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Essay on symbolism in literature
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Question: One thing I would like to know is if Happy is genuinely satisfied with his life and job. He fulfilled his dad’s dream, by becoming a salesman, but I think this caused him to stop chasing the dream he truly wanted. Through the first act, he carries himself in a very joyous manner, but I definitely feel like Happy has a more dismal side that he hides from everyone.
Symbolism: Toward the end of the first act, Linda finds a rubber hose. This symbolizes Willy’s attempt to commit suicide.Willy also attempted to kill himself before this by trying to drive off the road. I the objects he using to kill himself with represent that the things Willy is working so hard to buy might actually be killing him.
Patterns and Themes: One of the more obscure themes I discovered was about nature. For example, in the beginning of the play, Willy's small apartment is being towered by many enormous apartment buildings. Because of this, the plants in his garden don't get enough sunlight to grow. Essentially, this represents how his artificial world is stopping his from growing into a better person. Also, Willy doesn't haven't enough courage to actually go out into nature, like his brother Ben did, and discover his true passions. Instead, he chooses to sell himself to the superficial urban world.
Symbolism: In act one, Willy’s affair with The
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I feel like in Willy's situation, the answer might be yes, because his inability to make a sufficient amount of money to provide for his family is taking a toll on his marriage. He is always lying to Linda about the amount of money he's making. It's also seems like his inability to provide for her is causing him to feel guilty. One thing we also noticed was that Linda and Willy seem very out of love. We concluded they might feel obligated to stay with each other because of their old age, plus they can’t afford a
Throughout the play, Willy can be seen as a failure. When he looks back on all his past decisions, he can only blame himself for his failures as a father, provider, and as a salesman (Abbotson 43). Slowly, Willy unintentionally reveals to us his moral limitations that frustrates him which hold him back from achieving the good father figure and a successful business man, showing us a sense of failure (Moss 46). For instance, even though Willy wants so badly to be successful, he wants to bring back the love and respect that he has lost from his family, showing us that in the process of wanting to be successful he failed to keep his family in mind (Centola On-line). This can be shown when Willy is talking to Ben and he says, “He’ll call you a coward…and a damned fool” (Miller 100-101). Willy responds in a frightful manner because he doesn’t want his family, es...
This also show that Linda loved her husband more than anything, she would do anything to protect his pride including not telling Willy that she knows he had been trying to commit suicide. Everything Linda di is to protect Willy pride and face, and not letting any of her son
The symbolism is heavily engaged within this play, and this strength in symbolism is also displayed in “Death of a Salesman.” This is a tragic story, and not only because the Salesman obviously dies, it is simply because throughout the story the demise and sadness within a family is revealed more and more, increasing the sadness of the reader and the disappointment in which they experience throughout. Brenda Murphy agrees with this heavy use of symbolism, “There are times when the play moves on a plane of symbolism and other times when it is exactingly realistic.” This realism is essentially the entire idea of the play, though the reader experiences heavy symbolism within this realism. Many physical, inanimate objects are the center of symbolism in this play and they are very important to the development of certain characters, namely, Willy Loman. The idea of realism and symbolism being united is when an object of the story that shape the plot can stand for altered meanings, which aren’t absolutely necessary for the reader to understand to understand the story line. Furthermore, the three main symbols in “Death of a Salesman,” are first, Willy Loman’s wife’s stockings, the fountain pen, and last, also most important the rubber hose connected to the
on him, but the boys aren't willing to help Willy out when he needs them.
As a flute melody plays, Willy Loman returns to his home in Brooklyn one night, exhausted from a failed sales trip. His wife, Linda, tries to persuade him to ask his boss, Howard Wagner, to let him work in New York so that he won't have to travel. Willy says that he will talk to Howard the next day. Willy complains that Biff, his older son who has come back home to visit, has yet to make something of himself. Linda scolds Willy for being so critical, and Willy goes to the kitchen for a snack.
Theme of Success in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman One of the important themes in Death of a Salesman is the nature of success. Many people believe that success is about making a lot of money. They say that with money comes happiness. However, this may not always be true. In other words, success is defined as the accomplishment of something that was desired.
The play Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is about an average salesman living in Brooklyn, New York in the 1940’s named Willy Loman. Willy firmly believes in the American dream and is living his life aspiring to gain the wealth and materials associated with those of higher status in society. This American dream tears apart his family and the end result is his own demise. Glengarry Glen Ross, by David Mamet, has a plot similar to Death of a Salesman in that it is about salesmen and it shows the effects of capitalism on people and society. A difference between the two, however, is that Glengarry Glen Ross includes a group of salesmen working a firm who are trying to win a sales contest in which the first prize is a Cadillac, the second price is a set of steak knives, and the remaining salesmen will be fired. The main difference in the plays is that Death of a Salesman is decidedly a modern play and Glengarry Glen Ross is a postmodern response to Death of a Salesman.
By using Aristotle’s Concept of Tragedy, one is able to see the decisions that Willy makes and as to why he was a tragic hero. He has a tragic flaw and evidence of hubris in his character. His lack of skill to make good choices and his ego gets in the way for him to realize his faults and because he does not see them, it leads to a horrible end in which he kills himself. The end result of this is that this leads him to cause his own ruin and
Death of a Salesman: Symbols Many symbols are incorporated into the play "Death of a Salesman" and they in turn relate to both character and theme. The hose, tape recorder and the seeds are some of these symbols. The house in Miller's drama directly relates to the theme of death. The hose is a line attached to the gas main in Willy's house which allows him to snife the gas. This action can be seen as Willy's suicide wish, and escape from the realities of life.
The sweet smell of success has been replaced by the stench of failure. The rubber hose represents both success and failure. It is attached to the gas main in Willy’s house and provides him with the opportunity to commit suicide. Willy sees this as a way to finally do something for his family to make up for years of disappointment. He will no longer be a burden to them when he is gone, and they will remember him in a positive light.... ...
No matter how hard Willy tried, he would never be the successful salesman that he has dreamed of being. He was never going to live the American Dream, as he wanted to. He felt that committing suicide would leave a legacy for his family, but he failed to realize that this is not what his family wanted. Willy was so consumed in his own fantasy world, that he abandoned his family to attempt to make those dreams and fantasies become reality. The abandonment in the family got worse throughout the play. Willy truly was scared of abandonment, but was unable to avoid it throughout the
From the start of the play you feel that something is off with Willy. He returns home early from a trip and from the start his wife asks if he got into a car accident. Mentioning that he had once crashed a car off of a bridge and into the river down below. He admits that he kept falling into a trance like state while driving and knew that he would not be able to make the
Often times when we read literature, we can derive certain ideas or messages that the author of the work is trying to illustrate. After reading the play Death Of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, it is evident that he is trying to comment on our society . These comments on society being expressed are demonstrated in several examples throughout the play.
Another significant theme that occurs throughout the play is that it is ok to be dishonest when it suits their purposes. Willy continues to send his sons mixed signals on this issue. This began with Willy finding ...
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman criticizes the American Dream and the means some (i.e. Willy Loman) use to achieve the Dream through many different symbol and motifs; however, the title Miller selected for his play is an overlooked aspect of his criticism towards the Dream. He uses the title to build layers of understanding for his denunciation of the American Dream.