The Play's the Thing

Although I’m posting this week later than I’d promised, I still pat myself on the back for finishing my first non-school related book since I started this blog. A family wedding last weekend set things back a bit, but I hope to keep a better pace in my reading endeavors from now on. Death of a Salesman was an brief, enjoyable and thought provoking read. Arthur Miller’s simple plot and language bored me at first, but once I started to recognize the deeper questions about success, the American Dream, families and other areas I discovered a more interesting depth in the play.

My reading was also aided by the occasional discussions I listened to in my class of 12th graders at Hillsboro High School, where I am currently doing an observation two hours per week. I particularly benefited from seeing the students act out the play in class as they read it. As with any play, it’s better to see it performed or hear it read aloud than to read it silently; thus, seeing and hearing Miller’s lines read by the students helped me to gain a better sense of how the scenes might be performed. I also had the privilege of listening as Mrs. Bradshaw guided her students through productive discussions about the major themes and questions guiding the play, as well as through Miller’s uses of theatrical conventions to convey his message. Although I only listened to two of the discussions, I have still used them as a springboard for my thoughts. When Mrs. Bradshaw asked students to identify major questions the play addresses, I was impressed with the astute questions they came up with. Here is a sampling:

How does one lie build on another?
How long can one survive on a life built on lies?
Do people ultimately get what they deserve?
What is the American Dream and how does it work?
How does perception take precedence over reality in the play?
(What the characters want to see vs. what is real)
How does the past shape the future?
Does personality trump everything else in life?
How is success defined?
Who is the true failure: Willy or the American Dream?

Death of a Salesman is rich with material for discussion including Miller’s rendering of contrast and repetition in the play, the characters, the use of time in the play, the music and countless other aspects. Quoting Hamlet: "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." Indeed, Miller catches the conscience of Americans in the 21st century just as he did 50 years ago with through his portrayal of Willy and other characters' obsession with popularity, success and money. Considering the limited time I have to spend, I will focus on this one major question in the play for my post: What is the value of life in America, and is it superficial? Even though the play was published in 1949, I believe that this question and others still apply to our society today.

In addition, I find the questions about the value of life in America particularly compelling considering my own position as a young person aspiring to discover the worth of my own life and future. Is the American Dream really money and popularity? And is our society really one in which someone would resort to suicide because of their ultimate depression about failing to achieve the popularity and money required by success? All in all, this play reveals some depressing truths that are important to consider. I sympathized with Willy and his frustration with his failure as a salesman – Everyone to some extent, myself included, wants money and to be liked. But do these really matter? I tell myself to ignore what other people think of me, but do I mind when lots of people like me or praise me for something I do? Of course not. All humans seem to have an innate desire for acceptance and recognition; it’s in our blood.

I also have to consider: Are these issues more severe today than ever before? In our culture where plastic surgery and perfection of looks is a norm, where consumerism is expected and promoted, and where it seems to be harder and harder to make enough money to be satisfied (I’m getting my 2nd degree but will still be far from rich), why do humans still tend to set themselves up for disappointment by wanting these superficial things? Arthur Miller doesn’t seem to know the answer and neither do I, but he does point out important truths in this great play. I would love to see it performed – this makes me wish they had done it at Westminster, back in the day.