TUTORIAL: CC5

CONFLICT IN THE DEATH OF A SALESMAN

NAME: ALAKTIKA ROY

SHRI SHIKSHAYATAN COLLEGE
ROLL NUMBER: 327
CU ROLL NUMBER: 22034-11-0053
CU REGISTRATION NUMBER: 034-1211-0055-22
SUBJECT: ENGLISH HONOURS
DATE OF SUBMISSION:
Contents

ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................4

FATHER-SON CONFLICT (ILLUSIONS VS REALITY).......................................................5

SIGNS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CONFLICT IN DEATH OF A SALESMAN..........................6

SOCIAL CONFLICT IN DEATH OF A SALESMAN................................................................7

CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................8

REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................9
ABSTRACT
In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller’s use of conflict develops the setting and secures the
interest and attention of the reader. Conflict achieves the intrigue needed to hold the
audience’s attention to allow the author to express the significance of the story. Miller uses
his main character, Willy Loman, to analyse the conflict of the American Dream versus
happiness through material wealth. The conflicts of illusions versus reality, individual versus
society and self versus individual are supplementary conflicts that enhance the entire plot of
the drama. Literary analyst, Brent Correman explains “Death of a Salesman explores the
world of post-war America and the effect that America’s newfound prosperity had on men.
During the 1950s, men began to feel pressured to not only provide for their families but also
to give them the luxuries that society was coming to believe every household was entitled to.
It is a bitter complaint of the moral and social standards of contemporary America, not merely
a record of the particular plight of one man.
INTRODUCTION
The beginning of any play is critical to the plot because it provides an audience or reader with
initial impressions of the characters' personalities; it also provides information on the setting
and atmosphere surrounding the play. 'Death of a Salesman' begins with extremely detailed
stage directions. The melody 'played upon a flute' suggests softness, dreaminess creates an
almost romantic atmosphere, and this dreaminess created in sound contrasts with the
'towering, angular shapes' representing suburban New York City. There is also a clear contrast
between the music's depiction of the countryside and the cityscape, as the music is "telling of
grass and trees" while the stage has an "angry glow of orange.". This visual contrast in the
play emphasises only the conflict between the characters during the play. The main conflict
that drives the plot is the American Dream versus happiness through material wealth. Willy
Loman had been a salesman for most of his life, but he had not had much success. He
believed that acquiring material wealth would bring him happiness. In reality, he was certain
that being an American would guarantee him wealth and happiness. However, in his pursuit
of his dreams, he alienated those closest to him.

Death of a Salesman is a play written through a series of flashback events in which readers
may notice Willy shifting between previous and present experiences. Another feature of the
play is the monologue, which plays an important role in analysing the protagonist. Willy is
transported to the world of illusion by his flashbacks. His mind is dominated by illusions and
lies; rather than confronting his loss, he denies it by living in the past, inflating his glory.
According to Freud, the unconscious has a significant influence on people's actions. Willy's
character goes through many conflicts, including one between his conscious mind in this life
and his memory of a past life, illusions versus reality, a father-son conflict, individual versus
society, and self -versus individual.
FATHER-SON CONFLICT (ILLUSIONS VS REALITY)
Loman was forced to confront his failed ventures and the consequences of his distorted
beliefs and dreams on his life and family near the end of his career. Loman believed that
"being well-liked" would lead to success as a salesman, but in reality, he is an ordinary
person who struggled in a profession that he was not good at. Throughout the story, Loman
has delusions about his own and his son's abilities and accomplishments. Willy appears to
think of Biff as a "lazy bum"—this could be due to Willy seeing himself as hardworking and
having criticised Biff—Willy asked "if he was making any money," which Linda interpreted
as criticism. Willy is desperate for Biff to succeed in any way he can. Willy and Biff, on the
other hand, have opposing ideas about what the American Dream is. Willy considers selling
to be the best job a man can have. Biff, on the other hand, believes that working outside with
his hands is the best job a man can have. Willy becomes frustrated when these two dreams
collide because he believes he is correct and his way is the only way. This disparity in their
beliefs grows throughout the play, culminating in their final argument near the end of Act II.
Willy's illusions about life are only seen by Biff, who asks, "Will you take that phoney dream
and burn it before something happens?". He is the only one who can perceive reality. His
fantasies are so far from reality that critic Brett Correman claims that "Willy Loman's denial
of reality ultimately leads to his downfall."

Willy is living in a fantasy world in which he believes he is on the verge of success, whereas
Biff sees the harsh reality and realises that both he and his father are failures. Young Biff
shared his father's beliefs and views, but after learning of his father's infidelity, these beliefs
shifted. Willy's conflict has not been resolved by the end of the play. Biff has discovered who
he is, but he is not the person his father had hoped for. He is not the men's leader and
successful salesman his father envisioned for him; instead, he is an ordinary man planning a
trip to the West. The literary element of symbolism is present throughout the play, particularly
near the end, when the ongoing conflict between Willy and Biff is expressed through Biff
having to endure his father's negative comments about his life choices. The insult "You're no
good for anything" is one example of this. This represents modern life, when parents push
their children to get the most out of formal education to achieve goals they were unable to
achieve as children. However, if the child's dreams differ from those of the parent, serious
disagreements arise, resulting in a breakdown in the family.
SIGNS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CONFLICT IN DEATH OF A
SALESMAN
"A great work of art is a dream turned inside out a brilliant perception and portrayal of the
impossible and impermissible ways in which we hurt ourselves against reality and failing
dream out action and consequence as we sleep in our inner universe of wishes," writes Daniel
E. Schneider. Miller's Death of a Salesman can inspire a proud person to stand up to and
surpass this definition. Willy Loman, the play's protagonist, is what his dreams make him.
The entire play is dense with psychological implications, and the play is rife with symbolism.
The first act progresses from despondency to false hope. The second act transitions from a
relic of love to an orgy of hatred and death. As in "All My Sons," a deep psychological
conflict dominates the play. The sons in both plays become disillusioned with their fathers.

