Analyze Miller’s Use of Dramatic Technique in Death of a Salesman.

Answer

Analyze Miller’s use of dramatic technique in Death of a Salesman.

Arthur Miller (1915-2005) uses various dramatic techniques in the drama “Death of a Salesman”, published in 1949. In the Drama, his techniques are a portion of several techniques, such as realism, irony, naturalism, and expressionism, which are simultaneously conducted to enhance the tragic effect of the play.

Realism: Realism tries to hit off without idealization or romantic subjectivity. It concentrates on middle-class life and criticizes social conditions. Realism is exceptionally dominant in the Play. Willy is a middle-class Salesman. The real problem of the drama is that the middle -class people suffer from a lack of money. 

Realistic View: The most realistic part of the drama is immolation. Willy wants his sons to have a better career than him. That is why he has decided that he will commit suicide. After his death, his family will be given 20000 dollars from the insurance company to help his sons start a business. They will be successful in the future. It is realistic because every father wants success for his children. So, it is the reality of life that most procreators will abandon their lives for their children. 

 I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.

Naturalism: Naturalism comes to light from realism, Darwin’s theory. According to Darwin, Nature is the best way of learning and gaining. In naturalism, the instructed factor determines the production of a man’s life, as in a social situation. Willy Loman tries to persuade the American Dream and the American empiricist method. He has provided the best service to the Wagner Company throughout his life. He is now an old man. He doesn’t get a company salary but only a commission for product selling. So, the fact is that with time, human beings lose their position and status because every man has his own time.

Expressionism: Expressionism is a painting, music, or drama style in which the artist or writer tries to express the inner world of emotion rather than the external reality. It is one of the important characteristic dramatic techniques Arthur Miller applies in “Death of a Salesman.” Expressionism is a modernist movement in drama and theatre that developed in the early decades of the 20th century and later in the United States.  It is a style of playwriting and stage presentation that emphasizes the psychological subject matter of a play. The features of expressionistic plays are:

1. Distortion of reality 
2. There are quick shifts of position.
3. The action of the plot will be present, past, or future
4. The setting may be particularly realistic 
5. Several idolatresses may be realistic.

In the play “Death of a Salesman, we get all the features of expressionism. Thus, expressionism is one of Arthur Miller’s vital techniques.

Unrealistic setting: As to an unrealistic setting, we must look at the play’s supernatural elements. Arthur Miller uses an unrealistic setting based on supernaturalism. Willy talks to his dead brother, Ben. But Ben died long ago.  And he would live in Africa. The dramatist has shown hallucinations of Willy and his elder brother.  It is an unrealistic setting of the drama that indicates the baffling psychological issues of the protagonist.

Symbolism: The symbol is one of Arthur Miller’s dramatic techniques. In the play, Miller uses symbols such as the American Dream. Willy Loman is the hero of the drama. He has the dream to persuade that the American Dream is the emblem of success, prestige, and power. Almost all the characters in the play have symbolic significance. Linda symbolizes tame and peaceful housewives. Willy’s sons are the token of failure. We have also seen that Ben, Charley, and Bernard are successful men in the drama. However, according to Willy Loman, Dave Singleman is the paradigm of success.

Dramatic irony: Dramatic irony is a must for a tragedian, and Arthur Miller is no exception to this trend. Dramatic irony means using such incidents that produce consequences, and the audience knows about the results of those incidents, but they are unknown to the character. The most acute dramatic irony of the play is when Willy comes to his boss for a fixed salary. 

From the above discussion, Arthur Miller’s dramatic and artistic techniques make him one of the leading playwrights of English literature. In the play, Arthur Miller blends realism, naturalism, and expressionism. He combines the objective reality of social aspects with the subjective reality of Willy’s predicament.