Objects And Symbolism In Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller
Accidental Tragedy
Objects of Symbolism in Death of a Salesman Throughout literature, objects are often used to display a theme that is more deeply rooted than what is seen on the surface. In the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller chose certain objects within the play to describe what was going on both in Willy Loman’s head as well as the thoughts of the people around him. Often times you must look deeper into the storyline than you might normally, and this is evident in Arthur Miller’s play. In a critique of Death of a Salesman, it is stated that the play is a literary work that involves a lot of embellishing and happiness. (Phelps) The characters in the play do not tell the truth to Willy, instead sugarcoating and making life even harder for him. There are three important objects in this play that show that Willy Loman really did …show more content…
The fountain pen symbolizes how low Willy’s son will go in order to make themselves seem more successful. It is a great showing of their shallowness and desire to excel. The greed and materialistic desire that Biff displays is the reason he steals the fountain pen. He wants to prove to his dad that he can be a successful businessman, but unfortunately he goes about it the wrong way. Luckily, Biff realizes that the pen is a plea for help in his life, and it allows him to make a change. He does not want to seem “successful” because of something that he did not even work for. He realizes that he would rather work hard to receive what he deserves and become a successful man. Biff says, “Dad, I’ll make good, I’ll make good.” He is mortified with the way he has behaved. In a critical essay on Death of a Salesman, it is stated that Willy’s sons just want to prove to him that they can go out and work for their money; and make a living by themselves. (Thompson) It is their goal to show their dad how successful they can
Objects of Symbolism in Death of a Salesman Throughout literature, objects are often used to display a theme that is more deeply rooted than what is seen on the surface. In the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller chose certain objects within the play to describe what was going on both in Willy Loman’s head as well as the thoughts of the people around him. Often times you must look deeper into the storyline than you might normally, and this is evident in Arthur Miller’s play. In a critique of Death of a Salesman, it is stated that the play is a literary work that involves a lot of embellishing and happiness. (Phelps) The characters in the play do not tell the truth to Willy, instead sugarcoating and making life even harder for him. There are three important objects in this play that show that Willy Loman really did …show more content…
The fountain pen symbolizes how low Willy’s son will go in order to make themselves seem more successful. It is a great showing of their shallowness and desire to excel. The greed and materialistic desire that Biff displays is the reason he steals the fountain pen. He wants to prove to his dad that he can be a successful businessman, but unfortunately he goes about it the wrong way. Luckily, Biff realizes that the pen is a plea for help in his life, and it allows him to make a change. He does not want to seem “successful” because of something that he did not even work for. He realizes that he would rather work hard to receive what he deserves and become a successful man. Biff says, “Dad, I’ll make good, I’ll make good.” He is mortified with the way he has behaved. In a critical essay on Death of a Salesman, it is stated that Willy’s sons just want to prove to him that they can go out and work for their money; and make a living by themselves. (Thompson) It is their goal to show their dad how successful they can