Home > Death of a Salesman Summary & Study Guide > Essays and Criticism > Failure and Delusion in Miller's Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman | Failure and Delusion in Miller's Death of a Salesman
An educator and author, Domina discusses the themes of failure and delusion that pervade Miller's landmark work.
Arthur Miller's classic American play, Death of a Salesman, exposes the relationship between gender relationships and dysfunctional family behaviors. In this play, the themes of guilt and innocence and of truth and falsehood are considered through the lens of family roles. Willy Loman, the salesman whose death culminates the play, is an anti-hero, indeed the most classic of anti-heroes. According to an article on the play in Modern World Drama, Willy is "a rounded and psychologically motivated individual" who "embodies the stupidity, immorality, self-delusion, and failure...
[The entire page is 1549 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
- Death of a Salesman: Introduction
- Death of a Salesman: Summary
- Death of a Salesman: Overview
- Death of a Salesman: Arthur Miller Biography
-
Death of a Salesman: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Part 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Part 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Part 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act I, Part 4: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Part 1: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Part 2: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Part 3: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Part 4: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Part 5: Summary and Analysis
- Act II, Part 6: Summary and Analysis
- Requiem: Summary and Analysis
-
Death of a Salesman: Quizzes
- Act I, Part 1: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Part 2: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Part 3: Questions and Answers
- Act I, Part 4: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Part 1: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Part 2: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Part 3: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Part 4: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Part 5: Questions and Answers
- Act II, Part 6: Questions and Answers
- Requiem: Questions and Answers
- Death of a Salesman: Essential Passages
- Death of a Salesman: Themes
- Death of a Salesman: Style
- Death of a Salesman: Historical Context
- Death of a Salesman: Critical Overview
- Death of a Salesman: Character Analysis
- Death of a Salesman: Essays and Criticism
- Death of a Salesman: Suggested Essay Topics
- Death of a Salesman: Sample Essay Outlines
- Death of a Salesman: Compare and Contrast
- Death of a Salesman: Topics for Further Study
- Death of a Salesman: What Do I Read Next?
- Death of a Salesman: Bibliography and Further Reading
- Death of a Salesman: Pictures
- Copyright
Tell a friend about Death of a Salesman at eNotes.
