The+Use+of+Language

The Use of Language in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”
Irony – Willy often contradicts himself e.g. ‘Linda: […] you mustn’t lose your temper with him’ and ‘Willy: When the hell did I lose my temper?’ The contradictions serve to enhance Willy’s delirium amidst his midlife crisis. His emotional confusion and occasional outbursts are a physical cue to his internal deterioration Stream of Consciousness – Quite often, the story delves directly into the thoughts of the characters and in flashbacks, i.e. Willy, going into his dreams as he fantasizes and reminisce about his past glory amidst his midlife crisis. It also serves to give a more literal meaning to Willy’s American ‘Dream’, decrepit and anachronistic as it may be. Colloquialism – The dialogue between the characters are informal and colloquial; implying the story being a personal and more ‘realistic’ affair within the household. In relation to the plot, the colloquial dialogue emphasizes the mediocrity of Willy Loman’s downfall; depicting it in an unceremonious and unpretentious way Imagery – Miller relies on imagery and his intricate use of words to effectively portray the setting and atmosphere. Particularly when the boundaries between reality and fantasy become obscured, Miller utilizes much of the stage direction to illustrate this. Miller uses certain physical gestures and cues to convey the literature of his play to a physical performance for the audience. Symbolism – Particular objects in the play hold specific importance e.g. the ‘silver athletic trophy’ to foreshadow its significance later in the play. In this particular instance the trophy symbolizes Willy’s obsession to Biff’s past glory of being an All-American College Football Star. It could also allude to their superficiality as Willy is more concerned with his son’s popularity than his son’s moral values. This is further emphasized in the symbolism of the football; where in Willy’s flashback, it is revealed that Biff stole a school football to practice at home with. Instead of disciplining him, Willy encourages his son to cheat and steal. Another prominent symbol is the rubber hose; which illustrates Willy’s desperate attempts to end his ‘tired’ life by gassing himself Characters – Apart from the main set of characters, other characters are included to create a certain effect for the play e.g. the inclusion of the character ‘Ben’, Willy’s deceased older brother, adds to Willy’s confusion and the notion that he has ‘lost it’. During the scene with his neighbor Charley, Willy is speaking to both Charley and Ben, however, Charley’s character does not see or know that Ben is there; only Willy does. Wordplay – The protagonist’s name ‘Willy Loman’ is a homophone of low man; alluding to Willy’s mediocrity and low social status in American society. The notion of low man also extends beyond the protagonist becoming a metaphor. A caricature applicable to the story of any lowly American man in search of their American dream