Rebirth of a Salesman

When reading Death of A Salesman, I found the structure a little intimidating and hard to understand at first. The flashbacks and transitions between different times were jarring and not easy to comprehend; I think that maybe this would have been easier if the blocking on stage had been more apparent (ie, all the explanations about walking through walls when it’s a different time, etc.). Furthermore, the names seemed strange and even the lingo was a little out of place for me. When I finished the play, I admit to a morose feeling of slight depression. The play just seemed so sad.
I was especially struck with what I saw as the tragedy of the play – Willy’s inability to reach a peak of greatness or respect or even honesty with his family. Although he tries and tries, he never quite makes it. This seemed like a statement of great sadness to me. Furthermore, none of the characters really knew who they were or what they wanted. They were held back by their goals and by their fears; by their own expectations and by the expectations of others. Willy and Linda didn’t even teach appropriate values to their sons – they expected them to cheat and lie their way to the top. Willy, supposed to be the protagonist, was not nearly as appealing as Linda, the long-suffering wife, who still frustrated me because she meekly accepted Willy’s verbal abuse and infidelity (though, to be fair, she probably didn’t know about it). The play seemed to paint a bleak picture of life in America, an immoral waste of talent and manpower in the irrational and unsatisfying workday of the average drudge.
However, when I read the essay that immediately followed the play, I was struck again by Arthur Miller’s completely different interpretation. According to him, the play represents the grandeur of humanity – to him, Willy is the very peak. Miller completely reframed everything I had thought before, stating that the play is actually representative of man’s constant attempts to better and perfect himself. Like all the other great tragedies, Death of A Salesman does not doom man to a flawed existence – instead, the play aims to inspire man to reach for the highest goals as well as to commend man for being able to recognize his flaws, even when the result is death or loss. Willy is not as attractive a hero as the kingly Othello or the young Hamlet – but that is part of the point. Miller leaves the option for the everyman to become a tragic hero, if he will just be honest about his own dishonesty.
(441)