Importance of Time Lapses in Death of a Salesman :: English Literature

Why does Arthur Miller use time lapses in his play â€Å"Death of a Salesman†? What was the playwright trying to tell us about Willy Loman? In this essay I will be exploring and analysing â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller. I will be looking the use of flash backs in the play that aim to emphasise that the past is always with us. Looking at the flashbacks will also help understand the character of Willy Loman. The action takes place in Willy Loman’s house and yard also in various places he visits in New York and Boston of 1949. The play was set in post war America. This is after the great Depression, when people had a different point of view and wanted to achieve the â€Å"American Dream†. The American Dream is the longings of people who wanted to develop the country, to amass money and enjoy a comfortable, not to be at the beck and call of the employer. The figure of a salesman was at the cutting edge of the American Dream, a self made person that did not sell his products but his personality. The play shows a series of chronological events which take place during one evening and the next day. At intervals throughout the play we see scenes from Willy’s past enacted on the same stage at the same time. On first impression this would seem more likely to confuse the audience rather than reveal, but Miller had strong reasons for staging the play in this way. It is my belief that playwright tells us the past is not something which is now behind us. The past is always with us informing and influencing our actions. To understand the character of Willy Loman, we must be aware of the emotional burdens he carries with him from the past. To show an example of these recollections I have selected a scene in Act Two. Willy is sitting in a restaurant where he has been invited by the boys, in anticipation of the fact that Biff will be able to secure a loan from Bill Oliver. Willy has just been laid off from his old job, and is hoping that Biff has some good news for him so that Linda can be happy as he knows she has always been loyal to him and made many sacrifices. Willy said â€Å"she has waited and she has suffered†. This shows how loyal and hard working Linda has been to the family, sacrificing to save money. Evidence of this is shown by the stockings that she sits down with and mends so money can be saved.