CliffNotesDeathofaSalesman.docx
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CliffNotesDeathofaSalesman.docx
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CliffNotesDeathofaSalesman
BARRON'SBOOKNOTES
ARTHURMILLER'S
DEATHOFASALESMAN
^^^^^^^^^^ARTHURMILLER:
THEAUTHORANDHISTIMES
DeathofaSalesmanopenedonFebruary10,1949,toreviewsthatacclaimeditamajornewplay.WithinmonthsArthurMillerbecameworldrenownedashisplayreceivedthePulitzerPrize,theNewYorkDramaCritics'CircleAward,andtheAntoinettePerry("Tony")Award,amongothers.WhenArthurMillerbecamefamous,hisgradeschoolandhighschoolteacherswerepuzzled.Theycouldn'trememberhim.Checkingtheirrecordstheyfoundthatasastudenthehadbeenmostoutstandingforhisfailures.
TheissueswithwhichArthurMillerwouldlaterbecomepreoccupiedhaveclearbeginningsinhisfamilybackground.Thesecondofthreechildrenofamiddle-classJewishcouple,hewasbornin1915inNewYorkCity.HisAustrianfatherwasamanufacturerofwomen'scoats,andhismother,thedaughterofamanufacturer,hadbeenateacher.Millerknewfromchildhoodtheprecarioushopesanddisappointmentsofthebusinessworld,aswellasitsfalsedreamsofextraordinaryriches.ThisisthethemeofDeathofaSalesman.
Itwasn'tjusthisfamilybackgroundthatinfluencedMiller.Hegrewupinthe"roaringtwenties,"thedecadewestillthinkofasthegiddiestinthehistoryofourcountry.Theworldofbusinesswasprosperingasneverbefore.Itwasanageofdistortedvalues--thepleasureofthemoment,materialrichness,makingmoneyandshowingitoff.Miller'sfatherhiredmoresalesmentosellhiscoats.
Millerplayedfootballandbaseball,swam,skated,andreadadventurestories."Ipassedthroughthepublicschoolsystemunscathed,"hesaidlater.Whilepassingthrough,hefailedmanysubjects,includingalgebrathreetimes.Youwillrecognizethisathletewhodoesn'tapplyhimselfinthecharacterofBiffinDeathofaSalesman.
WhenMillerwasthirteenhisfamilyreachedacrisis.Miller'sfatherfellonhardtimesandhadtomovethefamilyfromManhattanouttoasmallframehouseinBrooklynsimilartotheoneinDeathofaSalesman.Miller'ssisterrecallsthathebecame"veryhandywithtools.Hebuiltthebackporchonourhouse,andsomeoftherosesheplantedinthebackyardarestillblooming."JustasArthurMillerlovedworkingwithhishands,WillyLomanlovestobuildthingsandtendagarden.
OngraduationfromhighschoolMillerknewthathisparentscouldnotaffordtosendhimtocollege.HewantedtogototheUniversityofMichigan,buthisgradesweresopoorthathecouldnotqualifyforadmission.Forashortwhileheworkedforhisfather,buthecouldn'tstandthecontemptuouswaybuyerstreatedhisfatherandthesalesmen.Self-respectbecameanimportantissueforhim,asyou'llseewhenyoureadDeathofaSalesman.HegothimselfajobinaManhattanautopartswarehouse.Millerwasdeterminedtomakesomethingofhimself,andthefactthatheachievedthisgoalgavehimproofofanyman'sabilitytoperfecthimself.
Meanwhile,hestumbledbychanceontheRussiannovelTheBrothersKaramazov,whichhehadpickedupthinkingitwasadetectivestory.(IfyouwanttoknowwhatturnedArthurMillerintoaplaywright,readDostoevsky's"greatbookofwonder"ashelatercalledit.Haveyoueverbeeninspiredbyabookyouread?
)Hereaditonthelongsubwayridestowork,andsaidlater,"Allatonce[I]believedIwasborntobeawriter."
Millersavednearlyallofhisfifteen-dollar-a-weeksalary,andaftertwoandahalfyearshehadenoughforayearofcollege.HewrotethepresidentoftheUniversityofMichigananeloquentletteraskingforoneyeartoprovehimself.Hepromisedthatifhedidnotdowell,hewouldleavetheuniversityafterhisfirstyear.Theuniversityacceptedhiminjournalism,andheleftthewarehousewherehehadbuiltupthegreataffectionforhisco-workersdocumentedinhisplayAMemoryofTwoMondays.Inthewarehousehehadfoundalittlecommunityofpeoplewhocaredabouteachother,incontrasttohisfather'sbusinessworld.Amongthequestionsalwayshoveringoverallhisplays,includingDeathofaSalesman,are"Doesanyonecare?
"and"Howdoesamanmakeahomeforhimselfintheworld?
"
AtcollegeMillerlearnedabouta$500awardthatwasavailableforaplay.Hewroteoneinsixdays,andwontheprize.Hefelthehadbegunwhathehadbeenborntodo.AttheUniversityofMichiganhemetmanypeoplewhohadstrongpoliticalbeliefs,ideasabouthowtheworldshouldberun.Listeningtothedebatesheightenedhisconcernaboutmorality.Havingwonseveralmoreawardsbeforegraduating,MillerreturnedtoNewYorkin1938towriteplays,but"intwomonthswasonrelief."
Oddjobskepthimgoingwhilehebegantowriteforradio.Manyofthesejobsweremanuallabor,whichgavehimthebackgroundforhisplaysaboutworking-classpeople.
