Critical Analysis Of The Death Of A Salesman
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The Garden in the “Death of a Salesman”
In Arthur Millers, Death of a Salesman, many elements stand out in the play and they all lend themselves to a lot of personal interpretation. Willys attitude toward life and the way he has raised his sons gives the reader a window into the soul of the lifetime salesman. Willys life is quite grey and boring and he is fed up with sales and everything that goes along with it. He hates his job, he is frustrated with his children and he hates where he lives. However, he does not venture out and try any new things and he stays aggravated at his son for striking out and trying innovative jobs. In Act 1, Willy says, ” The grass dont grow any more, you cant raise a carrot in the back yard” (1901). Willy longs for life as it used to be but he is unwilling to make adjustments for the way life is currently. Early on the idea of a garden is postulated and it continues to be present until just before Willy takes his own life.
Willy is a broken man that is sixty years old and hates his job. He has been a devoted employee because he believes that is what you do. You devote yourself to a job and work hard and everything else should fall into place. However, Willys plan is not working out because the young manager does not care about his devotion to his work. Willy is fired from his job and he has to start picking up the pieces of his broken life. He feels as if he has no other options because he is old and has been fired from the only thing that he knows how to do.
Willy cannot raise vegetables in his backyard anymore and he feels like he is a failure when it comes to raising his sons. Willy fears that he is failure as a father and that he has not equipped his sons to deal with their future. “Because sometimes Im afraid that Im not teaching them the right kind of -Ben, how should I teach them” (1920)? He relates the vegetables to his sons. Willy reflects that Biff has never grown up and Charley wonders when he will ever grow up. His sons are stunted because he has not given them the proper nutrients and things that they need.
Willy begins talk of a garden and nature early on in the play. He talks about how things have changed and how he cannot have a successful garden because of all the apartments that have been built around his home. His backyard does not get enough light for his seeds to prosper. He tells his wife, “Gee, on the way home tonight Id like to buy some seeds” (1931). She quickly reminds him that his seeds will never grow. The garden is a great reflection on Willys life. When he first moved to his home, it was the country and quiet. He was able to plant a garden and watch it grow and prosper for his family. Willy longs for the life that he once had long ago. “You wait kid, before its all over were gonna get a little place out in the country, and Ill raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens.” (1931). Many people long for the past but are not willing to make sacrifices to get the things that they would like to see in their lives.
At the climax of the story, Willy finally begins planting his garden. He realizes that the end is near and at least he can try and complete one task. He is blocking off the rows and measuring to the exact inch. He is planting carrots, beets, and lettuce. It is dark outside and he implies that he has to finish his work. Willy does not really believe that the garden will grow but it is something that he needs to complete before he takes his life. He obviously wants to leave something behind for people to remember him by and Willy is caught up by how many people will attend his funeral. He never achieved the