, I see everything. I came back ten miles an hour. It took me nearly four…”( p.13)
Because he is caught up in his old ways he is not able to strive forward and make it in the real world; because he is caught up in reminiscences. But, here, Miller is not saying this romanticism or idealism is bad. Rather, he poses through counterpoint, paradox, that Willy’s ideas, way of thinking, defeat their purpose in the context of the American Dream; which is to be achieved through the bizarre and not benign system of Capitalism. He is criticizing at times of war! immediately after the big wars. In the context of the twentieth century, this idea of opposing the system and state of affairs seems very ‘ooohhhh”, soft and inconcrete/incorporeal, but it really isn’t. The influence of Existentialism as a philosophical current is tremendous, particularly, in the world of Theatre. These influences must not be disregarded.
So, the actions, as depicted by his dialogs, although I am not saying that speaking is acting, concede through reinforcements, as meant in the psychological sense, the blur of the world he perceives in mis-perception.
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There is a constant reference to nature. The jungle Image works as a metaphor for the whole play. This metaphor conveys the idea of a world which hasn't been tamed. The Image also puts forward the idea, which speaks of how, like the world/reality, the jungle is a place where one can learn to tame oneself by getting immersed in it. That's what I interpret of the words of Ben's character, although I recognize that the reminiscence it represents on stage can, directly, mean an interpretation of Willy's memory. As stated by Eric, and acknowledged by Sam in the meeting, he is delusional. He is so because he misperceives reality. Reality represents the world in which he dwells. The American Dream, as connoted by his constant reminiscences is and illusion, a big Dream.
The American Dream is divided into two parts, money and family, for the sake of the argument about idea.
One thing is to immerse oneself into a Dream, and another one completely different is to get immersed in the actual jungle; into something real, concrete; with components like money and family.
Metaphor: THE CONCRETE JUNGLE —The city, which is something real. (All the different cities he visits).
THE CONCRETE JUNGLE —Appears as something real, concrete. Jungle appears as a representation of a system which is palpable. (Biff has been to war which is something real. This example I use as counterpoint to Willy's because he is been around and about but always caught in THE NAME OF, the outlook of things, what he thinks they represent, instead of their essence. He is caught up on the idea he has of.
Tracing back to the analysis on Jungle as a world untamed, I'll keep on expanding.
Another important idea that justifies the different metaphors is time. Between the ages of 17 and 21, is representational of the stage of Willy's life when he didn't dare to explore, when he didn't dare to go to Alaska. Biff on the contrary, hadn't had that choice. He is a war veteran who happens to have been at war, in the concrete jungle. Somebody who has been to a war has a perception of life and, probably, a more realistic idea of what value represents. HE KNOWS THE VALUE OF LIFE AND DEATH. He's had first hand experience. Thus money, although it might represent a means to something, is not an end; or could be depreciated in value.
Where is the paradox in this idea?
One of the two elements of the American Dream is family. By killing himself, Willy, does not understand the value of his life to his beloved. As counterpoint, Biff, a veteran, does.
Money, the other element, plays the role of being the most prominent influence which acts detrimentally in pos of the Dream achievement/realization
(I'll continue expanding in a while)
by Logan Turner
Erica, that sounds good. I just got home from work, so I’ll take a look at what you’ve written and see if I want to add or change anything, and post my own version of it soon, but at first glance, it looks good.
Eric Houdek
1. Shell on the mattress analogy. (Willy p.41)(full quote)
Willy: What’s the mystery? The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it. Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich. The world is an oyster, but you don’t crack it open on a mattress!
2. Bird comment. ( Linda to Biff p.54)( full quote)
Linda: Biff, a man is not a bird, to come and go with the springtime.
3. JUNGLE (Ben's and Willy's response p.52) (full quote)
Ben, giving great weight to each word, and with a certain vicious audacity: William, when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich! He goes off into the darkeness around the right corner of the house.
Willy:…was rich! That’s just the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right! I was right! I was right!
By Eric Houdek
I will assume that our nominal phrase which expresses the meaning of the play is “When the means to an end become the end, the end itself prompts the end of the common man.”
-Willy’s decision to become a saleseman. This decision is made in the assumption that he will be able to make a lot of money, which will help him to provide for his family and “make it big.” Willy explains that he has had other opportunities for employment, but he makes the decision to become a salesman because he has met Dave Singleman.
Just starting it off…I will continue to add….
by Paul Kappel
Geographical Location:
The play is set in Brooklyn, a neighborhood (and one of the five boroughs) of New York City. Brooklyn is known as being a hotspot for many different cultures including Italian, Russian, Irish, Polish, and German Americans. Although this is the physical location for the Loman home, Willy's imaginary conversations occur in and around New York City and Boston.
Date/Year/Season/Time:
Late 1940's, early spring, taking place over the course of one day.
