Emphasise the tragedy in Death of a Salesman Essay

A type is defined as an object or action that represents an idea, function or process, essentially anything which stands for something else. When viewed in resemblance to the Aristotelian model of tragedy in Poetics, moth millers rich mathematical function of tokenism in Death of a Salesman contradicts a key premise inside Aristotles tragedian theory, labelling the tragical heros hamartia as the cause for their downfall. moth miller uses symbols to explore the motifs of success, granting immunity and failure, as well as to supporter shape our view of his constitutions.Throughout the dissipation Miller emphasises the strength of these symbols through the mien they affect the Loman family and in particular Willy, whose obsession with the American Dream and all that it encompasses brings him to his tragic end. We whitethorn consider Willy to posses the tragic blot of hubris, which will only assist the interplay of the clobber and figurative symbols Miller creates to entr ap Willy within his beliefs, leaving him inefficient to escape. Inherent throughout the play is Millers heavy use of symbols to convey meanings such as hope, struggle and self-worth.Significantly, symbolism assists the tragic imagery as a crucial element of Millers representcraft. Miller elaborately constructs the perfect conditions for Willys downfall in s invariablyal key ways including his use of music, the motif of dreams and symbolic props. His first method is the recurring element of music applied through his stage directions. The melancholy melody heard, played upon the flute starting from Act 1 resonates with the atmosphere and is Millers structuralism technique of oscillating to and from Willys springion of the past.The natural element of this symbol alludes to his fathers influence as a flute- give wayr, and its use during Willys introspection could suggest an alternate, more successful breeding pursuing in craftsmanship instead of being a salesman under the impressi on of becoming well-liked. It acts as the transition between imagination and reality, setting the scene as we witness the bold symbol of Willys unfortunate circumstance.Furthermore, the flute symbolises Willys faint connection with the natural world, clearly illustrated by the stage directions as he enters Scene 1 The flute plays on. He hears but is non aware of it By non being aware, one may consider this melody to be a calling which Willy attempts to psychicly suppress. Additionally, Miller introduces his tragic hero with an afflicted perception the moment he is presented to the audience. Structurally, Miller develops this further as Willy gives us an account of his journey home, stating I almost forgot I was driving. This disregard for his surroundings and safety illustrates just how advantageously his physical and mental stability can be compromised. Alternatively, one may associate Willys fascination by the thick trees and warm sun with the almost hallucinogenic connotatio ns of nature, or what he may be describing as such strange thoughts, with the road possibly symbolise Willys suspension between responsibilities and his scent out of nirvana, a road he confronts every week of my life. The use of nature is significant to the settings created by Miller. As the curtain rises and reveals the Loman house, he ensures that We are aware of towering, angular shapes behind it, surrounding it on all sides. The way they enclose the setting directs our attention to the fragile-seeming house and emphasises Willy as the Low-man intended by his name. One may visualise this as a pathetic fallacy, alluding to their sense of isolation and vulnerability, the former of which being a traditional singularity of the tragic hero.However, the way Miller isolates the entire Loman family reflects the way the American dream was an influence to many sights lives and is not merely a unique flaw in Willy. The setting created by Miller corresponds with Aristotles unity of plac e, stating that a play should cover a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography. This appropriately fits within the Aristotelian model as it focuses less on the antecedent of external conflicts, but rather the intrinsic and non-progressive world view Willy is unable to escape from.This peripheral is shrewdly contrasted by Millers references to the jungle through Ben, who despite being dead before the play begins, trunk a big influence to Willy and his search for capitalism. The jungles symbolic connotations of wild freedom and liberty epitomises all that opposes the American dream. One could also argue that they represent the opportunities Willy rejected due to his hubris, his hardline faith in the American dream.Rollyson explores this idea and states Willy is only as solid as the society in which he tries to sell himself, and everything from his view of America as the greatest country in the world to his idolisation of David Singleman suggests that th e American dream is something he is deeply sold into. Through Millers use of a non-linear narrative, the audience gains a greater understanding of the way symbols