deathofasalesman推销员之死》英语详细分析.docx
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deathofasalesman推销员之死》英语详细分析
KeyFacts
FULLTITLE?
DeathofaSalesman:
AUTHOR?
ArthurMiller
TYPEOFWORK?
Play
GENRE?
Tragedy,socialcommentary,familydrama
CLIMAX?
ThesceneinFrank'sChopHouseandBiff'sfinalconfrontationwithWillyathome
PROTAGONISTS?
WillyLoman,BiffLoman
ANTAGONISTS?
BiffLoman,WillyLoman,theAmericanDream
SETTING(TIME)?
“Today,”thatis,thepresent;eitherthelate1940sorthetimeperiodinwhichtheplayisbeingproduced,with“daydreams”intoWilly'spast;alloftheactiontakesplaceduringatwenty-four-hourperiodbetweenMondaynightandTuesdaynight,exceptthe“Requiem,”whichtakesplace,presumably,afewdaysafterWilly'sfuneral
SETTING(PLACE)?
Accordingtothestagedirections,“WillyLoman's
houseandyard[inBrooklyn]and...variousplaceshevisitsin...
NewYorkandBoston”
FALLINGACTION?
The“Requiem”section,althoughtheplayisnot
reallystructuredasaclassicaldrama
TENSE?
Present
FORESHADOWINGW?
illy'sflutethemeforeshadowstherevelationofhisfather'soccupationandabandonment;Willy'spreoccupationwithLinda'sstockingsforeshadowshisaffairwithTheWoman;Willy'sautomobileaccidentbeforethestartofActIforeshadowshissuicideattheendofActII
TONE?
ThetoneofMiller'sstagedirectionsanddialoguerangesfrom
sinceretoparodying,but,ingeneral,thetreatmentistender,thoughattimesbrutallyhonest,towardWilly'splight
THEMES?
TheAmericanDream;abandonment;betrayal
MOTIFS?
Mythicfigures;theAmericanWest;Alaska;theAfricanjungle
SYMBOLS?
Seeds;diamonds;Linda'sandthewomon'sstockings;therubberhose
AnalysisofMajorCharacters
WillyLoman
Despitehisdesperatesearchingthroughhispast,Willydoesnotachievetheself-realizationorself-knowledgetypicalofthetragichero.Thequasi-resolutionthathissuicideoffershimrepresentsonlyapartialdiscoveryofthetruth.Whileheachievesaprofessionalunderstandingofhimselfandthefundamentalnatureofthesalesprofession,Willyfailstorealizehispersonalfailureandbetrayalofhissoulandfamilythroughthemeticulouslyconstructedartificeofhislife.Hecannotgraspthetruepersonal,emotional,spiritualunderstandingofhimself
asaliteral“loman”or“lowman.”Willyistoodrivenbyhisown
“willy”-nessorperverse“willfulness”torecognizetheslantedrealitythathisdesperatemindhasforged.Still,manycritics,focusing
onWilly'sentrenchmentinaquagmireoflies,delusions,andself-deceptions,ignorethesignificantaccomplishmentofhispartialself-realization.Willy'sfailuretorecognizetheanguishedloveofferedtohimbyhisfamilyiscrucialtotheclimaxofhistorturousday,andtheplaypresentsthisincapacityastherealtragedy.Despitethisfailure,WillymakesthemostextremesacrificeinhisattempttoleaveaninheritancethatwillallowBifftofulfill
Ben'sfinalmantra—“Thejungleisdark,butfull
theAmericanDream.
ofdiamonds”—turns
Willy'ssuicideintoametaphoricalmoralstruggle,ambitiontorealizehisfullcommercialandmaterial
act,accordingtoBen,is
notlikeanappointmentatall
”butlike
Willyisabletoachievea
doesexperienceasortof
a“diamond...roughandhardtothetouch.
realdegreeofself-knowledgeortruth,tangibleresult.Insomerespect,Willyrevelation,ashefinallycomestounderstandthattheproducthesellsishimself.ThroughtheimaginaryadviceofBen,WillyendsupfullybelievinghisearlierassertiontoCharleythat“afterallthehighways,andthetrains,andtheappointments,andtheyears,youendupworthmoredeadthanalive.
BiffLoman
UnlikeWillyandHappy,Bifffeelscompelledtoseekthetruthabouthimself.Whilehisfatherandbrotherareunabletoacceptthemiserablerealityoftheirrespectivelives,Biffacknowledgeshisfailureandeventuallymanagestoconfrontit.Eventhedifferencebetweenhisnameandtheirsreflectsthispolarity:
whereasWillyandHappywillfullyand
happilydeludethemselves,Biffbristlesstifflyatself-deception.Biff'sdiscoverythatWillyhasamistressstripshimofhisfaithinWillyandWilly'sambitionsforhim.Consequently,WillyseesBiffasanunderachiever,whileBiffseeshimselfastrappedinWilly'sgrandiosefantasies.AfterhisepiphanyinBillOliver'soffice,Biff
determinestobreakthroughtheliessurroundingtheLomanfamilyinordertocometorealistictermswithhisownlife.IntentonrevealingthesimpleandhumbletruthbehindWilly'sfantasy,Bifflongsforthe
territory(thesymbolicallyfreeWest)obscuredbyhisfather'sblind
faithinaskewed,materialistversionoftheAmericanDream.Biff's
identitycrisisisafunctionofhisandhisfather'sdisillusionment,
which,inordertoreclaimhisidentity,hemustexpose.
