[−]
  • Search Digit-count Valid ISBN Invalid ISBN Valid Barcode Invalid Barcode
Share Organize Explore

has ALL you need!

A community for book lovers to create their own bookshelves, share and explore books.

Sign Up for FREE!
Blog this item

Death of A Salesman

By Arthur H. Miller

(102)

| Paperback | 9780140481341

Book Description

Arthur Miller seemed to capture the sometimes tragic plight of the common man with his Death of a Salesman. Bloom suggests the strength of the play is puzzling but beyond dispute, lying more in its presentation on stage than its written form. The play's continued vitality is unquestioned.

The tiContinue

Arthur Miller seemed to capture the sometimes tragic plight of the common man with his Death of a Salesman. Bloom suggests the strength of the play is puzzling but beyond dispute, lying more in its presentation on stage than its written form. The play's continued vitality is unquestioned.

The title, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Interpretations series, presents the most important 20th-century criticism on Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman through extracts of critical essays by well-known literary critics. This collection of criticism also features a short biography on Arthur Miller, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.

8 Reviews

  • A very interesting and thought-provoking play consisting of two acts and a requiem which is still contemporary.

    Willy, the protagonist, is the prototype of the ordinary man that we see everyday in our society, even though it has been six decades since the play was written. He was born in the U ... (continue)

    A very interesting and thought-provoking play consisting of two acts and a requiem which is still contemporary.

    Willy, the protagonist, is the prototype of the ordinary man that we see everyday in our society, even though it has been six decades since the play was written. He was born in the USA, so he was educated in a capitalist society which sees work and money as the top values to reach happiness.

    We could say that Willy is both a victim and victimizer of the American Way of life, given that he had the essence of an unassuming man but he was consumed by the common attitudes of his surroundings: envy and pride in a world of appearances, alienation and thirst of power.

    He has not fully adapted himself to the 20th century American hero, who has changed from being an intrepid explorer to a capitalist and consumer beast. He is already an old man who still lives in the roaring twenties, so he transfers his desire to achieve the American Dream to his sons and becoming the father he did not have to advise him when he was young.

    He has focused so much on paying the bills that he forgot to live, he forgot that money and gadgets do not bring happiness, they have, on the contrary, ruined his life.

    Is this helpful?

    ― 1984 said on Oct 4, 2009 | Add your feedback

  • The complex visuals make it difficult to read, especially because the stage notes are somewhat vague.

    Is this helpful?

    ― pktechgirl said on Oct 30, 2008 | Add your feedback

  • “在美國，人人都可以實現自己的夢想，而這個有著迷人特質的年輕人卻迷失了…”主角Willy調侃著他的大兒子，深不知自己也迷失了…

    年過六十的推銷員Willy，每天疲於奔命卻只能靠佣金度日，寧願每個月向老友Charley借錢來支付房子貸款和保險金也不願接受他提供的工作機會，堅持活在自己編織的夢裡：還是當年意氣風發的自己，有個好工作，有兩個外表出眾，受人歡迎，遲早飛黃騰達的兒子，等待著他們出運的那一天讓全家人揚眉吐氣。他的大兒子Biff：小時候是運動健將並有一群同學爭著當他的跟班等他發號施令，卻在中學染上偷竊的習慣，走到哪偷到哪，把一個個好工作都丟了，34歲換了二三十份工作，正猶豫著下 ... (continue)

    “在美國，人人都可以實現自己的夢想，而這個有著迷人特質的年輕人卻迷失了…”主角Willy調侃著他的大兒子，深不知自己也迷失了…

    年過六十的推銷員Willy，每天疲於奔命卻只能靠佣金度日，寧願每個月向老友Charley借錢來支付房子貸款和保險金也不願接受他提供的工作機會，堅持活在自己編織的夢裡：還是當年意氣風發的自己，有個好工作，有兩個外表出眾，受人歡迎，遲早飛黃騰達的兒子，等待著他們出運的那一天讓全家人揚眉吐氣。他的大兒子Biff：小時候是運動健將並有一群同學爭著當他的跟班等他發號施令，卻在中學染上偷竊的習慣，走到哪偷到哪，把一個個好工作都丟了，34歲換了二三十份工作，正猶豫著下一步要做什麼。小兒子Happy：光是用外表就能迷倒一打女人也善用這項優點遊戲人間，跟他的老爸一樣喜歡吹噓自己的不凡。