are established and the development of the setting in which they manifest.Willys recollection of the past makes us aware that the apartment buildings replaced their natural surroundings, most notably the 2 beautiful elm trees, the presences of which echo through the repeated appearance of leaves around their home. The construction of the apartment buildings has rendered their neighbourhood lifeless, and Willys statement The grass dont grow any more may reflect on the state of poverty throughout the United States, induced by the Wall Street crash.He adds that they massacred the neighbourhood, with the lexical choice massacred highlighting the ruthlessness of the industrialisation which compromised their way of life. The ambiguity of they may echo Willys lack of perception over who is truly responsible for the desolate stat e of their economy, represented by some(prenominal) Willys failure as a salesman and their home environment, isolated, unable to flourish. At this point, the audience should understand the function of these symbols, which are shown to have direct influence over Willys life by compromising his mental stability.Willys two large sample cases symbolise his wasted enterprises attempting to fulfil the role of a successful provider. Their physical weight acts as a pathetic fallacy to represent Willys emotional heft and an appeal to the audiences sympathy. Lindas first words express her anxiety of him potentially smashing the car, symbolising mobility. The irony is that no matter how far he drives to work, he doesnt seem to get to anywhere or achieve anything beyond his mundane routine.Miller immediately contrasts this real symbol in their present timeframe with a mentally-constructed symbol from Willys past, exposed to us through Willys inner thoughts That shadowed? I coulda sworn I was driving that Chevvy today. This juxtaposition of past and present tenses helps create the olfactory property of disorientation which we would expect Willy to experience. The Chevrolet symbolises status and success, even described by Willy as the greatest car ever built only for him to later contradict himself by asserting that they ought to prohibit the manufacture of that car We may identify Willys tragic flaw as his willingness to base his very existence on material goods. Millers extensive use of such symbols reflects the obsessive nature of Willy and this mental pictureive literary technique acts as a vehicle to draw our attention to the flawed society of 20th-century America, totally preoccupied with the unappeasable pursuit of the tragic American dream. It is at the end of Act 2 when we discover that the car, a symbol of progression and modernity, becomes no more than an instrument for Willys suicidal downfall.Throughout Willys internal conflict, Linda remains a symbo l of emotional security, whose unconditional love sees past his lack of success. Her pivotal speech Willy Loman never made a lot of money So attention must be paid mirrors the chorus of Greek tragedy, acting as an interlude during which the audience reflects on the progression of the play. Linguistically, her repetitive use of negatives not and never emphasise his lack of achievement and simplicity as a character.She is heavily conscious of the tragic fate Willy is heading toward, and her devotion to him is shown as she mends her stockings. Structurally, this is placed immediately after Willys scene with The Women whom is toughened with new stockings. Miller juxtaposes Willys infidelity with the shame he feels being unable to provide successfully shown as he acts angrily at the sight of them. The motifs of hope and dreams symbolise the search for the unobtainable, a underlying flaw in Willys characterisation.With the working title The Inside of His Head, Miller originally inten ded to make the setting itself a physics manifestation of Willys internal mental state, with the stage layout resembling the shape of a head. One could argue that Millers use of imaginary walls-lines which characters walk through instead of the doors as to indicate a recollection of Willys past would show a comprised mental structure within Willys psyche.Although these externalities largely influence Willys behaviour, we must also consider him as symbolic, as he represents the struggling everyman whose belief in the flawed American dream is slowly killing him. Millers use of symbols within Death of a Salesman allows us to witness exactly how Willy, a tragic character bounded by his temper, massive dreams and little cruelties, becomes progressively more influenced by both his thoughts and surrounding environment.By stimulating our senses and heightening dramatic tension, it is a quintessential device used to enhance the audiences understanding and sense of sympathy toward this trag ic character so mentally distorted by this ideal, without which there would be no tragedy to interpret. As a play famously described as a time bomb expertly placed under the edifice of Americanism, Miller makes a great effort to illustrate his beliefs of the American Dream as a corrupt ethos by showing its tragic effect on the common American man.