Death of a Salesman †Arthur Miller Essay

The original title for milling machines constitute was The indoors of His Head. How does Millers use of set, come downing and acquaint counselor-at-law help us to understand this idea?Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949. This date is the period after the Wall Street knock and the Great Depression and this is significant, as maven of Millers aims in writing this touch was that it would be a tragedy that American workers could mend to. The central themes and issues in the play are consumerism and exploitation Miller valued to write a play that was critical of capitalism and that would expose the insincerity of the American Dream.The original title reflects one of the underlying themes in the play the central characters struggle to grasp the distinction surrounded by illusion and reality and the past and the present often Willy Lomans thoughts and views do non comply with those of the majority of the remaining cast. Miller uses symbolism, set, lighting and stag e direction to help us to understand what is happening inside Willys head.One of the several symbols that give us an insight into Willys thoughts is the acrobatic trophy. It is placed on a shelf in the sitting elbow room where it can be clearly seen this demonstrates how important it is to the family. This importance then in turn shows that winning and competition are key ideas here and that this theatrical role of the American Dream is important to Willy and he prizes the achievements his son made as they show him as being superior to other people, which is what Willy is always mental strain to achieve, officeicularly in regards to Charly.In the same stab is the use of the job of the flute. It reflects Willys fathers success as an entrepreneur (making wooden flutes), something Willy is always striving to achieve, and also the strong influence this has on his son. Also, the tangible melody that is being played tell(s) of grass and trees and the horizon, and reminds us of the grim difference between the life Willy lived as a young squirt (with the father who he idolises) and the position he is in now in an overcrowded area of New York, working for someone else (i.e., not working on his own terms, like his father) on commission.Another of the important symbols in the play is the lighting at the end of Act One. Just as Willy is public lecture about how great Biff was when he was younger, on another part of the set Biff walks into a gold pool of light, which is reflecting the praise Willy is big him, the gold symbolising the initial power and success that he had. Also, tho after this the light fades on Willy, representing the fact that his career, his influence on his children and by chance his life are drawing to a close.A further drill of Millers symbolism in this play and his manipulation of non- naturalistic elements is in Act Two, the restaurant scene, with varied use of both lighting and music. The starting of these symbols is the use of the single trumpet note used in lodge with the light of green leaves. This initiates the start of Willys mind thinking game to an withalt several years ago, the green of the leaves symbolising the time when the provide was not surrounded by high rise flats, noise and pollution. Miller also says that the light holds the air of a dream, which is insinuating that at this tier in time Willys dreams for himself and his children had not yet been ruined. This is upheld by the naturalistic state of his living environment.Throughout the scene the light continues to fluctuate and suck up different places and times. Another important part in this restaurant scene I when the music changes dramatically to accompany the presence of The Woman in Willys mind. The music is now raw and sensuous highlighting one major part of Willys life, at this point in time, that does not fit into the same mould as the rest of his life he is a family man, supportive of his children and striving to achieve new hei ghts for his family, but now he is doing the very opposite of this by cheating on his wife, and so the music does not reflect any of the other, often light and cheerful melodies played on the flute. Up until Biff discovers his father with The Woman, no one else is aware of her part in Willys life, so even at this early stage, Willy will have thoughts inside his head which do not relate to those of an of the other central characters.