Death of a Salesman (Viking Critical Library) (original 1967; edition 1996)

I read this in my HS English class.

A truly sad story, but one that appealed to me. Well-written and heartwrenching, it is very easy to see why Death of a Salesman is considered a classic. It is about the premature death that comes about when oen deludes oneself into believing something that simply isn't true. ( )

I'd heard this play referenced so many times but still knew almost nothing about it. Well, imagine George Costanza if he wasn't played for laughs and had two kids who idolized him and believed all his bullshit. It'd be the saddest thing in the world. In that sense--the pathetic self-inflicted grinding up of a mediocre man determined to appear great--the fact that when greatness is all you value, all else is ashes, and the only other alternative is cutting off your nose to spite your face--this is true tragedy. It's also, of course, a parable on post-industrial capitalism--we can't build our lives on anything real anymore: it's all smoke and mirrors, networking and marketing. Willy Loman thought there was room for the human subject and human sympathy in the machine. He was a positivist in a decentered, structuralist system. He, and his family, paid the price.


It's just gotten worse, too, you know. They had the "installment plan"--we have "financing", or more likely we just throw everything on our credit cards and pretend like it's already paid for. We are liars within liars, and we'll never be exposed like Loman was--because as long as we're not exposed, but live in fear of it, we can go on consuming, feeding the machine. Capitalism thrives on people who are afraid and have something to prove, and crave the esteem and love of others. Be brave, and love who you are yourself. ( )

A play of tragedy. A journey through the daily life of an ordinary man with a self misconception, which ultimately leads his downfall.
Students can use this play to come to understand the fallacies of the "American Dream" in an ordinary American man.
Lesson Plan suggestion:
http://ubdeducators.wikispaces.com/Dana+Death+of+a+Salesman+Unit ( )

This play seemed quite revolutionary and interesting when I read it in my Intro to Drama class in undergrad studies, but now it seems overdone. I am probably just jaded, though. :) If you are looking for deep thoughts, this play might not be it. However, I think I read it (and watched it) in the perfect spot--as an introduction to drama. No more, no less. ( )