“Death of a salesman” is the story of Willy Loman, a salesman
who has worked for the better part of his life. Now, in his twilight years, he still
has some unfinished dreams for his boys, Happy and Biff.
Biff and Happy haven’t settled yet and like
any other parent Willy wants to see them at the apex of their respective lives.
He himself is tired of traveling and wants a desk job now. His wife Linda
worships him even though Willy has a tiresome habit of overriding her
objections and not giving weight age to her words. Willy has recently had a car
accident. His wife smells something fishy about the accident.
The play has two acts. The first act, on its surface, is
about the parental advice which is doled out by Willy and Linda to Biff and
Happy. It is about the frustrations which Willy feels about his job. It is
about the hopes which he has from his company that they would give him a cushy
job in the sunset years of his life. It is about how alienated Biff and Happy
feel from their father, how Willy is unable to understand their aspirations and
how he wants to superimpose his dreams over their life.
Willy has started literally living in the past. As he communicates
with the ghosts of his youth, we get an insight into the motivations of the
characters. There are secrets which tumble out of the closets.
The second act is about how the dreams of Willy come
crashing down leading to a truly devastating denouement.
Miller’s writing is excellent. He writes with an assured
hand and masterfully creates scenes which begin in the present time and slowly
move to the past with characters on the stage which only Willy can see and talk
to.
The rage which Miller conveys through his words is like a physical
force. This rage is against the dreams
which the manufacturers show to the gullible public when they advertise goods.
It is against the progeny who turn indifferent to their parents. It is
against the capitalist system which stops valuing a person as soon as he stops
being productive. The writing is like a slap which reverberates through the
mind of the reader.
I recommend this to readers who have a never ending thirst
for fine drama. This is an excellent piece of art and would certainly end up
rocking you to the core.
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