Death Of A Salesman Research Paper

Every piece of literature has a meaning and purpose for why they are written. As a piece of work ages, so does the message it is meant to deliver, rendering it ineffectual in modern society. This, however, is not the case in Arthur Miller's production, Death of a Salesman. Marriage problems and the struggle in finding one’s identity are issues discussed in this piece of literature that carry on through the years and are still relevant in lives today. Miller provides insight on many issues society and people in general struggle with, and because of the significant role these problems play in people's lives, Miller's production has endured the test of time.

Marriage can be a beautiful thing, the union of two people, wholly and completely. However,

Miller eloquently displays these problems in the life of Linda and Willy. Communication is one of the most crucial elements of a marriage and this was a part that Linda and Willy were extremely inadequate in fulfilling. Linda had many unvoiced worries when it came to Willy and his behaviors. However, in attempt to please Willy and keep his life problem free, Linda chose to ignore many red flags that were raised in her head. The rubber hose in the basement; a clear indication of Willy’s unstable thoughts, and the increasing car accidents Willy encounters are two of the most prominent issues Linda choses to purposefully disregard. Linda is unable to confront Willy in regards to the rubber hose and removes the hose in the morning, only to attach it back before Willy returns from work. Her internal struggle is so intense that she is physically compelled to display her indecision on whether to confront this issue or ignore it. Linda attempts to brush off the car accidents as maintenance issues with the car or vision problems, deliberately overlooking Willy’s obvious haggard state. Many people in struggling relationships can relate to the act of ignorance of big underlying issues in attempt to smooth out issues before

The points Miller discusses in this production play a role in people's lives even today. Parent’s expectations play a huge role in how people view themselves and what they expect from themselves. Willy’s expectations for Biff seemed to cause Biff to really struggle with his identity in his adult life. All his life, Biff was praised by his father for being popular and successful in football. This led to Biff believing the anything you want to without regards to consequences. Will you also that without Fame and success and wealth A man would not be made and that he would not be successful. These ideals that willy Instilled so strongly into a fly prove to be the only guidelines that Biff believed he needed to be. When he caught willy with the other woman, his ideal of the perfect man his father had instilled in him dissolved. and at that time, essentially, is when Billy truly lost himself. Because Billy only looked to his father for who to be, when he caught his father in the act, he lost respect for his father and in doing that he also lost respect for the idea of him. Since Biff did not have his own sense of self and was only going off that of his father’s, loses his sense of direction. Going forward, Biff struggles in finding his own self-identity jumping from job to job in attempt to find himself. “I've had twenty or thirty different kinds of jobs since I left home before the war and it always