The inner psychological theme is also present in the play as Willy is a man of many contrasts.
He is psychologically ill and driven by his phoney success. He believes he is good at his job,
but he is not. He believes he is well-liked and accomplished, but he is not. Willy's memories,
on the other hand, show that he was unable to realise the American Dream. His subconscious
mind constantly reminds him of his failings. In general, his arrogance is the source of his
failures in life; he is too focused on his ego. Willy ruins himself with a slew of falsehoods,
self-deprecation, and fantasies about his accomplishments. He never concedes that he will
fail. His ego keeps him from seeing he is a mentally defeated individual.

“Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory” by Barry contends that
neglecting "unresolved conflicts and traumatic forgotten experiences pull us out of conscious
awareness into the domain of the unconscious." Willy flees the concrete world whenever he
feels sorry. Ben continues invoking the phrase (jungle), which represents life as a survival of
the fittest. Willy has an innate desire to make his mark on the world by being wealthy. He is
unaware that hard effort is how individuals achieve their goals. According to Freud, "there is
always a reappearance of the repressed." Willy's sexual desires also influence his improper
behaviour as a spouse and parent. Furthermore, lying to his wife has harmed his connection
with Biff. Willy is no longer a model or the man his son aspires to be once Biff discovers his
father's infidelity. His unwillingness to move on from the past is part of the real-life battle. He
suffers from sadness and anxiety, as well as from all of his failures at work, in his father-son
relationships, and his remorse for betraying Linda. Miller's approach in the play is not a
flashback, but psychological projection, delusion, and the dramatization of the sinful
expression of forbidden wishes. Willy Loman does not travel back in time. The past, like in
hallucination, returns to him—as the underlying logic of his "erupting volcanic unconscious.
SOCIAL CONFLICT IN DEATH OF A SALESMAN
"Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller is not a tragedy in the traditional sense, in which the
hero and fate clash and fate cause the tragedy of the hero or key figure. Since of its profound
social awareness, the play cannot achieve the height of a true tragedy, nor can it be a social
drama because it is more appropriate to call it a social tragedy, which it is. A social tragedy is
a modern type of tragedy in which the principal protagonist and society are at odds, and the
protagonist becomes the victim of society's mistreatment. For example, Willy is irritated by
the fact that, as he matures, he has greater trouble making sales that were formerly simple for
him. This causes a great deal of rage and intellectual debate about the significance of this
betrayal and judgement by a society that once revered him. He feels there is some type of
"method" or secret to success in selling and is always looking for it but to no effect.

Willy's primary problem is that he feels people judge him based on his clothes, weight, and
appearance while they are searching for an educated salesperson, or no salesman at all
because times are changing and there is less need. While he blames his lack of achievement
on his physical characteristics, he comes off as crazy and weird to others; he, however, has a
difficult time perceiving this for himself. Willy Loman throughout his life, following in the
footsteps of Dave Singleman's lovely personality, dreams of prosperity, which include a large
house, a gorgeous automobile, and a nice job that pays well. Despite his headlong service, he
is an outcast in a capitalistic culture where success requires practicality and hard effort, but a
dreamer like Willy Loman is doomed to failure. Willy believes that he is being sold out and
"thrown aside" by the corporation for which he has worked for 34 years. He thought he was
living the American Dream, but now he thinks he is being handled carelessly as if he were an
orange peel being tossed away, he exclaims, “A man is not a piece of fruit!”.

In this scenario, he is alluding to how society "eats" the best part of a man, which is his youth
and excellent years of labour and service, and then discards the rest when he is no longer
useful. In essence, this is what happens to him in the play. A man's social value is determined
by two factors: his abilities and his capacity to create revenue. At the end of the play, it is
revealed that Willy has accomplished none of these goals and hence has failed in life. As a
result, Willy's struggle with society remains unresolved.
CONCLUSION
As a result, the opening of 'Death of a Salesman' is a play in which numerous fundamental
and major themes are explored instantly thanks to Arthur Miller's use of tactics such as
location and symbolism. Inadequacy and a lack of awareness and realism are among the
topics and conflicts. The investigation of the issue of failure inside a thriving society is
something that individuals who believe in 'The American Dream' will find interesting. By the
end of the play, none of Willy's disputes with Biff, himself, or society have been resolved. In
his fight with Biff, he is never able to mould him into the man he desires. In his internal
battle, he is unable to see reality. Finally, he is a victim of America's capitalistic and
materialistic atmosphere in his struggle with society. Willy Loman, on the other hand, was a
disturbed man from the commencement of the play until his death. Thus, the major conflict in
Death of a Salesman is Willy Loman's bewilderment and dissatisfaction. His incapacity to
confront the reality of modern society is the source of these sentiments. Willy's most obvious
misconception is that success is contingent on physical appearance and popularity, which
ultimately leads to his ruin."
REFERENCES

Works consulted:

1. Miller, Arthur, et al. Death of a Salesman. Broadway Theater Archive, 1988.

2. Murphy, Brenda. Miller: Death of a Salesman. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press,
1995.
3. Kullman, Colby H. Death of a salesman at fifty: An interview with Arthur Miller. Ann
Arbor, MI: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, 1998.
4. Ribkoff, Fred. "Shame, guilt, empathy, and the search for identity in Arthur Miller's Death of a
Salesman." Modern Drama 43.1 (2000): 48-55.

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