HappyLoman
HappysharesnoneofthepoetrythateruptsfromBiffandthatisburiedinWilly—heisthestuntedincarnationofWilly'sworsttraitsandtheembodimentofthelieofthehappyAmericanDream.Assuch,Happyisa
difficultcharacterwithwhomtoempathize.Heisone-dimensionalandstaticthroughouttheplay.HisemptyvowtoavengeWilly'sdeathby
finally“beat[ing]thisracket”providesevidenceofhiscritical
condition:
forHappy,whohaslivedintheshadowoftheinflatedexpectationsofhisbrother,thereisnoescapefromtheDream'sindoctrinatedlies.Happy'sdiseasedconditionisirreparable—helackseventhetiniestsparkofself-knowledgeorcapacityforself-analysis.
HedoesshareWilly'scapacityforself-delusion,trumpetinghimself
astheassistantbuyerathisstore,when,inreality,heisonlyanassistanttotheassistantbuyer.HedoesnotpossessahintofthelatentthirstforknowledgethatprovesBiff'ssalvation.Happyisadoomed,
utterlydupedfigure,destinedtobeswallowedupbytheforceofblindambitionthatfuelshisinsatiablesexdrive.
LindaLomanandCharley
LindaandCharleyserveasforcesofreasonthroughouttheplay.LindaisprobablythemostenigmaticandcomplexcharacterinDeathofaSalesman,oreveninallofMiller'swork.Lindaviewsfreedomasan
escapefromdebt,therewardoftotalownershipofthematerialgoodsthatsymbolizesuccessandstability.Willy'sprolongedobsessionwiththeAmericanDreamseems,overthelongyearsofhismarriage,tohaveleftLindainternallyconflicted.Nevertheless,Linda,byfarthetoughest,mostrealistic,andmostlevelheadedcharacterintheplay,appearstohavekeptheremotionallifeintact.Assuch,sherepresentstheemotionalcoreofthedrama.
IfLindaisasortofemotionalprophet,overcomebytheinevitableendthatsheforeseeswithstartlingclarity,thenCharleyfunctionsasasortofpoeticprophetorsage.MillerportraysCharleyasambiguouslygenderedoreffeminate,muchlikeTiresias,themythologicalseerinSophocles'Oedipusplays.WhereasLinda'sluciddiagnosisofWilly'srapiddeclineismadepossiblebyheremotionalsanity,Charley'sprognosisofthesituationislogical,groundedfirmlyinpracticalreasonedanalysis.HerecognizesWilly'sfinancialfailure,andthejobofferthatheextendstoWillyconstitutesacommonsensesolution.ThoughheisnotterriblyfondofWilly,Charleyunderstandshisplightandshieldshimfromblame.
Themes,Motifs&Symbols
Themes
Themesarethefundamentalandoftenuniversalideasexploredinaliterarywork.
TheAmericanDream
Willybelieveswholeheartedlyinwhatheconsidersthepromiseofthe
AmericanDream—thata“wellliked”and“personallyattractive”maninbusinesswillindubitablyanddeservedlyacquirethematerialcomfortsofferedbymodernAmericanlife.Oddly,hisfixationwiththesuperficial
qualitiesofattractivenessandlikeabilityisatoddswithamoregritty,morerewardingunderstandingoftheAmericanDreamthatidentifieshardworkwithoutcomplaintasthekeytosuccess.Willy'sinterpretation
oflikeabilityissuperficial—hechildishlydislikesBernardbecause
heconsidersBernardanerd.Willy'sblindfaithinhisstuntedversionoftheAmericanDreamleadstohisrapidpsychologicaldeclinewhenheisunabletoacceptthedisparitybetweentheDreamandhisownlife.Abandonment
Willy'slifechartsacoursefromoneabandonmenttothenext,leavinghimingreaterdespaireachtime.Willy'sfatherleaveshimandBenwhenWillyisveryyoung,leavingWillyneitheratangible(money)noranintangible(history)legacy.BeneventuallydepartsforAlaska,leavingWillytolosehimselfinawarpedvisionoftheAmericanDream.Likelyaresultoftheseearlyexperiences,Willydevelopsafearofabandonment,whichmakeshimwanthisfamilytoconformtotheAmericanDream.Hiseffortstoraiseperfectsons,however,reflecthisinabilitytounderstandreality.TheyoungBiff,whomWillyconsiderstheembodimentofpromise,dropsWillyandWilly'szealousambitionsforhimwhenhe
findsoutaboutWilly'sadultery.Biff'songoinginabilitytosucceedinbusinessfurthershisestrangementfromWilly.When,atFrank'sChopHouse,WillyfinallybelievesthatBiffisonthecuspofgreatness,BiffshattersWilly'sillusionsand,alongwithHappy,abandonsthedeluded,
babblingWillyinthewashroom.
Betrayal
Willy'sprimaryobsessionthroughouttheplayiswhatheconsidersto
beBiff'sbetrayalofhisambitionsforhim.WillybelievesthathehaseveryrighttoexpectBifftofulfillthepromiseinherentinhim.When
BiffwalksoutonWilly'sambitionsforhim,Willytakesthisrejectionasapersonalaffront(heassociatesitwith“insult”and“spite”).Willy,afterall,isasalesman,andBiff'sego-crushingrebuffultimatelyreflectsWilly'sinabilitytosellhimontheAmericanDrea