Death of a Salesman by SBradley

Often the tragic hero's hubris prevents him/her from creating meaningful relationships around him/her

2017-02-01 10:38:04 UTC

2. Willy's high expectations of himself, fuelled by his hubris, are passed on to his sons, which creates Biff's resentment towards his father furthering Willy's tragic isolation.

2017-02-01 10:39:33 UTC

-A

Thesisssssss

2017-02-01 10:39:39 UTC

In Death of a Salesman, Miller's tragic protagonist Willy Loman is presented as being isolated from the rest of the world due to his hubris. However, it could be argued that...

2017-02-01 10:41:00 UTC

1.Willy's hubris often causes him to have a false sense of his own ability which restricts his work and familial life.
B

2017-02-01 10:41:13 UTC

Willy's hubris causes him to cling to false, unrealistic values and ideals influenced by capitalism, consumerism and the American dream surrounding his view of the workplace, leading him to forcibly encourage his sons to achieve success through his already unsuccessful means
-S

2017-02-01 10:42:51 UTC

The American Dream is utilised by Miller to create Willy's misplaced beliefs and

Linda's lack of understanding of her husband, not to mention her blind devotion, feeds Willy's hubris and catalyses his tragic fall.

2017-02-01 10:45:43 UTC

-A

2017-02-01 10:51:54 UTC

3. Whilst Miller presents Willy's hubris as being intrinsically linked to his downfall, the true sense of tragedy is further reinforced through Miller's portrayal of a blindly devoted wife who lacks understanding.

3.

2017-02-01 10:59:26 UTC

"she more than loves him, she admires him" - stage directions. page 2.

Ao2 - Miller presents Linda as the blindly devoted wife of the American Dream from the very start of the play. She stands by her husband regardless of his flaws and mistakes, contributing to his downfall.

2017-02-01 11:00:06 UTC

"I'm vital in New England."

2017-02-01 11:00:09 UTC

"Will you let me go for Christ's sake? Will you take that phoney dream and burn it before something else happens?"

3.

2017-02-01 11:00:14 UTC

"Few men are idolised by their children the way you are" - Linda. page 24

Ao2 - This line is highly ironic as we soon learn of the complex and turbulent relationship between Willy and Biff, who severely resents his father. The verb 'idolised' is also linked to Willy's view on life; he idolises certain people, such as his brother, and aspires to be idolised in this way.

Miller presents Linda as fuelling false truths such as this one, which inflate Willy's ego and inevitably greaten his tragic fall once he realises they are not true.

2017-02-01 11:00:47 UTC

"And I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody!"

3.

2017-02-01 11:01:50 UTC

"Linda: He only needed a little salary...
Charley: No man only needs a little salary" - Linda and Charley. Page 106

AO2 - Here Miller presents Linda's lack of understanding of her husband through Charley, who seems to see Willy for the man he is. Perhaps Charley can be seen as a mouthpiece for Miller's own thoughts, the line 'no man only needs a little salary' could be seen as a comment on how the American Dream and the capitalistic environment forces people to focus on salary and always having more money rather than happiness and meaningful relationships.

2017-02-01 11:01:59 UTC

"You fake! You phoney little fake!"

/Willy is left on the floor on his knees./

2017-02-01 11:02:15 UTC

"And if anything falls off the desk while you're talking to him- like a package or something- don't you pick it up. They have office boys for that."

2017-02-01 11:03:10 UTC

"Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative!"

"Oh, he keeps congratulating my initiative all the time, pop."

"That’s because he likes you."

2017-02-01 11:03:54 UTC

"I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own."

2. A02

2017-02-01 11:07:27 UTC

<---The adjective "phoney", used to define something as false or invalid which Biff uses to describe Willy's unrealistic dreams is significant as it ephasises Willy's own sons' extreme distaste for not only their father, but the kinds of capitalist norms and values he stands for.
-S

2017-02-01 11:09:25 UTC

Repetition; emphasises Biff's anger and disbelief through the adjective "fake" - Miller shows through this the effect of a materialistic society and the false nature of the American Dream. The stage directions, with Willy "on the floor" could suggest a hint of anagnorsis; the kneeling could invoke pathos, as Willy is so old and frail, and the action of being on your knees represents praying, which creates a sympethetic feeling towards Willy and his hardships.

2017-02-01 11:09:26 UTC

The adjective 'vital' emphasises Willy's exagerated ego as it posesses connotations of vital organs which enables a person to survive. In reality Miller uses this line with tentative irony as Willy is not as important as he believes within the salesman community which hyperbolises Willy's own false beliefs.

2. AO2

2017-02-01 11:09:57 UTC

The pronoun 'you' emphasises Biff's belief that Willy is to blame for his lack of success and describes Willy's values as 'hot air', highlighting how the American Dream is invaluable and unattainable. Miller often criticises the American Dream as being an unrealistic, ambition fed to society by those in power. Willy's determination to achieve the Dream is ultimately his peripetia, evident through the destruction of his life and mentality but also his sons'. It is perhaps the moment that Willy encounters Bernard many years later that he somewhat realises his mistakes in feeding the American Dream to his sons, rather than encouraging their studies unlike Bernard's father Charley.
-K

2017-02-01 11:13:04 UTC

The theme of being "well liked" is presented by Miller throughout the play, with Willy associating this with success. Ultimately, Biff is the one to suffer, as being well liked doesn't actually equate to success; this could be argued to have been created through Willy's hubris, as his pride doesn't enable him to see the adverse effects of his teachings on his sons' life.

2017-02-01 11:15:58 UTC

The reference to 'cops' is important to consider as there is potential that there was corruption within 1940s society due to the American Dream being idealised by the government. Willy's exaggeration is what ultimately causes the mirroring of Willy's life in Happy hinted to in the requiem. Throughout the play, Willy makes his job seem ideal and better than it is

^ 2. A03 ^

2017-02-01 11:16:59 UTC

Thus, it can perhaps be interpreted that while Willy is a symbol of the American Dream in all its dishonesty and unrealistic nature, Biff represents a youth uprising against such capitalist norms and belifs, of a generation to face and oppose such immoral and trivial ideals of achieving success.
-S

^ 2. A04?? "

2017-02-01 11:19:59 UTC

Due to the highly visible flaws of the American dream as an idealistic belief, unachievible for most to achieve, Millar may have intended his tragic hero, to mirror it in this aspect aditionally, sealing Willy's downfall and inevitible demise due to his hubris, and corruption
-S