推销员之死马克思理论分析

Causes of Willy’s Tragedy:On Critical Realistic Reading of Death of the Salesman外语学院英语语言文学毕兰芳09050201013 Abstract：From the perspective of the critical realism, this essay aims at uncovering the ruthless and materialism of the capitalist society by the specific and fully analyzing of the causes of the death of the salesman Willy from both the external world and his own philosophical aspect.Keywords：External and Philosophical Reason；Critical Realism; American Dream; Tragedy摘要：本文运用批判现实主义的方法，意在通过对威利的死这一悲剧后面的深层的外部及心理原因的探究来揭示资本主义社会的物质至上原则以及残忍的本性。

1.IntroductionArthur Miller is an outstanding dramatist, also a real social critic. In his works, he discussed the relationship between human and the social environment, family and social morality. He attacked the merciless society to expose that how a man was destroyed if he cannot prove his value in an alien environment. Arthur Miller said “if a person’s tragedy is caused by his requirement of justice, his accordingly destroy will expose the defects and evilness of his current social environment.”(Miller, 1979:145) In his masterpiece Death of the Salesman, the main character Willy Noman spent his all life pursuing his dream, wanting to get social and others’recognition. His motivation and action themselves are very good while because of this insistence, he lost his life. About the cause of this tragic end, there are many kind of explaining. Some say that it is caused by failing to know himself well; some say his tragic ending is closely related to his failure to deal with the relation with his families. 但是，如果我们仔细解读威利当时所处的社会现状。

就能得出一个更为合理的结论：威利的悲剧正是对物质至上、高度机械化的现代美国社会虚假的、反人性本质的有力控诉2.Literature Review2.1International StudiesIn Lawrence’s essay (2007), he said that in commenting on Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller has stated emphatically that modern tragedies need not be bound by Aristotelian principles, especially since the tragedies of our time can revolve about an ordinary person, a Willy Loman, rather than one of high status.1 It is therefore interesting to note that the vocabulary of Death of a Salesman in several instances suggests an older type of drama.Phelps (2007) examines the uncertainty regarding Biff's love for his father in Death of a Salesman, faulting critics for easily accepting Biff's affection as the impetus for Willy's suicide. He said that most critics seem to accept at face value the assumption that at the conclusion of Arthur Miller's classic drama Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman determines to commit suicide because his older son Biff has at last openly and unequivocally declared his "love" for his father. Yet a close examination of this crucial scene and the subsequent Requiem reveals a far greater degree of ambiguity than has been acknowledged.Though these essay really reflect something while they just say something shallow. My essay will deepen the cause of death of the salesman.2.2Domestic StudiesDu XinYu(2007) pointed out that Miller’s The Death of the Salesman exposes the doomed result of American dream and western value.2.3My Comment3.Theoretical Approaches and Critical MethodologyIn mid and late 19th century, appeared a new literary trend -- critical realism. English critical realism of the 19th century flourished in the forties and in the early fifties. The critical realists described with much vividness and artistic skill the chief traits (characteristics) of the English society and criticized the capitalist system from ademocratic viewpoint. It found its expressions in the form of novel. The greatest English realist of the time was Charles Dickens. With striking force and truthfulness, he creates pictures of bourgeois civilization, showing the misery and sufferings of the common people. Another critical realist was William Makepeace Thackeray. His novels are mainly a satirical portrayal of the upper strata of society. Others are Bronte sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy. The novelists exposed and criticized the corrupted society mercilessly. They are generally known as critical realists. (Zhu, 2001:75)The thoughts firstly appeared in France in the 1830s and spread to Europe and America. It describes analyses and discloses and criticizes the reality.(1) Reflects the reality objectively, concretely and genuinely.(2) Discloses and criticizes the reality strongly.(3) Creates the typical characters under the typical circumstances(quoted)Though the theory was used to criticize the capitalists, it is still a way to completely show the capital society. In my essay, the criticism will lead readers to understand the capital life in America.4.Discussion4．1 The Victim of the American SocietyAs an ambitious and brave nation, the American owns its long-last weakness and disappointment, of which the most influential and destructive is the so-called “American Dream”. The exclaimed that only if they work harder and harder, they can survive and success with the good lucky. Influenced by this idea, Willy tries all his best to follow this faith, and he regard “attractive appearance”and “technological sales technique”as the magic key to success. He admires Ben very much for his uncommon way of being success, that is, to find treasure in the woods without the help of the society, and also, his treasure comes much more faster than any other kind of business or career.. It is not surprise that as a common man, Willy is obsess with money and career without caring the feeling of others, for he can’t get rid of the dream of being rich, and to pursue the origin, it’s the whole society’s value that hasdestroyed this ordinary individual’s quiet days. From this we can see, generally speaking, Ben himself survive in the dark, dangerous, or terrible woods, then he becomes successful, and he turns admirable, and he owns lots of things, such as house, car, women, reputation, pleasure, identity etc, it seems that those are where values lie, why not his followers end all their innocence to pursue it, even if it is a road of no return.4.2 The Victim of the MaterialismThe value of an individual is decided by his productive forces. (Lawrence, 2004: 111) and the amount of money is the only criteria of successful or not, that is to say, commodity and money are above all the other things.(Du, 2007: 1) It can’t be denied that as an senior man, Willy has been totally maxed out, for both the physical weakness and the family dissension. He is in fact useless in others’ eyes no matter in the family or the society, which can’t be changed or scorned, but for Willy himself, it’s degrading and unacceptable or even horrendous. (Qin, 2008:170) So it is natural for him to strive for money at the cost of his life, for he has lost reputation in front of his sons or wife, and he also has lost the ability and confidence when facing the difficulty of the society.In the commodity society, the value of human beings has been degraded as the value of commodity, the basic rule of the capitalist society is the highly competitive work and cruel dehumanization, without sympathy or dignity, if one wants to survive, and the only way is to be crazy, to be alive or dead. （Du, 2007:24）Willy exclaimed angrily and rudely “you can’t throw out the orange peel after you have eaten it!” (Liu, 2004:444) when he finds his boss kicks off him and rushes to the more comfortable investment city with the large fortune made by them two, but by the end, Willy receives noting, except his 30-years hard-working and unhealthy body. Being different from his boss, Willy is honest and dignified, heis always longing for love and being loved, he works not for interest or reputation, rather, he’s eager for the love from the family and society, because without money, he can’t thinks out any other ting to acquire love. (Sun, 2002: 122) But the mistake of Willy is ,he has been misled by the social moral or value idea, and he has also mistaken the real meaning of what love is ,and what the real important thing is, so he hesitates, struggles, and then commits suicide. (Zhang, 2001: 12) 5.ConclusionReferencesLawrence Rosinger, Miller's Death of a Salesman, Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. V ol. 179. Detroit: Gale, 2004, From Literature Resource Center. H. C. Phelps, Miller's Death of a Salesman, Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. V ol. 179. Detroit: Gale, 2004. From Literature Resource Center. 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