Comparing The Distorted Reality In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

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The play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller follows the Loman family and the conflict that leads up to their father, Willy’s, eventual suicide. There is a sense of a distorted reality that is prompted by Miller’s expressionist impressions. These impressions are supported by the use of the flute, set descriptions of where the Lomans live, and complex dialogue. All of these components combined not only fuse together the somber and dream-like tone and the theme of abandonment of but also the distorted reality that Willy and his family live in. Miller’s descriptive and almost interactive form of writing builds up to create a play full of flashbacks and delusion. Set descriptions from the Death of a Salesman are presented in a way that paints the Loman’s house in New York as confining. Willy dislikes the fact that they moved into the city where the towns and …show more content…

Through dialogues we learn information on Willy’s affair, Happy and Biff’s plan to go into business, the neglection of Linda, and Willy’s true inability to be a successful salesman. Although the play revolves around a series of conversations, the most important dialogues come in at the end of the play. By the end of act two, Willy kills himself in a car accident and although he claimed to be a successful and a “well liked” businessman, the truth comes out as his funeral. Linda (Willy’s wife) proclaims, “Why didn’t anyone come?...where were all the people he knew?.” It is important to understand that Linda thought so highly of Willy, she believed his claims of popularity and saw him as best of the best. It took a funeral for Linda to realize that the reason Willy was abandoned by his “friends” was because Willy was essentially insane and he created his own distorted reality. Arthur Miller uses dialogue to create rising action, discuss the plans of characters, and push them into their downfall triggered by their own

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