Death of a Salesman Themes

(Click the themes infographic to download.) O beautiful for spacious skies? Yeah, not so much here. While characters such as Willy, Linda, and Happy believe the U.S. to be a wellspring of ea...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Like Susan Boyle and Selena, Willy Loman is a dreamer of epic proportions. His dreams of material success and freedom dominate his thoughts to the poin...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) The Lomans are all extremely self-deceptive, and in their respective delusions and blindness to reality, they fuel and feed off of one another—kind o...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Throughout Death of a Salesman, Willy pursues concrete evidence of his worth and success. He is entranced by the very physical, tangible results of Ben...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Reputation is one of Willy’s primary concerns. He thinks that all you need to succeed is to be attractive and well-liked. Ha!—if only it were so ea...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) The entire Loman family places heavy value on appearances and good looks. Many of Willy's fondest memories of Biff involve his son dwarfing others with...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Pride in Death of a Salesman functions as a means of self-deception and as a coping mechanism. The Lomans, and particularly Willy, are extremely proud...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Abandoned by his father and brother when he was extremely young, Willy is left materially and emotionally ungrounded. However much he fears abandonmen...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) The theme of freedom and confinement is closely tied to economic security in Death of a Salesman. Linda and Willy long to escape both the physical con...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Death of a Salesman is full of betrayal. Willy betrays Linda’s love and Biff’s trust with his affair. As the chief betrayer himself, Willy is preoc...