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no analysis ?

the article could use some sort of "themes" section or something. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.15.165.150 (talk) 18:00, 7 April 2012 (UTC)

Agree. The article leaves out a major point of the play -- what salesmanship does to a person. My attempt to include the iconic "smile and a shoeshine" quotation has been removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.36.235.199 (talk) 16:27, 10 July 2014 (UTC)

Analysis may help, but the analysis must come from another source. It can not be made up by an editor, even if it may be correct. See WP:OR. Piguy101 (talk) 16:29, 10 July 2014 (UTC)

Got it. Arthur Miller is not sufficient authority. 75.36.235.199 (talk) 17:52, 10 July 2014 (UTC)

If you think he's trying to say that Arthur Miller is not a sufficient authority, then you are reading it wrong. No need for bad attempts at being snarky. TheStickMan[✆Talk] 18:22, 10 July 2014 (UTC)
It simply means that you cannot provide your own analysis, even if it may be right. You can only provide analysis that someone else has made, and you must reference it. Piguy101 (talk) 18:33, 10 July 2014 (UTC)

Theme

Reality and Illusion

Death of a Salesman use flashbacks to present Willy’s memory during the reality. The illusion not only “suggests the past, but also presents the lost pastoral life.” Willy dreams of success in his whole life and makes lies about his and Biff’s success. The more he indulged in the illusion, the harder he can face the reality. Biff is the only who realize that the whole family lived in the lies and try to face the truth.[1] ZangAnqi (talk) 17:05, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

The American Dream

The American Dream is the theme of the play, but everyone in the play has their own way to describe their own American Dreams.

Willy Longman

Willy Longman dreamed to be a successful salesman like Dave Singleman who has both material and freedom success. His way to achieve the success is to be well-liked, which is also the way he teaches his sons. His dream cannot be achieved in that way at that society which is the reason to push him to death.[2]

Ben

Ben represents the ideal of American Dream. He thinks American Dream is to catch opportunity, to conquer the nature and to gain a fortune. Just like what he says “Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. (He laughs.) And by God I was rich” Ben symbolizes another kind of successful American Dreams for Willy.[3]

Biff

After seeing his father’s real identity, Biff does not follow his father’s “dream”. Biff has a dream to get outside, dream about farm and work hard on his own hands. His father prevents him to pursue his dream. Biff realized his father’s dream is “wrong” on the funeral of his father’s death.[4] ZangAnqi (talk) 17:05, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Reception

As a play, Death of a Salesman gives performance in many countries. The receptions are different in these countries.

Death of a Salesman in America

Death of a Salesman firstly opened on Febrary 10, 1949, which won great success. It was regarded as “one of the finest drama in the whole range of American theatre”. John Gassner said that “The ecstatic reception accorded Death of Salesman has been reverberating for some time wherever there is an ear for theatre, and it is undoubtedly the best American play since A Streetcar Named Desire.” The great success make the play travel to other countries.[5]

Death of a Salesman in England

It reached London on July 28,1949. The reception it got from London is “mixed, but more favorable”. Times criticize it that “the strongest play of New York theatrical season should be transferred to London in the deadest week of the year.” However, the understanding of ideology of the play is different from that in America. Many people such as Eric Keown, think Death of Salesmanas "a potential tragedy deflected from its true course by Marxist sympathies".[6]

Death of a Salesman in Germany

The play was hailed as “the most important and successful night” in Hebbel-Theater in Berlin that “it was impossible to get the audience leave the theatre” at the end of the performance. The Berlin production was more successful than New York by good interpretation.[7]

Death of a Salesman in India

Compared to Tennessee William and Beckett, Arthur Miller and his Death of Salesmanare not as influential as the other two. Rajinder Paul thinks that “Death of Salesman has only an indirect influence on Indian theatre practitions.”[8]

Death of a Salesman in China

Death of a Salesman is welcome in China. Arthur Miller directed the play by himself in China. As Miller stated, “It depends on the father and the mother and the children. That’s what it’s about. The salesman part is what he does to stay alive. But he could be a peasant, he could be, whatever.” It focuses on the family relationship. It is easy for Chinese to understand the relationship between father and son because “One thing about the play that is very Chinese is the way Willy tries to make his sons successful. The Chinese father always wants his sons to be ‘dragons.’”[9] ZangAnqi (talk) 17:16, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

  1. ^ http://www.zeiterion.org/Salesman.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/themesales.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/themesales.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/themesales.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ Meserve, Walter. Studies in Death of Salesman. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. ISBN 0-675-09259-0. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ^ Meserve, Walter. Studies in Death of Salesman. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. ISBN 0-675-09259-0. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ Meserve, Walter. Studies in Death of Salesman. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. ISBN 0-675-09259-0. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ Meserve, Walter. Studies in Death of Salesman. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. ISBN 0-675-09259-0. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. ^ http://www.yalerep.org/about_rep/willpower/Salesman_Study_Guide.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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