Death Of A Salesman Critical Lens Analysis

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Every one of us has a lens through which he perceives himself. These lenses are also unique to each person. Arthur Miller, in his play The Death of a Salesman, portrays a main character, Willy, who holds values that places the appearance of all things before their actual benefit to him and his family. This is shown by his often contradicting statements about his property, his attempt to appear greater than he is, and his obsession with his son. Willy often brags about how good he is at his job and how others are not as good as him; however, when faced with the reality of paying bills and counting sales with his wife, Linda, one can see his unfortunate financial situation. It is key here that Willy does not directly face the fact that he …show more content…

The Lomans own a Hastings refrigerator, which, according to Willy, "consumes belts like a goddam maniac" (73). However, when it is first bought and starting to break belts, Linda is able to placate Willy by saying, "They got the biggest ads of any of them" (35), to which Willy immediately responds, "I know, it's a fine machine" (35). This shows that he did not purchase the appliance based on its quality as a reliable appliance but simply because it was the most advertised. The other piece of property he owns that shows his values is the Chevrolet. At the start of the play, Willy has a flashback about the car. He mainly focuses on the cleaning of the car, saying, "Remember those days? The way Biff used to simonize that car? The dealer refused to believe there was eighty thousand miles on it" (19). However, the vehicle is actually not the best quality. Even Willy knows this, and he says when Linda informs him he has to pay for a replacement carburetor, " I'm not going to pay that man! That goddam Chevrolet, they ought to prohibit the manufacture of that car!" (36). When he has the flashback, he is most proud of the fact that the vehicle looks good, not that it is reliable and functions as designed. This shows that he values the outside appearance more than actual

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