Intime,Millerwroteregularlyforthebestdramaprogramsonradio.Inspiteofhisimpatiencewithradio'srestrictions,helearnedhowtohandlequicktimeshiftsandhowtoblendrealityandfantasy,acentralstrategyinDeathofaSalesman.
Miller'sfirstBroadwayplaywasafailure,andhetoldhimselfthatifthenextonedidn'tsucceedhewouldgointoanotherlineofwork.In1947AllMySonsputhimonthemap.LikeDeathofaSalesman,itdealswithfamiliesandmoralissues.WhileDeathofaSalesmanisaboutwhatsocietyowestoindividuals,AllMySonsisaboutwhatindividualsowetosociety.Itranallthatseasonandwonmanyawards.
Withtheconfidenceofthatsuccess,MillerbeganDeathofaSalesman,amoreambitiousplay.Itimmediatelywonextraordinarypraiseinthiscountry,andalsobecameoneofthemostfrequentlyproducedAmericanplaysabroad.Abestseller,unusualforaplay,ithasbeenreadbymillionsofpeoplewhohaveneverseenitonastage.
Millerhasbeenapublicfigurewhoseactionsshowwhathestandsfor.DuringJosephMcCarthy's"witch-hunt"herefusedtorevealthenamesofthoseatameetinghehadattendedwhomighthavebeenCommunists.HewasconvictedofcontemptofCongressin1956,buttwoyearslatertheSupremeCourtreversedtheconviction.HelateractivelycampaignedforworldwidefreedomofexpressionasanofficialofP.E.N.,theinternationalsocietyofwriters.
InadditiontoDeathofaSalesman,Miller'splaysincludeTheCrucible(1953),AMemoryofTwoMondays(1955),AViewfromtheBridge(oneact,1955;fulllength,1957),AftertheFall(1964),IncidentatVichy(1965),ThePrice(1968),andAmericanClock(1980).
SeveralofMiller'splayshavebeenadaptedintomovies.In1960hewrotehisfirstoriginalscreenplay,TheMisfits,whichstarredhissecondwife,MarilynMonroe.Millerhasalsoproducedfourbooksofreportageincollaborationwithhisthirdwife,thephotographerIngeMorath:
InRussia,IntheCountry,ChineseEncounters,andSalesmaninBeijing.
ThepopularityofDeathofaSalesmanistimeless.Audiencesaroundtheworldhavebeendrawntoit,movedbyitsstoryofalongingforfulfillment.AnotablerevivalwasstagedonBroadwayinNewYorkCityin1984.
^^^^^^^^^^DEATHOFASALESMAN:
THEPLOT
WillyLoman,atravelingsalesman,comeshomeinthemiddleofthenightwhenhe'ssupposedtobeonabusinesstrip.HetellsLinda,hiswife,thathecouldn'tkeephismindondriving,andkeptgoingofftheroadbecausehewasdaydreaming.Sheurgeshimtoaskhisbossforapositionwiththecompany'sheadquartersinNewYork,sohewon'thavetotravelanymore,andheagreestoseehisbossthenextday.Hegoestothekitchenforasnack,andbecomesinvolvedinamemoryofhissonBiff.HehasbeentalkingtohimselfsoloudlythathewakesBiffandhisbrotherHappy,whoareboththerevisiting,BifffromtheWest,andHappyfromhisownapartmentinanotherpartoftown.Theboys,now32and34,talkoveroldtimes,worryabouttheirfather,andschemeaboutgoingintobusinesstogether.
InthescenefromWilly'smemory,Biff,Happy,andLindaallsuddenlyappearonstageastheywerefifteenyearsearlier,whentheboyswereteenagers.Biff,thefavoriteson,isthehighschoolfootballcaptain.Heisabouttoplayanimportantgame,andalsoabouttoflunkseniormath,despitehisfriendBernard'shelpstudying.BookishBernardisnot"wellliked"byBiff'sstandards,andhisfatherCharley,asalesmanwithhisownbusiness,isnot"wellliked"byWilly'sstandards.Still,forallhisattemptstobe"impressive,"Willyisnotdoingwellasasalesman,heconfessestoLinda.Willy'sthoughtsshiftfurtherbackintimetoshowhimdallyingwithanotherwomaninahotelroom.
Backinthepresent,Happycomesdownstairstocalmhisfather,butisunsuccessful.Theneighbor,Charley,comesinwiththesameintent,butWillygetsinsultedwhenCharleyoffershimajob.Meanwhile,invisibletoCharley,Willy'solderbrotherBenhasarrivedfromthepast.Willyistryingtohaveaconversationwithtwopeopleatonce,fromdifferentperiodsofhislife,andendsupquarrelingwithCharley,wholeaves.Nowcompletelyimmersedinthepast,WillyshowsoffhisteenagedboystoBen,whoinviteshimtomovetoAlaska.ButWillyhasconvincedhimselfhehaspossibilitiesathome.
Returningtothepresent,Willyleavesthehousetogoforawalk.Thefamilygatherstodiscusshistroubledsituation.Lindasaysheistryingtokillhimselfbecauseafter36yearswiththecompanytheyhavenowtakenawayhissalaryandheisbackoncommissionlikeabeginner,andbrokebecausehecan'tsellanything.Hisprideisshatteredandhe'sexhausted.Lindacriticizestheboysfornotrespectingtheirfather.Willycomesintotheroom,andthesonstrytocheerhimwiththeirplantoopenasportinggoodsbusiness.BiffwillgotoBillOliver,aformeremployer,andaskfor
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