ipl-logo

How Does Arthur Miller Use Metaphors In Death Of A Salesman

690 Words3 Pages

Everyone has a dream, but not compared to Willy's dream. Willy is a salesman, who lives in Brooklyn, NYC. Willy wanted everyone to cherish him, but he had a love for money. He thought money was a great significance to success. Willy wanted to live the American Dream. He wanted to be a successful salesman and make a lot of money, but he fails in the end. Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, symbolizes how Willy's life is not the American Dream he would have liked it to be, which is demonstrated through irony, metaphor, and imagery, Ironically, Miller symbolizes how the American Dream criticizes Willy's life. Like mentioned before, Willy wanted to be very successful in his career, produce a fortune for him and his family, but he failed. …show more content…

A metaphor is comparing an object not using like or as. Miller uses metaphors throughout the play to symbolize Willy's success in life. For instance, Miller uses nature to represent Willie's career. According to Miller’s play, Ben said to Willy, “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy” (2018, p. 223). The quote represents how Willy wanted to be like his brother, Ben. He wanted to be very rich in the business world but is never successful. He never finds the diamonds, or “success”, but he found depression because his life was not how he wanted it to be. The jungle imitates society, or the American Dream, because society is full of success, but Willy needed to accomplish it. Today, people can relate to Willy, because some people try to find success, or the jungle, but they never find the diamonds. Metaphorically, Miller describes how Willy's life is not the American Dream of a …show more content…

Imagery is a visual image described through sense, smell, touch, hear, and taste. Miller uses imagery throughout the play to represent fame or success, like sports. Imagery is used through sports, because Willy sees the fame or popularity in sport, which lead to the reason why Willy wanted Biff to play football. Biff is the captain of the football team, and has a huge crowd following him in the halls after class. Happy wants him and Biff to open their own business in sporting goods for the public to see. (2018, p. 163). Sports is not known for the achievement, but for the fame it results in. Even though Willy wanted Biff to be an excellent quarterback in football, Biff did not play. Instead, he worked in construction work and was an average, working man. Individuals can relate to this, because individuals may not be successful in sports and must work in other low-time jobs. Willy was disappointed that Biff failed his excellence in football, thus is an example of a failure of the American

Show More
Related

Willy Loman's Misconception Of The American Dream

990 Words | 4 Pages

Once again, Willy’s greatest obstacle is Biff rejecting Willy’s values and desires to be successful. The “American Dream”

Read More

Similarities Between The American Dream And The Great Gatsby

549 Words | 3 Pages

In the Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, an American Dream is portrayed as a false promise that ultimately paves a way to disillusionment and disappointment . The play tells a story about a struggling salesman, Willy Loman ; who aggressively and desperately holds on to the the belief that prosperity and success are within his reach. He finds himself overly visualising about a bright future and his mistakes, as well as his failures haunt him. He is, however, blinded from seeing his reality by his obsession to succeed and jeopardizes his relationships with his family. He also fails to take into account the value of his own life.

Read More

Willy Loman And His Misconception Of The American Dream

994 Words | 4 Pages

Once again, Willy’s greatest obstacle is Biff rejecting Willy’s values and desires to be successful. The “American Dream”

Read More

Death Of A Salesman Why Does Willy Go To Alaska

643 Words | 3 Pages

Instead, he tries to become a successful salesman to make up for the lost opportunity in Alaska but never gets close to accomplishing that dream. Willy is not a great father, a loyal husband, or a fantastically successful salesman like he wants everyone to

Read More

Willy Lom Resilience In A Capitalist Society

1412 Words | 6 Pages

The leading character in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, embodies extensive resilience in the face of economic hardship to achieve his visualisations of the American dream. In Act 1, Willy candidly acknowledges the challenges he confronts as a salesman, recounting his experiences with potential buyers and the immense pressure to secure lucrative deals. Willy's optimistic outlook, as he believes that despite the challenges and hardships he faces, there are still opportunities for success and prosperity. He states, "The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy." (Act 2) Despite the constant economic strain, Willy remains stubborn and resilient, steadfastly attempting to pursue meaningful connections and professional success.

Read More

The Ruination Of Willy Loman

3822 Words | 16 Pages

Willy’s relationship with his son in the present is vastly different from his past memories because Biff discovered his father’s affair at the age of 18. This incident is a catalyst for the events in the story and plays an integral role in Willy’s antipathy towards his son and the world. In his youth, Biff was Willy’s pride and joy. As the leader of the high school football team, Biff and his father often showed love and empathy towards one another. The incident changed all of this as Willy and Biff began to resent each other.

