[lit-ideas] Re: Death of a Thinker

  • From: "Andreas Ramos" <andreas@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 13:29:49 -0800

From: "Paul Stone" <pas@xxxxxxxx>

>I have to admit that I've never read, seen, watched "Death of a Salesman".
> Can someone tell me, without "ruining" it for me, WHY it's such a revered
> classic? Are there memorable lines that are in today's vernacular? Just the
> plot would be okay -- without any spoilers concerning Willy's, Hap's or
> Biff's fate.

I saw and read it several times when I was in undergraduate and graduate 
school. At the 
time, it seemed to me to be a damning indictment of capitalism and boosters. 
It's similar to 
Sinclair Lewis' Babbit. Willy Lomax is Babbit at the end of his life.

I re-read the play a few months ago. For the last 15 years, I've been in the 
business world. 
Death of a Salesman isn't accurate. It's the impression on someone outside of 
business about 
how business works. The play is somewhat like the TV show Dallas.

There's quite a few misconceptions about how business works. Many of those 
misconceptions 
are justified because there are indeed businesspeople who act like that. 
However, they are a 
minority. Babbit and Willy Lomax, and so on are not representative of business, 
just as 
Donald Trump isn't representative of business.

yrs,
andreas
www.andreas.com

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