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Death of a Salesman Study Guide Student Name: Is This Really the American Dream? The American Dream . . . Work hard and you can achieve anything. Nothing is unattainable. Anything is within your grasp. But are these aphorisms really true? Is the American Dream as attainable today as it was in generations past? In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller examines the dark side of The American Dream and forces the reader to think about how individuals feel when their hard work does not pay off in wealth or rewards. In doing so, it also allows the reader to assess how he personally describes and views The American Dream. Be a Better Reader As you work through the study guide for Death of a Salesman, you’ll also practice these skills, which will help you when you read dramas in the future, for school assignments or just for fun. 1. Describe how the characters in the drama are developed. 2. Cite textual evidence to support discussion of the drama. 3. Describe the plot development and structure of the drama. 4. Describe themes in the drama and trace their development throughout the text. 5. Describe how reading a drama differs from reading a novel. Behind the Scenes When Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949, it burst onto the scene at a time of heady American confidence buoyed by the country’s victory in World War II. Capitalism and hopefulness exploded throughout the country, and good times seemed to be around every corner. Yet Miller did not necessarily agree with this view of America. While most people saw the positive benefits of capitalism, he viewed capitalism as a system in which one man falls down as another climbs over him to achieve financial success. He saw the broken dreams and frustrations that result when one does not achieve his goals. Miller thus wrote Death of a Salesman to offer this counter view of capitalism. Get This! 1. Look for what Willy Loman values and blieves is the most important aspect of achieving one’s goals and dreams. Contrast Willy’s views with Charley and Bernard’s beliefs of how to achieve success. 2. What are the similarities between the boys and Willy? What are their differences? Pick out the personality traits of Willy that each of his sons possesses. 3. See how the playwright uses flashbacks to tell Willy’s story. Think about how the structure of the drama, as well as Willy Loman’s story, would differ without the use of the flashbacks. Cameron Schoeb Death of a Salesman Study Guide Student Name: What’s happening here? . . . As The Plot Miller tells Willy Loman’s story, he also intermingles invaluable flashbacks that provide background information about Willy, his actions, and his motivations. Complete the graphic organizer with events from each section of the Beginning of Act I drama. Include the current events, as well as the flashbacks from each section. – First appearance of The Woman The Woman – Close of Act I Current Events: Current Events: Beginning of Act II Flashbacks: Flashbacks: – Willy in Charley’s Office Frank’s Chop House - Requiem Flashbacks: Current Events: Current Events: Flashbacks: Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Student's Name Here Death of a Salesman Study Guide Student Name: The Character of Willy Loman Death of a Salesman focuses Willy’s Loman disillusionment and dissatisfaction with his own life and that of his sons. As Willy nears the end of his life, he struggles with the disconnection between his dreams and his reality. For each of the five interactions that Willy has during the drama, describe how he acts and the result of the interactions. Look for a pattern that describes Willy’s behavior and interactions and write a few sentences summarizing them. Willy’s Interactions How Willy Acts Result of the Interaction 1. Willy tells Linda how much he sold that week, then Linda does the math regarding Willy’s commission and their expenses. 2. Bernard tells Willy that Biff needs to return the football he stole, and Linda says that Biff is “too rough” with girls. 3. Willy asks Howard for a non-traveling job. 4. Willy recalls Biff visiting him in a hotel in New England. 5. Biff tells Willy that he will not be coming around anymore. Summarize Willy’s behavior and interactions with others: Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Student's Name Here Death of a Salesman Study Guide Student Name: The Setting Since Death of a Salesman is a drama, the details of its setting are provided by the playwright’s italicized staging directions. While these staging directions provide general guidance for the company producing and staging the play, they are also broad enough to allow some leeway for each production. Use the spaces below to describe the settings in the novel. In the first column, type or write direct quotes from the drama’s staging directions—phrases and sentences that are used to describe each location. In the second column, describe in your own words what the playwright intended to convey with these directions. An example has been completed for you. Direct Quote Related to Setting Your Explanation “Before us is the Salesman’s house. . . At the left a stairway curves up to it from the kitchen.” (Beginning of Act I) The Lomans’ house is an everyman’s house set in a middle-class neighborhood near a large city. Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Student's Name Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Death of a Salesman Study Guide Student Name: Tracking Themes What message is Arthur Miller trying to communicate in Death of a Salesman? The main themes in Death of a Salesman involve the American Dream and the meaning of success. See if you can identify and analyze those themes. Step 1: What parts of the plot seem related to a possible theme in the drama? (Think about the main conflict and how it get resolved or worked out.) Step 2: Which characters seem related to a possible theme? Which characters change, and what do those changes suggest about the American Dream and the meaning of success? Step 3: How does the author use symbols to hint at the drama’s themes? What objects, people, or places stand for something “bigger” in the story? Step 4: What does the drama’s title suggest about the drama’s theme? Step 5: Write one or two of the drama’s main themes in your own words. Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Student's Name Here Death of a Salesman Study Guide Student Name: Talk About It How do you define success and makes a person successful? Often one’s personal qualities determine his path in life. In the space below each question, write an answer based on your own experiences and your own understanding of the novel. Include some textual evidence or examples that helped you arrive at your answer. 1. Contrast Willy’s and Charley’s opinions of what makes someone successful. Show how these characteristics are manifested in their sons’ success or lack thereof. Textual Evidence: 2. Since Death of a Salesman is a drama, its written format differs from that of a novel. Compare and contrast the written forms of a drama and a novel and tell how Death of a Salesman would differ if it was written in prose. Textual Evidence: Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Enter Text Here Student's Name Here Death of a Salesman Study Guide Student Name: Represent! Show what you know about Death of a Salesman and its relevance to your life. Choose one of these projects to complete and share with your teacher, classmates, and others. Choice 1: Update the Drama Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is firmly set in America of the 1940s. Willy Loman travels and uses his suitcase, notepad, and paper. His wife stays home when he goes off to work each day. Typewriters appear, and no one texts or uses a mobile phone. Create an updated version of Death of a Salesman and bring it into the 21st century. Think about how the Lomans’ home life and Willy’s job may change. What technology may differ from the original drama, and what about Happy and Biff may change? Create a DVD or Power Point presentation to share your updated Death of a Salesman with your class. Choice 2: Character Flaws Like most people, many of the characters in Death of a Salesman possess serious flaws which often cloud their judgment and the decisions they make. In particular, Willy, Biff, and Happy Loman seem to repeatedly make poor judgments based on character deficits they possess. Create a visual for each of these three characters which describe their specific character flaws and how they influenced the characters’ decisions. Be sure to reference specific decisions that each character makes. Student's Name Here