III.

Death of a Salesman

Miller’s major achievement was the play Death of a Salesman (1949). It won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for drama, the 1949 Tony Award for best play, and the 1949 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best play of the year. It is considered a milestone in America drama.

Death of a Salesman tells, in almost poetic terms, the tragic story of Willy Loman, an average man much like Miller’s father. Loman is a traveling salesman who has devoted his life to the pursuit of “success.” His misguided philosophy has ruined the lives of his wife and two sons. When Loman is too old to travel, he loses his job. In a series of scenes, brilliantly dramatized by the playwright, Loman relives his experiences. Eventually his mind begins to fail, and he commits suicide.

Although Miller generally wrote in a realistic style (see Realism), much of Death of a Salesman is conveyed expressionistically (see Expressionism) through Willy Loman’s mind and memory. As Loman becomes more and more absorbed by scenes from his past, the action progressively takes place in his mind. The play becomes a collage of memories with rapid, surreal shifts in setting and time. Its expressionistic setting is ideally suited to the dialogue, which, though recognizably colloquial, is eloquent and lyrical.