Alienation and Capitalist Society in Arthur Miller's “Death of a Salesman”: A Marxist Reading

Abstract

The present paper deals with one of the top three most notable tragedies in American history is considered to be “Death of a Salesman”. It premiered in 1949, vividly demonstrating an instinctive insight into society. Arthur Miller, the playwright, emphasized that the play should reflect not just the psychological and subjective world of the characters but also the actual, complex social reality. It has effectively captured the pathos of a typical American salesman. The study aim to shed light on Loman's private drama by examining it through the lens of societal issues, thereby illuminating the play's economic context and inner history. This method is timely because it addresses the central contradictions and inequalities that sustain and deepen under capitalism. The study seeks to enrich our understanding of the dangerous impact of the capitalist system on the working class and how it affects them and makes them alienated. This study depends on the original play script rather than others' ideas and recognizes the fusion of Marxism's effect on the play through closely reading the text. The findings that reached after studying Miller’s play is that the materialistic world can be seen as the dominating one and its negative impact mentally and physically on the Lomans.