An Interview with Arthur Miller, Author of “Death of A Salesman”

Today we are interviewing world renowned playwright Mr. Arthur Miller. I’m sure you know Mr. Miller as the the author of the famous Broadway play "Death of a Salesman', that was first performed in 1949. Through the following imaginary interview with author and play-write Arthur Miller, we will explore how literature can affect our view on the meaning of life through an in-depth analysis of the play including its significance for its time, as well insights on the point of view of the protagonist, Willy Loman. Interviewer: The title “Death of a Salesman” seems quite depressing. What is the significance of this title as it pertains to the audience’s perception of the meaning of life? Why did you choose this title rather than something more uplifting? Arthur Miller: Well, obviously the play deals with the struggles of Willy Loman as he contemplates suicide. But the full significance of the title isn’t as obvious at first glance. In “Death of a Salesman” my aim was to explore how capitalism can often-times negatively impact our perception of the “American Dream”. Willy Loman becomes a salesman after the death of his predecessor, Dave Singleman who served as Willy’s inspiration because of his successful sales record an how well he was liked in general. In fact, Willy mentions how well-liked and respected Singleman was - even after his death. In Act 2 as he describes Singleman in his conversation with Howard Wagner, “When he died, hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at his funeral. ” Willy also expressed his desire to die an honorable death like Singleman when he said, “When he died—and by the way he died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford, going into Boston—when he died, hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at his funeral. ” Unfortunately, Willy Loman did not get the “honorable death” or elaborate funeral he had hoped for in the end since only his wife, two sons, Charley and Bernard attended. I think this shows how dependent Willy’s perception of his self-worth on his career. From the beginning of the play, Willy has already suffered a metaphorical death of his dream of financial and social success which causes him to contemplate suicide as a means of insuring his idea of “success” for his family, especially his son Biff. So, as you can see “Death of a Salesman" is both literal and symbolic. The title symbolizes the death thoughts and hopelessness that dominate the play. Even though Willy is alive until the end of the play, his life is already over, evidenced by the suicidal thoughts which preoccupy his mind as his memory constantly flashes back and forth between the past and his present reality. Interviewer: It is interesting that you mentioned the flashbacks that dominate the play. Why did you choose to use this style? Arthur Miller: One of the reasons for this was to illustrate how our past experiences and thoughts of the future shape our perception of reality and the meaning of life. These flashbacks provide the historical context for Willy's current frustration with his life. In the play, Willy’s past experiences affect his attitude about the hopelessness of his present situation. One example of this is an affair that he had with another woman. This is a strong point of contention between Willy and his son Biff, who hates his father for cheating on his mother, Linda. Despite Willy’s efforts to reconcile with Biff, the past is standing in his way. Actually, Biff’s perception of reality is not only affected by his father’s past mistakes, but also by his own past. For example, throughout the play, Biff is portrayed as a man who had a chaotic childhood and did poorly in school. At one point in the play, we see a flashback where Biff opens up to his father about his questionable grade in math and persuades him to talk to his teacher in order to be able to graduate. Through these flashbacks, the audience can see that Biff’s controversial childhood life was a contributing factor in Biff’s estranged relationship with his father as well as both Willy and Biffs perception of the meaning of life in relation to their own failures. An insight into the story indicates a strong relationship between the characters' past actions with the present occurrences. Willy, Biff, Happy, and even his wife Linda, all the manifestations in their present lives reflect their past actions. In summary, the book's content is explained by past actions.