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Death of a Salesman: Difference between revisions
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{{quote|''He's liked... but not well-liked.''|'''Willy Loman''', ''Death of a Salesman''}}
Once upon a time, playwright [[Arthur Miller]] (some time husband of [[Marilyn Monroe]]) set out to disprove one of the fundamental theories about the [[Tragic Hero]] -- specifically, that the [[Tragic Hero]] must be royalty, nobility, or some other type of great man who has far to fall (which he does) and much to lose (which, again, he does). Miller intended to write a play with an [[Every Man]], a [[Meaningful Name|low man]], as the [[Tragic Hero]]. He may instead have created an entirely different archetype, the [[This Loser Is You|"pathetic hero"]]. Either way, in doing so, he wrote what is often considered the greatest American play.
Willy Loman is an aging, washed-up salesman obsessed with the concept of greatness and convinced that being liked is the most important thing. Biff is his younger but equally washed-up son, once a high school sports hero with a bright future, now a perennially unemployed loser. The play follows the family's attempts to make one last grab at the American Dream.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[The All-American Boy]]: Biff as a kid. As he grows up, not so much.
* [[
* [[American Dream]]: Deconstructed as the pursuit of this is ultimately what leads to Willy and his sons' failures. In the end, Biff rejects the American Dream, convinced that it will only lead him to ruin.
* [[Anachronic Order]]: The past and present get put in a blender, and set to puree. There aren't even any scene changes between them, just sepia-toned or other lighting switching on. This is probably because Willy is starting to go insane.
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** Willy's "hero" is salesman "Dave Singleman" who devotes his whole life to selling, living and dying a single man.
** Subverted with "Happy" who never does seem to be truly happy.
▲* [[The Minnesota Fats]]: Uncle Ben is this to Willy; he seems to symbolize "greatness" that way.
* [[The Mistress]]
* [[No Name Given]]: Willy's mistress is only called "The Woman".
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