Death of a Salesman

⭐⭐
Not a book for me and not one I would recommend. It didn't hold my interest, and probably felt more of a chore to get through. Not completely terrible, but I didn't have a good experience. This book was an enjoyable read, but there are several things I wish were done differently.

I really need to re-read this book.

I read it in high school and it was, by far, my favorite book that I read in English class. I honestly can't remember much of the plot, I only remember more the feeling of being so intensely moved by the book that I finished the whole thing weeks before we were supposed to, and then talked about incessantly to my family trying to seduce them into reading it.

The fact that just thinking of the book evokes these feelings of energetic youthfulness make this a very special book to me.

A very tragic portrayal of the harsh realities in a capitalist society and the profound impact of its values on a family's aspirations and their unattainable dreams. Miller knew well how to use the expressionist elements to convey the human aspect of struggling. This story evoked strong emotions in me, and I cried for Willy. Willy Loman, despite his flaws, left a deep impression on me by his never-ending journey with the fragments of his cracked self-cognition. It's astounding how this narrative transcends race and nationality to shed light on the universal yearning for distant desires fueled by the American Dream. Anywhere we live, we live it day by day. The depiction of depression, self-delusion, and coping mechanisms in desperation, deeply resonate with our lives today, revealing the disillusionment that arises from governments' shattered promises. In this world, where internal struggles consume you without leading to any real fulfillment, the pressure to achieve at any cost is relentless. The narrative skillfully exposes the harsh truth that in America, (and today, anywhere!) success is expected regardless of one's circumstances, branding those who fall short as lazy. This poignant tale highlights the foundation of a society that demands sacrifice and perseverance, regardless of one's starting point. And labelling that as a “natural” process of hard working.

Heartbreaking... Je trouve que la mise en scène est très intéressante et met bien en lumière la folie progressive de Willy, entre les flashbacks du passé, synonymes de culpabilité, et les conversations avec son frère décédé, qui lui rappelle la vie qu’il aurait pu avoir. En gros, un vrai méli-mélo de regrets et de culpabilité vis-à-vis de soi. Willy tient évidemment à ce que ses fils réussissent, mais le fait de mettre la pression à Biff est aussi un moyen pour lui de projeter sa propre culpabilité. Il ne veut pas accepter, même s’il le sait au fond de lui, qu’il est en partie responsable du fait que son fils n’a plus été le même et n’a pas voulu faire ses cours de rattrapage d’été après l’avoir surpris en train de tromper sa mère.

Biff dit à plusieurs reprises que son père était un fake, un phony ; et ce n’est pas seulement dû à la tromperie. Preuve : lors des funérailles de Willy, personne n’est venu, mis à part sa petite famille. J’ai bien aimé le foreshadowing lorsqu’il parlait du salesman qui avait eu beaucoup de succès et était aimé de tous. Willy avait mentionné que tous ses amis salesmen et hommes d’affaires étaient venus à son enterrement, et il est intéressant de voir combien de fois Willy aborde le sujet d’être aimé et respecté tout au long de la pièce.

Ouch.

Niente di speciale lento e noioso 5

Did a monologue off of a Biff scene but ended up reading the rest of the play to get some more context. Definitely a well written play for the time and there's some clear relevance even after all these years, even if it sways into “goofy” territory for theatrical reasons.

ও আমার দরদী, আগে জানলে, আমি জানলে, তোর ভাঙ্গা লৌকায় চড়তাম না ...

(জসীম উদ্দীন)

মাঝে মাঝে মনে হয়, পৃথিবীর শ্রেষ্ঠ শিল্পটির নাম “বেঁচে থাকা”। একজন চিত্রশিল্পী যখন ছবি আঁকার কাজ শুরু করেন তখন ক্যানভাসের রং থাকে সাদা। মানুষের জীবনের শুরুতেও তার ক্যানভাসে কোনো দাগ থাকে না। জীবন যত এগিয়ে যায় ক্যানভাসে তত বেশি রং জমতে থাকে। আঁকার কাজ যখন খানিকটা অগ্রসর হয়, তখন হয়তো ধীরে ধীরে চোখে পড়তে থাকে ভুলত্রুটি। সম্ভব হলে ত্রুটিটা সংশোধন করার চেষ্টা করা হয়। কিংবা হয়তো চোখেই পড়ে না। চোখে পড়লেও অনেকসময় ত্রুটিটাকে পাত্তা দেওয়া হয় না। অন্যদিকে চোখ ফিরিয়ে থাকি আমরা। এভাবেই একদিন ছবি আঁকার কাজ সম্পূর্ণ হয়। ছবিটা সফল হলো নাকি ব্যর্থ হলো, সেই বিচার কে করে?