Read More

How Does Willy Loman Contribute To The American Dream

747 Words | 3 Pages

He has a strong belief in the American Dream and is convinced that success is just around the corner. Despite his efforts, Willy ultimately fails to achieve the level of success he desires. He is unable to come to terms with his lack of success and it ultimately leads to the damage of his personal relationships. In his play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller promotes the idea that the obsession of one's goals can damage personal relationships through poor decision making,

Read More

How Does Willy Loman Achieve The American Dream

1049 Words | 5 Pages

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is about a man, Willy Loman, who is trying to accomplish his American Dream. No matter how much effort he puts he can not seem to accomplish it. Noticing his failure he starts pressuring his sons, Biff and Happy, to accomplish it for themselves so he can have the satisfaction of showing them off and appreciate what he was not able to accomplish. Willy Loman, a common man with unrealistic dreams and false hopes Willy Loman has tried to make his American Dream happen, but it did not work out like he planned. In order to achieve the American Dream, Willy believes that if you are a “ well-liked” and “personally attractive” businessman you can have certain luxuries that other people might not have.

Read More

What Is Willy's Rejection Of The American Dream

562 Words | 3 Pages

Willy’s rejection of reality, stems from his fear of recognizing the mounting evidence of his failure to fulfill his desires and expectations. Willy’s concept of “success” is defined by the capitalist values of American society. Willy evaluates his life in terms of material success, shaped by the search of the American Dream. He adheres to the belief that if he works hard enough, he will be rewarded.

Read More

Willy Loman Tragic Hero Essay

498 Words | 2 Pages

In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," Willy Loman can be seen as a tragic hero whose downfall is driven by his pursuit of the American Dream and his fatal flaw of self-delusion. The American Dream is devastating because it gives Americans false hope and leads to unrealistic expectations and it is shown through Willy Loman's longing for success, which ultimately leads to disillusionment, family conflict, and personal tragedy, serving as a different perspective of the materialistic mindset of American society during the 1940s. For example, Willy Loman is a man who believes wholeheartedly in the American Dream. In act one Willy brags, "I'm very well liked in Hartford. " You know, the trouble is, Linda, people don't seem to take to me" (Miller

Read More

Is Willy A Success Or A Failure

1194 Words | 5 Pages

When asked this Willy was taken back and frustrated that Bernard would even blame him for Biff’s loss of hope. Willy’s constant failures not only let him down, but also fail his

Read More

Motifs In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

589 Words | 3 Pages

He states that he is “vital to New England”. Even though he believes this, it's not at all true. We don't find out until almost the end of the story, that in reality, New England is vital to him rather than he is to New England. Willy falsely states that he is a critical player in his business in order to boost his sense of self-worth. Even though his sales haven't been good for a while, he argues that he is a really important man.

Read More

A Comparison Of Beatrice In City Life And Death Of A Salesman

1072 Words | 5 Pages

Similar to Beatrice, Willy lived his life in hopes of pursuing the American Dream. Willy lost himself while trying to follow a dream that did not belong to him. The dream made him delusional once he started to believe that if he did not succeed in living the American Dream there was nothing else to life. One of Willy’s friends points out after Willy’s death that if he would have focused on something he really loved he might have had more success in life, “He was a happy man with a batch of cement.” This concept goes for any dream an individual might have.

Read More

Willy Loman's American Dream

942 Words | 4 Pages

Willy’s pursuit to set Biff up for the perfect life ended up destroying the things essential for him to keep a job and ultimately caused resentment between him and Willy. His life was stolen from him through these expectation and ideals he grew up hearing, and when he realized that’s not who he was- he’s not a salesman made for the office- the resentment grew and ultimately destroyed the family and led to Willy’s suicide. In contrary, Happy grew up trying to impress Willy; he became what Willy always wanted from Biff, and ultimately lost himself in the image he put up to satisfy his

Read More

American Dream False Reality

839 Words | 4 Pages

Instead, he gets money from other people and lives in a false reality filled with lies. Ultimately, Willy plans and executes his suicide in order to receive the money for debts. Throughout Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman misinterprets the American Dream and lets his pride get in the way of his sense of reality. Willy misinterprets the American Dream by focusing on his reputation and his financial status. The American Dream also involves determination and honesty along with wealth and prosperity.

Read More

More about How Does Arthur Miller Use Metaphors In Death Of A Salesman

Open Document