Help if you have read Death of a Salesman?

Question

How is the book written what style structure and technique is used. What is the relationship between the speaker and audience. What use of language is there like symbols and motifs. What are the critical problems in the book.

Answer 1

Death of a Salesman is often assigned reading, both in high schools and colleges.   As a result there are numerous free on line resources that can help you with your study of this play, most of which analyze the story, discuss themes and symbolism and other literary devices, and give character sketches.  If you do a search you will find many helpful resources.  Additionally quite a few questions have been asked here on Y!A about Death of a Salesman so do a search for it in the Yahoo Answers search window and you will find lots of Q’s and A’s that should help you.    

http://www.homework-online.com/doas/

http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/t...

http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/de...

Answer 2

A memorable motif is the planting of seeds, meaning that he wants to leave something of worth behind. He feels worthless and wants to leave something to show that his life has not been in vain. Not a bad play, actually, just the act of dissecting each and every word is enough to ruin anything, even, dare I say it,  Shakespeare! (I am a huge Shakespeare fan!)

EDIT: Just some notes from my copy...

Act 1 - Everything happens in Willy's home. Ends hopeful

Act 2 - Starts off hopeful but gets out of control and pessmistic

This is a psychological play - a re-enactment of Willy's thoughts. When he goes into the past, it starts off well but spins out of control. Willy is full of dreams.

The name "Loman" is symbolic as Miller focuses on "ordinary" people/characters (Low man).

Uncle Ben is a false representative, seems like a guardian angel. He is Miller's mouthpiece as America's self-made man.

Miller can be criticised for the way he portrays women (also in other plays he has written) Linda is very subserviant and puts Willy on a pedestal, for example

The flute as a motif symbolises the american dream (which is what the play addresses). Flute - close to nature/sad/haunting sound/fitting for this play as it is a tragedy in a modern sense.

Towering buildings around symbolise Willy's feeling of being dwarfed/trapped/suffocated by material things.

The fact that Willy has had numerous car accidents shows his lack of control of his life and mental state. He has problems focusing (pg 9 in my copy: Willy - "...suddenly I realize I'm going sixty...")

Willy loves nature, but cannot leave the city. Hence his constant need to plant seeds, etc. He's inspired by the beauty of nature. He desperately wants to leave something behind, like his son (Biff?) trophy. He wants his sons to "make something" of themelves like Ben did.

Motif that Biff needs to "find himself" - shows that in that consumerative era have lost themselves. Also, in order to get somewhere, one must look the part, very materialistic and obsessed with personal appearances.

Willy is quite contradictory of himself. He says "You can't raise a carrot in the back yard" as he wants to feel personal and rooted in life, yet he's criticising the area he lives in but doesn't want to move.

He often cuts into Linda's sentences, see above for Miller's degrading of women. Also, Biff and Happy have chauvenistic (sp.) and sexist opinions of women ("what... was her name?" "there was a pig!"

Glorifies the material things, "the fridge with biggest advert" "the Chevvy (car)"

Also, there's the implication that Biff seems to know about Willy's affair and that's why he gives him such a hard time

I'm really sorry, but I have to go now, I will add more tomoro if that's ok, but I've gotta sleep now, I've had a very hectic weekend!

Hope I've given you enough to go on for the time being!

Good luck!!

Have I given you enough to go on or do you need more?

Answer 3

It is a really sad and depressing play. Very sad to read.