Open Prompt #3 (11/11)

1986. Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

         In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," the main character, Willy Loman, experiences a life crisis, which triggers him to regress to certain memories.  These regressions take him away from the real world and into how he sees the past in his mind.  During the regression, the scene changes so the audience is in the memory with Willy and the other characters.  Miller's technique using the memories emphasizes Willy shortcomings, and his past as he remembers it.  Both of these things combined provide the audience with more insight into Willy.  The regressions are the mechanism Miller uses to let the reader inside his mind to strengthen the tragedy of Willy Loman. 

        Willy is taken away into a memory at times of stress or trauma.  Three of his regressions occur when Willy is taken off salary at his job, when he discusses Biff over a card game with Charley, and after he is fired from his job.  At these points in the story, Willy is so overwhelmed that he slips into the past.  Looking at what causes the regressions, the readers can see that his job and Biff's lack of success cause him much stress.  These stress triggers further emphasizes Willy desperate need to be successful and desire for Biff to follow in his footsteps.

      The events that occur in the regressions also give the reader information about where Willy's mind is in the story.  For instance when Willy is taken off salary at his job, he regresses to a memory where Biff and Happy are in high school.  The boys idolize their father in this scene and live to please him.  It is a time where Willy has hope for the future that he can pass on to his boys so they will be successful like him.  A second regression occurs while Willy and Charley start to have a conversation about Biff.  Trying to continue his conversation with Charley, Willy is ripped away by the sound of his older brother Ben's voice.  In the memory that follows, Willy shows off his sons to Ben how well-liked his boys are and how devoted they are to him.  Because the memories are in his mind, they may not be accurate, therefore the content of the regressions shows how Willy views himself and how he wants to be viewed by others.  With this point of view, the audience sees that he is a man who only wants to provide for his family so he will be appreciated and admired by them.

       The melding of past and present are not just there for the reader to think that Willy Loman in crazy.  As Linda Loman says, "a terrible thing is happening to him," and as he is slowly dying, Willy is given a last reflection of his life in an attempt to find some meaning and understanding from his past.  Willy may not have found what the regressions could have shown him, but the reader can analyze Miller's meaning behind them.  The content and placement of the memories let the reader into Willy's mind to discover what led to the death of a salesman.