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

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

In Death of a Salesman, Miller employs several dramatic techniques. In the play his dramatic technique is a mixture of various techniques such as realism, naturalism, expressionism all together directed towards enhancing the tragic effect of the play.

Realism attempts to describe life without idealization or romantic subjectivity. It concentrates on middle-class life and criticizes social conditions. Realism is extremely prevalent in the play Death of a Salesman. Willy is middle-class salesman. Lack of money is one of

the problems, which is a problem for many people. The most realistic part of the play may have been about how much Willy loved his children and how he wanted their life to be better than his own. The main reason Willy ends up killing himself is because he thinks it will help Biff start his own business with the life insurance money. Willy did everything with the best of intentions and thought his actions and decisions would benefit his children. Most parents are the same way and will do anything in their power to help their children. 

Naturalism was developed from realism. In Death of a Salesman, Willy is a victim of both the American Dream and the American capitalist system. Willy lives in a society where service is counted. He renders valuable services to the Wagner Company throughout his life; but when he is old enough to do hard work, he is put on commission.  Even when he asks for a non- travelling job, he is sacked by the company. Thus, Willy’s course of action is determined by the capitalist society. Being deprived of his desired sympathy from the society, he feels compelled to commit suicide so that his son can start a business with the insurance money.

Expressionism is a style of play writing and stage presentation stressing the emotional content of a play, the subjective reactions of the characters, symbolic or abstract representations of reality, and non-naturalistic techniques of scenic design. The expressionistic techniques used in Death of a Salesman are: 

(a) Inan expressionistic play, the time of the action of the plot may be past, present or future. In Death of a Salesman, the action flows without interruption from one time period to another.

 

(b)There are frequent changes of locations. 

(c) Music and light are used to indicate a character’s state of mind. 
(d) The action is represented as a dream or a vision.

(e) Setting is non-realistic or partly realistic.

In Death of a Salesman, Miller also employs the technique of mobile concurrency which means that the past and present are shown together on stage. Willy Loman has destroyed the boundaries between past and present and is attempting to live in a zone characterized by both elements. The play does see a combination of time shifts. 

Thus in Death of a Salesman, Miller blends realism, naturalism expressionism. He combines the objective reality of social aspects with the subjective reality of Willy’s predicament.

 

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• Miller’s Death' of a Salesman is a challenge to the American dream

• What Makes Loman a Tragic Hero?