1
Death of a Salesmanby Arthur Miller

• Introduction to Miller and key themes of the play

2
Millers life

• Arthur Miller was born in 1915 in
• New York
• His father owned his own clothing business and
  made a successful living
• The stock market crash of 1929 ruined his
  familys business
• Miller had to fund himself through university and
  became a very successful playwright

3
Background

• Miller was married several times, including most
  famously, to Marilyn Munroe
• Death of A Salesman has several key themes,
  including an attack on American capitalism, and
  its effect on individuals
• Miller was summoned before the McCarthy
  commission in 1956, accused of being a communist.
• Miller was refused to name names and was
  blacklisted

4
Willy Loman as every man

• Willy Loman is a tragic hero he represents a
  universal character, struggling to succeed in a
  ruthless and uncaring environment
• He is unable to cope with reality he is not
  successful and he is not well-liked
• He cannot let go of his false beliefs and accept
  reality as it is

5
Willys death

• Willy dies, as all tragic heroes must
• Pride is central to his downfall, and he lives a
  life of massive self-deception
• Throughout his flashbacks (a sign of his mental
  imbalance) we see the reasons for his failures
• He represents a more innocent and simple time of
  the self-made man where personality and charm
  were everything
• Willys death symbolises the ruthlessness of
  capitalism and the impossibility of the American
  Dream of working hard to pursue happiness
• This is has huge continued relevance today

6
Part one task

• Read Act 1 up to the end of Biff and Happys
  conversation on page 15 before the start of
  Willys first flashback
• Complete the following tasks
• 1. Explain in your own words the crisis that
  Willy has reached in his career.
• 2. Give three points with evidence that stress is
  affecting Willys mind.
• 3. What are Willys values? Explain in your own
  words what is important to him.

7
continued

• 4. Describe the relationship between Linda and
  Willy. Do you think she helps him to deal with
  reality?
• 5. Create a table in your jotter and explain at
  least 3 main differences between Biff and Happy.
  Give a quotation for each point you make.
• 6. What have you learned so far about the
  conflict between Willy and his son, Biff?
• 7. What is your impression of modern business so
  far? Give a reason for your answer.