Economic Environment:
Willy Loman, as a salesman is living soley off of his commissions, and is clearly not able to make ends meet as he frequently seeks loans from Charley. The economic environment is the keystone of this work, with much of Willy's frustration and agony centering on wealth.
Towards the beginning of the play, we see Willy's conversations with Ben, his wealthy brother, who had millions by his 21st birthday- Willy is clearly extremely envious of this fame, and although being unable to replicate it for himself, seeks to pass the wisdom to his sons Biff and Happy.
One of the strongest motifs in the play is Willy's desire for his children's financial security, something which he will never know. In his internal conversations about their planned sports franchise in Florida, he dwells on the duo turning a profit and making money. Willy does never discover this for himself though and remains stuck in his economic class without ambitions for his own success.
It is likely that due to his brothers amazing and unbelievable ease of making money paired with his back breaking and agonizing over every cent which passes through his wallet, that we find the motivation of Willy's character.
by Paul Kappel
(in approximate cronological order)
-Willy’s brother Ben went into the jungle when he was seventeen and came out rich when he was twenty-one.
-Willy accepts a job as a salesman.
-Willy decides not to take a trip with Ben to Alaska.
-Willy promises that he will start his own business and spend more time with his family.
-Biff stole a number of basketballs from Bill Oliver.
-Biff nearly flunks math class and has poor grades in school, but Willy encourages him to use his personality and looks.
-Happy moved out of the home and lives in an apartment, drives his own car, and has lots of women.
-The company which Willy works for as a salesman reduces his pay to straight commission.
-Biff lost his job again, this is something which happens almost yearly in the spring.
-Biff sent a letter home saying that he would be returning soon.
-Willy was out driving and had to return home because he could not keep his mind on driving and was dreaming.
Source: http://www.ushistory.org/us/53b.asp:
“For many generations and many decades, the American Dream has promised an egalitarian society and material prosperity. For many, the notion of prosperity remained just a dream”. The American ideals that Willy Loman holds are an American tradition. His views of the ability to make it big with a wink and a smile are not an anomaly; they are fostered by generations of success stories of very talented underdogs who did just that. Unfortunately, this becomes a dangerous notion when an ordinary man like Willy thinks himself to be something more.
However, for millions of Americans after the war, “the American Dream became a reality. Within their reach was the chance to have a house on their own land, a car, a dog, and 2.3 kids. Postwar affluence redefined the American Dream. Gone was the poverty borne of the Great Depression, and the years of wartime sacrifice were over. . . Automobiles once again rolled off the assembly lines of the Big Three: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. The Interstate Highway Act authorized the construction of thousands of miles of high-speed roads that made living farther from work a possibility”. Suddenly after the war, there are not only those not fit for combat competing for success, but a surplus of Americans vying for the very things that Willy has been suffering for. Specifically, the accessibility of a personal automobile makes it even easier for energetic young salesmen to flood Willy’s area of expertise. This new affluence makes Willy and his sons even more redundant in both the workplace and society.
Arthur Miller has a marked distaste for the consumerism that came out of this period of prosperity. “In our big car civilization we still clutch to our breasts these chromium-plated iron hulks in the hope that they are salvation” (Bigsby xxx). Yet in Willy’s case, the perceived salvation of materialism causes him to lose any opportunity to be himself in the drive to become the ideal prosperous American.
By Eric Houdek
As we talked about earlier, there were two metaphors from the play that encompassed the whole meaning of the play.
Howard: Kid, I can’t take blood from a stone(Pg. 81)
Willy: The world is an oyster, but you can’t crack it open on a mattress.(pg. 41)
Both of these metaphors summarize the play itself. Willy Loman is a man who believes that being well liked by everyone will lead to sucess in the real world. This is evident when he tells Biff that Bernard will never succeed in the real world because being a book worm does nothing to add to his popularity. This ties in to the fact that Willy is a delusional character. Although he literally sees delusions throughout the course of the play, Willy has a warped perception of reality. Willy embraces the American dream, which is to “make it big” and to take care of his family. However, Willy uses the salesman Dave Singleman to make the decision to use “salesmanship” as the means to achieve the American dream. There is nothing deceptive about Singleman’s name. He dies a SINGLE MAN, and most likely he didn’t die with a lot of money, for he had to be out working at the age of 84. It is with a warped sense of reality that Willy sets out to conquer the world. Raising his children, Willy chooses not to instill many disciplinary values in his children, and even looks down upon Charley’s son Bernard for being a nerd. As time passes by, and it is evident that many of Willy’s means of achieving success have not been successful, Will still comes to the conclusion that he can take care of his family by killing himself to achieve an insurance reward of $20,000. He commits this act, but once again, he is using the wrong means to address the problem. He leaves his wife a widow, his son Biff has no intentions of using money for the sake of business and has plans of moving away, and it is entirely possible that the insurance company did not even honor the policy.
SO WE NEED TO FINALIZE OUR METAPHOR…