Kudler Problem Statement
Introduction
Arthur Miller is recognized as an important and influential playwright, not to mention essayist and novelist. Although he has had plenty of luck in his writing career, his fame is the product of his inventive ability to control what he wants his readers to picture or feel. His intentions when writing ‘Death of a Salesman’ was to help people identify some of the social issues that were growing, in a way that eases the pain they were going through. As one of his critics states, "Miller writes ingeniously, conveying the message that ‘if the proper study of mankind is man, man’s inescapable problem is himself’ (poets 1997). Miller accurately puts into words what every person thinks, feels, or worries about, but often has trouble expressing.
Arthur Miller portrays Willy’s problems with family life, the society, and himself in Death of a Salesman. Many of Arthur Miller’s plays reflect or are a product of events in his life; he believed that American society needed to be made over; and for this reason, many of his earlier plays showed sympathetic portrayals and compassionate characterizations of his characters. Death of a Salesman is a play relating to the events leading to the downfall of Willy Loman, an aging salesman who is at one time wealthy, but is now approaching the end of his usefulness (poet, 1997). Miller uses symbolism to expand on the conflicts within the Loman family. Happy and Biff, Willy’s two sons, represent two sides of Willy’s ever-conflicting personality. Happy, who often receives his consolation of unsuccessfulness through women, represents Willy’s more materialistic side. Biff, who is more capable of genuine humanity, represents the kinder and more realistic Willy; he favors Biff over Happy. This plays a big part in fueling the conflict between the two. Because Willy favors Biff, he wants more than anything for Biff to succeed in life, and pushes him to do so. In the beginning, Biff agrees...
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