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Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman. By Arthur Miller. Overview of Slide Show. Miller’s background Setting of the story Main characters Themes. Miller’s background. Author of the The Crucible DOAS debuts on Broadway on 2/10/49 and wins the Pulitzer Prize and the NY Drama Critics’ Circle Award

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Death of a Salesman

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  1. Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller

  2. Overview of Slide Show • Miller’s background • Setting of the story • Main characters • Themes

  3. Miller’s background • Author of the The Crucible • DOAS debuts on Broadway on 2/10/49 and wins the Pulitzer Prize and the NY Drama Critics’ Circle Award • As a result Miller is called to testify in front of HUAC

  4. Miller’s Focus • Actively wrote plays until 1980 • Leans toward social and psychological realism • A master of the expressionistic elements of theater (set, music, lighting, setting)

  5. Miller’s Protagonists • Tend to be non-heroic • Are unexceptional in character, social position, or power. • Are not outstandingly good or evil • Tend to go unnoticed in course of normal events.

  6. Protagonists continued • Protagonists typically confronted with a situation that forces his or her best and worst qualities to surface. • Willy Loman is confronted by situations that draw out his worst qualities.

  7. Main Characters of DOAS • Willy Loman • Biff Loman • Linda Loman • Happy Loman

  8. Setting • NYC and New England 1949 • Americans lived through the Depression and saw a revitalized economy due to WWII • A more prosperous life was in reach

  9. Setting cont. • Post WWII America has many traveling salesmen. • Common cultural notions: females are restrained, timid and feminine, while men are virile, athletic businessmen and soldiers

  10. Themes • The American Dream • Being liked vs. being respected. • The torment of one’s own conscience. • Family dysfunction and the power of denial.

  11. Themes cont. • Is the dream of economic prosperity truly available to all who work diligently? • Does the American dream place too much importance on material wealth and consumerism?

  12. Arthur Miller 1915-2005 Arthur Miller

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