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PLEASE NOTE. As of June 2004 these pages and the links herein are no longer being updated or maintained. Disclaimer : Oakland Unified School District is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Description: A play in "two acts and a requiem" by Arthur Miller,
written in 1948 and produced in 1949. Miller won a Pulitzer Prize
for the work, which he described as "the tragedy of a man who
gave his life, or sold it" in pursuit of the American Dream.
After many years on the road as a traveling salesman, Willy Loman
realizes he has been a failure as a father and husband. His sons,
Happy and Biff, are not successful--on his terms (being "well-liked")
or any others. His career fading, Willy escapes into reminiscences
of an idealized past. In the play's climactic scene, Biff prepares
to leave home, starts arguing with Willy, confesses that he has
spent three months in jail, and mocks his father's belief in "a
smile and a shoeshine." Willy, bitter and broken, his illusions
shattered, commits suicide (© Amazon.com) Booknotes about Death of A Salesman:
Author Biography: Arthur Miller was born in Manhattan in 1915 to Jewish immigrant parents. By 1928, the family had moved to Brooklyn, after their garment manufacturing business began to fail. Witnessing the societal decay of the Depression and his father's desperation due to business failures had an enormous effect on Miller. After graduating from high school, Miller worked a number of jobs and saved up the money for college. In 1934, he enrolled in the University of Michigan and spent much of the next four years learning to write and working on a number of well-received plays. More... http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/miller_a.html (PBS - American Masters) Interviews and Online Chats:
Websites about Arthur Miller:
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