    這天Biff要跟以前賞識他的老闆見面洽談借錢做生意的計畫，早上兄弟倆出門時，屋子裡不但瀰漫著刮鬍潤膚水的味道更滿溢著出運的希望。然而Willy在這天被解雇了，兄弟倆計畫的生意大夢也因為金主完全不認得Biff而被戳破。夢碎了，沮喪失落的Willy意識到死後的兩萬元保險金遠比他活著還值錢，遂將自己駛往死亡的深淵。自殺前Willy還不忘抓一把夢的碎片：有了這兩萬元Biff將超群出眾。

    Willy的夢還有一部分是跟自己的喪禮有關：那天會有很多推銷員從各地前來爲他致敬掉哀，盛大的喪禮會讓Biff大吃一驚，知道他老爸真是個大人物而不是一毛錢可買一打的普通貨。

    可是這天，這天除了Charley、Biff、Happy之外，只有Linda：一個自始至終守護著Willy怕他想不開的老婆。
    Linda呆望著墳墓悽悽地道出這齣戲最後的獨白：
    Forgive me, dear. I can’t cry. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t cry. I don’t
    understand it. Why did you ever do that? Help me, Willy, I can’t cry. It seems
    to me that you’re just on another trip. I keep expecting you. Willy, dear, I can’t cry.
    Why did you do it? I search and search and I search, and I can’t understand it,
    Willy. I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be
    nobody home. [A sob rises in her throat.] We’re free and clear. [Sobbing more
    fully, released] We’re free. We’re free…We’re free…

    讀到這，眼淚因為Miller細膩的意識流手法在眼框裡打轉，跟著Linda一遍又一遍地問著：推銷員爲什麼死？我想這也是作者希望讀者在爲Willy這號悲劇人物嘆息時能去思索的問題。有人說是因為大環境的蕭條。有人說是他不能接受真正的自己。你說呢？

    讀這本劇本時，正迷失於畢業後的下一步不知該何去何從，直覺得自己就是另一個Willy和Biff，特別是我一直愛作夢，儘管夢醒後會失落難過，依然執著有夢最美。也許有時候不作夢會比較好，特別是當這個夢需要另一個人來幫你完成時，把夢建築在別人身上，自己是不會做任何努力的，只是癡癡地等著…等著…等著夢碎…

    Is this helpful?

    ― Fian said on Oct 10, 2008 | Add your feedback

  • The classmates in my english class ruined this book for me. I probably would have liked it more if they didn't exist.

    Is this helpful?

    ― Bostonrox2 said on Jun 25, 2007 | Add your feedback

  • The broken American Dream is much more tempting than the Dream itself

    Is this helpful?

    ― fruit said on Apr 14, 2007 | Add your feedback

Book Details

  • Rating:
    (102)
    • 4 stars
    • 3 stars
    • 2 stars
    • 1 star
  • English Books
  • Paperback 144 Pages
  • Edition: 1st
  • ISBN-10: 0140481346
  • ISBN-13: 9780140481341
  • Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
  • Pub date: Oct 06, 1998
  • Dimensions: 19 cm x 13 cm x 1 cm Just how big is that?
  • Also available as: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Library Binding, School & Library Binding and Unbound
  • In other languages:
    • <span class='translatable' lang='Cover of '{[title]}''>Cover of '推銷員之死'</span>
      推銷員之死
      (繁體書)
    • <span class='translatable' lang='Cover of '{[title]}''>Cover of '推销员之死'</span>
      推销员之死
      (简体书)
    • <span class='translatable' lang='Cover of '{[title]}''>Cover of 'Death of a Salesman.'</span>
      Death of a Salesman.
      (Deutsche Bücher)
    • <span class='translatable' lang='Cover of '{[title]}''>Cover of 'Morte di un commesso viaggiatore'</span>
      Morte di un commesso viaggiatore
      (Libri Italiani)
Improve data of this book

Prices Change currency & sellers

ISBN Edition List Sale Seller
9780140481341 Paperback $13.00 $10.19 Amazon US
£7.89 -- Amazon UK
$14.50 $11.02 Amazon CA
¥1552.00 ¥1474.00 Amazon JP
€8.53 -- Amazon FR
-- €7.95 Amazon DE
Other editions →
+ 3 copies tradable: 1 in USA →
Added to Shelf Added to Wish List

Inline Translation Mode

Left click to navigate, right click to translate.

inline translation guide

or close

Inline translation is not ready for this page yet.

Inline translation mode.

Share this page with your friends.

The viewport has not loaded.