আর্থার মিলারের অতিবিখ্যাত এই নাটকটির শিরোনাম থেকেই বোঝা যায়, কাহিনিতে একজন সেলসম্যানের মৃত্যু ঘটেছে। আমরা প্রত্যেকেই তো একজন সেলসম্যান। প্রত্যেকেই কিছু না কিছু বিক্রি করি। তাজমহল থেকে শুরু করে নিজের আত্মা— পৃথিবীতে স্থাবর অস্থাবর এমন কোনো পদার্থ নেই মানুষ যেটা বেচতে বাকি রেখেছে। এমনকি ঈশ্বরকেও বাদ দ্যায় নি। এমনকি শয়তানকেও বাদ দ্যায় নি। জীবনের এই বিকিকিনি খেলায় কারো বিক্রিবাট্টা ভালো হয়, কারো মোটামুটি হয়, কারো বাজে হয়। এখন প্রশ্ন হলো, ঠিক কতটুকু বিক্রি করতে পারলে একজন সেলসম্যানকে “সফল” উপাধিতে ভূষিত করা যাবে?

সাফল্যের সংজ্ঞা কী? মানুষ তার নিজের চেহারা আয়নায় দেখে কখন বলতে পারে?— “হ্যাঁ আমি সফল!” কিংবা, “নাহ আমি ব্যর্থ”। কিংবা কিছুই বলতে পারেনা। ফ্যাল ফ্যাল করে তাকিয়ে থাকে। আর্থার মিলারের এই অসম্ভব চিন্তাউদ্রেককারী নাটকটা পড়ার শেষে প্রত্যেক পাঠক সেই আয়নাটার সামনে নিজেকে আবিষ্কার করবেন। আমরা কি আমাদের ক্যানভাসে ঠিকঠাক রং লাগাচ্ছি? “বেঁচে থাকা”কে পৃথিবীর শ্রেষ্ট শিল্প বলা উচিত কারণ, প্রত্যেক মানুষের জন্যে বরাদ্দ থাকে মাত্র একটাই ক্যানভাস। ভুল হোক ঠিক হোক ক্যানভাস ওই একটাই। নাটকটা পড়া শেষ করে, রিচার্ড ফাইনম্যানের একটা কথা বিদ্যুৎচমকের মতো মনে পড়ে গ্যালো।

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.

Literally, in many ways this book has wrapped its fingers around, gripping and intense, this I suppose is one of the traits of Arthur Miller's plays, which has shown itself to be very effective in grasping my attention and keep me attached to the book throughout the reading process.
Whatever this book's underlying message is about, I don't really care. The thing is whether it is about the American dream like in the Great Gatsby, it is simply not going to affect the play's awesomeness. I wasn't used to reading scripts so I thought I might be more lenient in this than others. Anyways, a lively story entailed by a load of struggles, peeling off like an onion, layer by layer, and whatever's in the core, we might never know.

Muito bom. Vejo o por quê dessa peça ser um clássico. Os temas abordados são tratados com realismo e humanidade, junto com os personagens. Não conseguir superar as expectativas que foram postas em você é algo difícil, e viver o sonho de enriquecer na fórmula que nos é mostrada — estude, trabalhe, cresça, descanse — é claramente um mito.

2/5 stars

I don't know guys.

I see the merit in this and understand why it's a classic but it just didn't do anything for me. For 90% of the book I was either bored or confused. In the other 10% I was disturbed but actually discerning the meaning.

Glad I read it but would be even happier to never read it again.

Willy Loman is barely hanging on. His life has fallen apart, but he can't bear to face the truth and he can't live with his illusions.

This is a devastating portrait of a man who has surrounded himself in lies his whole life but now must finally accept the truth of who he is and what he has done with his life.

I remember reading this play long ago, when I was a teen. I remember feeling the pain of Willy and his wife and his two sons. I remember thinking that this was the truest picture of a human being I'd ever seen. I agree with my former self, and I go further to say that if anyone wants to understand America, this is the play that should be read.

This is my most annotated book! (i even fucking annotated it on Genius bc its on there for some reason ;—;)

We saw the play before reading (which was uncommon for us) for Alevel English Lit and we watched a revision of it where the cast were a black family so i cannot read this from the perspective of a white family now. I really loved Death of a Salesman, it was my favourite work we studied!

Arthur Miller is gonna give me an ulcer one day. He sure knows how to make you feel stuck in a little shoe box.
That one was another tough play, a whole family being suffocated by the delusions of the American Dream, is hard to witness.

Profound book. Makes you think about how fruitless success can be and the fact that parents push their expectations onto their children.

BIFF: Why? You're making money, aren't you?

HAPPY [moving about with energy, expressiveness]: All I can do now is wait for the merchandise manager to die. And suppose I get to be merchandise manager? He's a good friend of mine, and he just built a terrific estate on Long Island. And he lived there about two months and sold it, and now he's building another one. He can't enjoy it once it's finished. And I know that's just what I'd do. I don't know what the hell I'm workin' for. Sometimes I sit in my apartment—all alone. And I think of the rent I'm paying. And it's crazy. But then, it's what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car, plenty of women, and still, goddamnit, I'm lonely. (Act 1)

A great expression of a kind of pitiful despair and rage. I really need to see this performed as the staging sounds really interesting and I can imagine how the language would sound coming from good actors.

An amazing play, tragedy of epic proportions