Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Death of a Salesman â⬠Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free
Death of a Salesman ââ¬â Arthur Miller Essay The original title for Millerââ¬â¢s play was ââ¬ËThe Inside of His Headââ¬â¢. How does Millerââ¬â¢s use of set, lighting and stage direction help us to understand this idea? Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949. This date is the period after the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression and this is significant, as one of Millerââ¬â¢s aims in writing this play was that it would be a tragedy that American workers could relate to. The central themes and issues in the play are consumerism and exploitation; Miller wanted to write a play that was critical of capitalism and that would expose the falseness of the American Dream. The original title reflects one of the underlying themes in the play ââ¬â the central characterââ¬â¢s struggle to grasp the distinction between illusion and reality and the past and the present; often Willy Lomanââ¬â¢s thoughts and views do not comply with those of the majority of the remaining cast. Miller uses symbolism, set, lighting and stage direction to help us to understand what is happening inside Willyââ¬â¢s head. One of the several symbols that give us an insight into Willyââ¬â¢s thoughts is the athletic trophy. It is placed on a shelf in the sitting room where it can be clearly seen; this demonstrates how important it is to the family. This importance then in turn shows that winning and competition are key ideas here and that this part of the American Dream is important to Willy and he prizes the achievements his son made as they show him as being superior to other people, which is what Willy is always striving to achieve, particularly in regards to Charly. In the same scene is the use of the melody of the flute. It reflects Willyââ¬â¢s fatherââ¬â¢s success as an entrepreneur (making wooden flutes), something Willy is always striving to achieve, and also the strong influence this has on his son. Also, the actual melody that is being played ââ¬Ëtell(s) of grass and trees and the horizonââ¬â¢, and reminds us of the stark difference between the life Willy lived as a young child (with the father who he idolises) and the position he is in now; in an overcrowded area of New York, working for someone else (i.e., not working on his own terms, like his father) on commission. Another of the important symbols in the play is the lighting at the end of Act One. Just as Willy is talking about how great Biff was when he was younger, on another part of the set Biff walks into a gold pool of light, which is reflecting the praise Willy is giving him, the gold symbolising the initial power and success that he had. Also, just after this the light fades on Willy, representing the fact that his career, his influence on his children and possibly his life are drawing to a close. A further example of Millerââ¬â¢s symbolism in this play and his manipulation of non-naturalistic elements is in Act Two, the restaurant scene, with varied use of both lighting and music. The first of these symbols is the use of the ââ¬Ësingle trumpet noteââ¬â¢ used in conjunction with ââ¬Ëthe light of green leavesââ¬â¢. This initiates the start of Willyââ¬â¢s mind thinking back to an event several years ago, the green of the leaves symbolising the time when the house was not surrounded by high rise flats, noise and pollution. Miller also says that the light ââ¬Ëholds the air of aâ⬠¦ dreamââ¬â¢, which is insinuating that at this point in time Willyââ¬â¢s dreams for himself and his children had not yet been ruined. This is upheld by the naturalistic state of his living environment. Throughout the scene the light continues to fluctuate and highlight different places and times. Another important part in this restaurant scene I when the music changes dramatically to accompany the presence of The Woman in Willyââ¬â¢s mind. The music is now ââ¬Ëraw and sensuousââ¬â¢ highlighting one major part of Willyââ¬â¢s life, at this point in time, that does not fit into the same mould as the rest of his life; he is a family man, supportive of his children and striving to achieve new heights for his family, but now he is doing the very opposite of this by cheating on his wife, and so the music does not reflect any of the other, often light and cheerful melodies played on the flute. Up until Biff discovers his father with The Woman, no one else is aware of her part in Willyââ¬â¢s life, so even at this early stage, Willy will have thoughts inside his head which do not relate to those of an of the other central characters.
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