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INTRODUCTION
Note to Teacher
ABOUT ARTHUR MILLER
Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915 and studied at the University of Michigan. His plays include All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge and A Memory of Two Mondays (1955), After the Fall (1963), Incident at Vichy (1964), The Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business (1972) and The American Clock. He has also written two novels, Focus (1945), and The Misfits, which was filmed in 1960, and the text for In Russia (1969), Chinese Encounters (1979), and In the Country (1977), three books of photographs by his wife, Inge Morath. More recent works include a memoir, Timebends (1987), and the plays The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (1991), The Last Yankee (1993), Broken Glass (1993), which won the Olivier Award for Best Play of the London Season, and Mr. Peter's Connections (1998). His latest book is On Politics and the Art of Acting. Miller was granted with the 2001 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has twice won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and in 1949 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Preparing to Read
Understanding the Story
Act One
Writing Responses
Exploring Further
* included in the Viking Critical Library edition
** excerpted in the Viking Critical Library edition
Anonymous
Posted August 2, 2001
I read this book for an AP English Summer Reading assignment and quite enjoyed it. It was a bit hard to follow at first but once you get started you start to understand more. It's a sad but interesting story. Warning: It's not for light readers there is depth to it so it requires a bit of thinking on the readers part.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 8, 2001
Death of a Saleman is an excellent play which everyone should read. I read it for my AP English and Composition class. There are many hidden facts and information which make the play more interesting and more complex then you may not see the first time you read it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 15, 2002
Miller's play is an intimate study of the tragedy one family faces and their singular reaction to it. The characters are so rich in their depiction of disillusionment, and they vividly exemplify the intense desire for an easier life. I thoroughly enjoyed this play.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 10, 2010
This novel dramatically reveals the struggles of capitalism compared to the communist society. The characters in the play convey strong emotions as Willy, the father of the family, starts losing his sanity because of the harshness of the capitalistic system. It seems that as hard as Willy tries he can never get to be a part of the Bourgeoisie society like he dreams. His loving wife supports him throughout the play always joining in on his dreams of wealth. He has two sons, Biff and Happy, which serve as foil characters to each other since Happy supports the system while Biff does not. This play was generally easy to read and serves as an excellent novel to teach in middle schools and high schools because it helps teach about capitalism v. Marxism. Willy's passionate attitude about finding wealth keeps you interested since it causes drama all throughout the play. It is recommended to read this book especially if economic-related novels are well-favored. Either way it is interesting to see the downfalls of the capitalistic society and what it causes people to do just so they can be happy.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Valuable literary experience, but so profoundly depressing. Definitely not something to read while you're trying to enjoy a vacation. Don't read it until our current economic depression is over.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 18, 2009
This book was probably the most agitating book I have ever had to read. I hated it. The main character, Willy, is a delusional, egotistical coward who cannot grasp the true reality of situations. He lies to himself as well as others to make himself appear better. He drives his son, Biff, away and completely ignores his loyal son, Happy. He is the man you love to hate.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Death of a salesman wow what can I say about it? It was good but very depressing and it had a lot of deep meaning and you really need to be able to read between the lines to understand it well. It was hard to fallow because it switch between memories so often. I only recommend this book if you feel like being deep, you¿re a good reader, and you really have nothing else to read. I liked but if you¿re a normal thinker and don¿t really think about what your reading then you really won¿t like this book and you shouldn¿t read it because you won¿t give it enough respect
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 13, 2002
Though to many the play can seem dull and dreary, it cannot leave you untouched. It makes you internally search, wondering if you too are like Willy, reaching for something that will never be grasped. Willy was always searching for his own diamond, yet only in death could he find it. The play is simplistic at times, but one would have to take some serious thought in order to understand all of its aspects. You must mull over it for awhile and turn it over in your mind a few times before being able to truely understand and appreciate it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 3, 2001
Miller's view on the American Dream symbolizes the culture of Willy Loman and how he reacts toward the different situations.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 19, 2013
How the frik are you posting from 2001
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.emma-bear_
Posted March 24, 2013
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is the story of an old and increasingly unsuccessful salesman named Willie. Willie grows crazier and crazier and has more and more flashbacks to different moments in his life that he realized could have changed his entire life, if he had done one thing different. When his two sons, Biff and Happy, come to visit for a while, he becomes more depressed after seeing how much of a failure Biff is, and how seeing that no matter how many different women Happy can get, he will never be able to get a wife, or impress his father the way that Biff used to. With an emotional ending that leaves you satisfied and impressed, Death of a Salesman was a very good play.
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Posted September 5, 2012
The book didnt really get my attention in the beginning, but i like that its a play
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Posted May 3, 2012
Hey honey.
0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 4, 2012
Ashkit is at home
0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Death of a Salesman is a classic for a reason. It pulls the reader into the life and stress of Willy Loman. People can empathize with him, because people can see him in themselves; it is a frightening experience. It may be hard for some young students to understand - they should read it again when they turn fifty and are working in a corporate environment.
He had a good relationship with his old boss. But now that the boss' son has taken over, things have changed significantly. He stands alone, middle aged and vunerable.
When he assesses his life, he realizes that he always felt trapped in a marriage and a job he hates. He was on the road most of the time, trying to escape. But when the boss' son told him not to go back on the road, he knew he was going to be fired. He was too old to find another job. His only option was suicide.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 27, 2009
I HAD to read this book for school. It was sad and depressing with a horrible ending. I don't understand why anyone would think it is a "classic". Unless you HAVE to read it, choose another book.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 4, 2009
i just got the book today i like it...its very interesting..you just have to get into the spirit..because when i started reading it i was like what the hecc to my teacher have me reading...it keeps you guessing all the people who left ignorant reviews need to stop maybe you guys brains cant malfunction
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, is a superbly written play that typifies common misconceptions of the American Dream. Set in the 1940's in idealized suburbia, Miller ingeniously reveals that as an overriding theme as well as lessons on abandonment and betrayal. Readers witness the insecure Willy Loman slowly deteriorate mentally as his career as a traveling salesman progressively fails. His digression is seen through the interactions of his family in the house that he views as a major symbol of success, as well as in and around New York City and Boston. Linda Loman, his loyal wife, suffers through his constant disillusions and failed dreams. As Willy turns slips more and more from reality into a fantasy world created around his hopes and wishes, Linda continues to encourage his support from their sons Biff and Happy in the only way that she knows is right. Willy's retirement into the world in his mind is due mainly to his reliance on material wealth for fulfillment and the despair he feels when he can no longer provide it for his family. Therefore, Miller leads readers to reevaluate what things are most important to place value in. With the modern world increasingly leaning towards material wealth as a way to find happiness, this play is invaluable to keep readers from straying down the same path of decay as Willy Loman. Miller also offers a great deal of appeal to readers through Willy's relationships with his sons. The battle between desire to see his kin succeed and the necessity to be understanding of different desires is an epic story held together by the love of family. All readers can relate to a tale so engrossing in nature. Arthur Miller created an outstanding literary work that's universal themes earn it a status among the timeless classics.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 23, 2008
This book was alright. It starts out slow, not building up till the very end, when everything starts to come together and become slightly shocking, if it wasn't already forshadowed. The whole time concept of the book though was quite interesting, going back and forth through the present and the past. You had to pay real close attention to the story, you could not get through the book by just skimming through it. <BR/><BR/>So, for someone who has no sense of time, I do not recomend reading this book because you will get lost.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 11, 2006
Death of a Salesman is depressing, yes. However, it's depressing in a way that is good. I can't really explain it, unless you read it. Still, this is the greatest play ever written, and one of the greatest pieces of literature! Hooray!
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Overview