Death Of A Salesman Rhetorical Analysis

Death of a Salesman

BIFF’S PHILOSOPHICAL CONFLICT - Schema L

Biff’s self before realizing his father is a “fake” can be illustrated by Lacan’s Schema L illustrated on the right.

Biff

Biff recognizes Willy as a model.

Biff loved his father’s philosophy, attitude, and perception. He creates his personality after these traits that he understands through sense experience.

It is from this permeable ego that cultural narratives are soaked up by his personality and form his actions.

The point of conflict, it is between:

The imaginary order → Biff drawing similarities to his father; Willy’s philosophy of life and his rendition of The American Dream.

The symbolic order → The True American Dream.

Throughout the flashbacks in the story, the imaginary

There now is no female, or anima, figure in Lear’s life. Therefore there is nobody to stop Lear’s brash actions

Almost immediately following Cordelia’s exile, Lear impulsively gives all his land to the awful Goneril and Regan. Needless to say, he regrets this decision later in the story.

This is one of many impulsive acts Lear had done

Perhaps a lack of mother, or feminine guide to teach them about kindness and loyalty, Goneril and Regan have no restraint

Regan and Goneril are also both married, and yet both are terribly unfaithful to their husband, cheating with the same man. This in the end, has disastrous consequences.

It is said by a gentleman in the fourth scene, that Cordelia is “Queen over passion” (4.3.13-14). She rules removes her emotions and rules through intellect and logic. Clearly, Regan and Goneril do not rule under the same ideals

MIRROR

This mirror image creates self awareness(ego). Once a child is able to identify with their mirror image and therefore see themselves as a whole.

After King Lear is no longer king he realizes he is not reflected anywhere else, Lear feels fragmented and returns to a child like state in order to redevelop his ego and superego.

At the beginning of the play Lear only attempts to fulfill his wants and desires(id).

His fragile and fragmented ego and superego are not able to repress these wants that the id bombards them with. Therefore leading to his insanity.

Although when trying to figure out why his daughters have abandoned he attempts to rationalize these events using his ego and superego but he is too blinded by his id to realize that his demise is of his own fault.

It is only during the 4th act that King Lear is able to realize the wrongs he has done and fully develop this whole ego and superego. His reunion with his daughter, who is the interest of his desires, makes Lear be able to identify with himself as more than King but also a father. Moreover fully developing his