So, Death of a Salesman by the quintessential American playwright Arthur Miller...
Iconic.
But why should one read this book? Besides the fact that it's about American consumerism, a potent piece of commentary about both sides of the American Dream, a masterclass in playwriting in the way it utilizes dialogue, and besides the fact that its generally a story that would translate extraordinarily well to the stage?
Well, mostly because of all of the above, and then some.
Our main character in this script, Willy, is a salesman with a big ego and big dreams. He's always had more than realistic ways of seeing himself, but like the Charley says, "A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." He's the perfect reputation of a lot of us: he's mediocre, like Biff screams at him, but he refuses to accept that, and in his old age has created a fantasy of him being more important than he ever was. It's sad, but it's so realistic it nearly feels offensive. What is the American Dream, if not trying to "make it," make it to being successful and rich and wealthy and respected and loved? What is being an American, if not trying to replicate the paths of the likes of Andrew Carnegie, or John Rockefeller, or any of the self-made men that have become integrated into the identity of being an American?
At the same time, what is more American than having big yet unfulfilled dreams? What is more American than being homeless yet still dreaming big, being beaten down by life and stepped on by those above us yet still believing, hoping, that the rags-to-riches story will happen to us?
And the dialogue of this script is stunning. I can't tell you when it hit me, but somewhere between the first and the last page, I realized, though no one ever says it outright, that Willy is not OK. That's he's been having delusions and seeing and hearing things that aren't there. Yet nothing is ever said explicitly. This is all shown in the dialogue, because a script has no other power besides what is said, and this script knows both the limits and the advantages of its medium to a tee.
What about the way that this story is completely mysterious yet open at the same time? The audience or the reader doesn't know why Biff and Willy have their rows, and we don't understand why Biff failed math or why he didn't become the great man his father made him out to be, until suddenly, we do. The final scenes of this book are both discombobulated and crystal clear, because while the stage is filled with memories and present people, the audience finally understands why Biff didn't go to that summer school to go to college, and the reader finally understands why Biff doesn't treat his father with the same reverence as before.
I imagine this play being performed onstage in a skeleton of a house, that stands much as Willy does: a shell of who he once was, lost in time and broken dreams, lost in hope yet despair in the same moment.
So why should you read Death of a Salesman?
Because as we watch Willy fall apart and his life come to an end, we remember that he isn't unique, he isn't special. He could be any one of us. That's what makes this play spectacular and terrifying in one shot. All of us could be Willy. All of us could be Biff. All of us could be Happy, lying to our parents about our success, or lack thereof. All of us could be Linda, hiding heartbreak and disappointment for love.
Happy Sunday!!
Comentários