Motifs In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

A motif is a recurring idea or thought in a literary work which unify and assist in developing insights not only into the character's dominant traits but also into the meaning the playwright wants to incorporate in his/her work. In the play Death of a Salesman, the main character Willy loman goes through some different states of mind. One day he may be fighting with his boys, or his wife, and the next he could be as happy as a button. Although most of Willy’s life consists of fighting with Biff, it also consists of trying to be his best. Throughout the whole play, Willy states 3 phases that would be considered his motifs. These 3 motifs are, well-liked, vital to new england and isn’t that remarkable. Willy believes that a person's success is to be measured by how well-liked a person is. He says that he himself will be more successful than his neighbor Charley, because Charley isn't as well-liked as Willy himself is. Not only does Willy believe that well-liked means success, it means trying to get ahead. He believe that if you're well-liked, you'll have the chance to get ahead of everyone who stands in your way. Seeing what what well-liked means to willy, you can conclude that he also cares about what people think of

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. At the very end of the play Biff and Willy get into an argument about being truthful and telling the truth. In that moment he realizes that he is vital to nothing in his life, and at that same moment everything seems to crumble