Summary Of Death Of A Salesman - 3982 Words

Ahmad Maruf â€Å"American Literature and Corporate Culture† Professor Ritzenberg Final Paper Looking for Someone To Blame in the Mirror Arthur Miller s play â€Å"Death of a Salesman† tells the story of a salesman confronting failure in the success-driven society of America and shows the tragic trajectory that eventually leads to his suicide. It addresses a broken family, loss of identity, and a salesman s inability to accept change within himself and society. On the other hand, based on the memoir written by Jordan Belfort, Martin Scorsese’s movie â€Å"Wolf of Wall Street† features Jordan Belfort, the drug-addicted stockbroker who makes millions defrauding investors, laundering money, and manipulating the market. What makes the movie a crucial and troubling document of the present is not so much Jordan s business plan—he tells us repetitively that it s too complicated and uninteresting to explain—as his approach to life. The success of such a sensationalist movie that archives the rise of a reckless, morally questionable, and self-made man reflects a tension of modern American cul ture, making us question traditional values of a good life. It is obvious that both protagonists lead an unhappy, deeply troubled, and broken family life, lacking strong family support system and stability. This is particularly problematic because we often picture the traditional family not only as the socio-economic unit but also as the cradle of human values, nurturing the human spiritShow MoreRelatedDeath of a Salesman Summary + American Dream5929 Words   |  24 PagesAct 1, Scene 1 Miller begins his play with a bedtime dialogue between Willy and his wife, Linda.   Willy, an aging salesman, has just  returned  late from a business  trip.   Linda is very concerned, asking her husband if he had a  car accident.   Willy tiredly explains that indeed he did have a close call with his  car, veering off the road on two  occasionswhile enjoying the scenery.   Though at first Linda thinks that its a problem with the vehicle, eventually she attributes Willys driving problems toRead MoreWilly from Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller: Abandoned and Flawed798 Words   |  4 Pages The dramatic play Death of a Salesman, composed by Arthur Miller in 1949 portrays the hours leading up to Willy Loman’s death. Willy is a sixty-year-old salesman living in Brooklyn New York with his wife Linda and after thirty-five years working as a traveling salesman he feels defeated by his lack of success and difficult family life. As a salesman, Willy Loman focuses more on personality and being well liked by everyone than actual skills. When he returns early from a business trip it is apparentRead MoreAnalytical Exposition in Response to Literature: Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby 976 Words   |  4 PagesThe two texts that this essay will compare and contrast are the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald and the play Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller. Both works are based around the central topic of ‘the American Dream’ and the unceremonious death of it. However, the journeys that the protagonists take to meet their tragic ends are very different though the motives involved are accused murder and adultery. This essay’s aim is to determine whether the novel or the play best is moreRead MoreAnalysis Of Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1270 Words   |  6 PagesDeath of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller 1245 Words 5 Pages Death of A Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is a play based on the turmoil within an average American family. Miller wrote Death of A Salesman easily showcasing the elements of drama. I was easily able to follow the plot, identify with his characters, and picture the setting. The main theme of the plot seemed to be Willy reaching for the American Dream. Financial success, business success, outwardly perfect family, revered by your peersRead MoreWilly Loman, the Modern Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1739 Words   |  7 Pagestragic hero a common world of mischance.† When analyzing Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Tragedy of the Common Man†, it is easy to see the differentiation between the modern hero and the classic Greek hero. In the first paragraph of his essay, Arthur Miller, in summary, states that the overriding view in tragedies is that commonplace citizens’ lives are so ordinary that they do not seem tragic (Miller 1833). However, Miller disagrees with that point of view, stating in his second paragraph, â€Å"I believe that the commonRead More Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller Essay1241 Words   |  5 Pages Death of A Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is a play based on the turmoil within an average American family. Miller wrote Death of A Salesman easily showcasing the elements of drama. I was easily able to follow the plot, identify with his characters, and picture the setting. The main theme of the plot seemed to be Willy reaching for the American Dream. Financial success, business success, outwardly perfect family, revered by your peers, and in general respected by all. EarlyRead MoreLiterary Analysis: Death of a Salesman Essay1705 Words   |  7 Pagesyou end up worth more dead than alive, (Miller, 98). This quote was spoken by the main character of the Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman: Willy Loman. This tragedy takes place in Connecticut during the late 1940s. It is the story of a salesman, Willy Loman, and his family’s struggles with the American Dream, betrayal, and abandonment. Willy Loman is a failing salesman recently demoted to commission and unable to pay his bills. He is married to a woman by the name of Linda and has two sonsRead MoreEffectiveness Of Redefining Failure By Julia Baird1263 Words   |  6 PagesRedefining Failure, it is important to note the effectiveness the article has, because of the way the author constr ucts the article. As the author begins her introduction she makes sure to grab her audience with an illustration from the novel, â€Å"Death of Salesman†. She presents her argument by saying that the novel was written 60 years ago. Stating, that because of the difference in society, failure is now viewed completely different than it was before. Furthermore, she explains that the main characterRead MoreComparative Essay; Things Fall Apart1664 Words   |  7 PagesFather-Son Relationships The parent-child relationship plays a large role in various literary works. The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, both explore the dynamic of many parent-child relationships. Death of a Salesman regarded the troubling relationship that Willy Loman, an unsuccessful Salesman, had with his two children Biff and Happy. Similarly, in Things Fall Apart it described the life of a man named Okonkwo who had much controversy when itRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1216 Words   |  5 PagesArthur Miller’s 1949 creation, Death of a Salesman, is adapted for the small screen by German director Volker Schlà ¶ndorff. This 1985 made-for-television film stars Dustin Hoffman as protagonist William â€Å"Willy† Loman. Kate Reid, John Malkovich, and Stephen Lang round out the Loman family in the roles of Linda, Biff, and Harold Happy, respectively. The film closely follows Miller’s original work as it tells the story of Willy, an overworked and underappreciated salesman, losing his grip on reality and