CliffNotesDeathofaSalesmanWord文档下载推荐.docx

CliffNotesDeathofaSalesmanWord文档下载推荐.docx

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DeathofaSalesmanopenedonFebruary10,1949,toreviewsthatacclaimeditamajornewplay.WithinmonthsArthurMillerbecameworldrenownedashisplayreceivedthePulitzerPrize,theNewYorkDramaCritics'

CircleAward,andtheAntoinettePerry（"

Tony"

）Award,amongothers.WhenArthurMillerbecamefamous,hisgradeschoolandhighschoolteacherswerepuzzled.Theycouldn'

trememberhim.Checkingtheirrecordstheyfoundthatasastudenthehadbeenmostoutstandingforhisfailures.

TheissueswithwhichArthurMillerwouldlaterbecomepreoccupiedhaveclearbeginningsinhisfamilybackground.Thesecondofthreechildrenofamiddle-classJewishcouple,hewasbornin1915inNewYorkCity.HisAustrianfatherwasamanufacturerofwomen'

scoats,andhismother,thedaughterofamanufacturer,hadbeenateacher.Millerknewfromchildhoodtheprecarioushopesanddisappointmentsofthebusinessworld,aswellasitsfalsedreamsofextraordinaryriches.ThisisthethemeofDeathofaSalesman.

Itwasn'

tjusthisfamilybackgroundthatinfluencedMiller.Hegrewupinthe"

roaringtwenties,"

thedecadewestillthinkofasthegiddiestinthehistoryofourcountry.Theworldofbusinesswasprosperingasneverbefore.Itwasanageofdistortedvalues--thepleasureofthemoment,materialrichness,makingmoneyandshowingitoff.Miller'

sfatherhiredmoresalesmentosellhiscoats.

Millerplayedfootballandbaseball,swam,skated,andreadadventurestories."

Ipassedthroughthepublicschoolsystemunscathed,"

hesaidlater.Whilepassingthrough,hefailedmanysubjects,includingalgebrathreetimes.Youwillrecognizethisathletewhodoesn'

tapplyhimselfinthecharacterofBiffinDeathofaSalesman.

WhenMillerwasthirteenhisfamilyreachedacrisis.Miller'

sfatherfellonhardtimesandhadtomovethefamilyfromManhattanouttoasmallframehouseinBrooklynsimilartotheoneinDeathofaSalesman.Miller'

ssisterrecallsthathebecame"

veryhandywithtools.Hebuiltthebackporchonourhouse,andsomeoftherosesheplantedinthebackyardarestillblooming."

JustasArthurMillerlovedworkingwithhishands,WillyLomanlovestobuildthingsandtendagarden.

OngraduationfromhighschoolMillerknewthathisparentscouldnotaffordtosendhimtocollege.HewantedtogototheUniversityofMichigan,buthisgradesweresopoorthathecouldnotqualifyforadmission.Forashortwhileheworkedforhisfather,buthecouldn'

tstandthecontemptuouswaybuyerstreatedhisfatherandthesalesmen.Self-respectbecameanimportantissueforhim,asyou'

llseewhenyoureadDeathofaSalesman.HegothimselfajobinaManhattanautopartswarehouse.Millerwasdeterminedtomakesomethingofhimself,andthefactthatheachievedthisgoalgavehimproofofanyman'

sabilitytoperfecthimself.

Meanwhile,hestumbledbychanceontheRussiannovelTheBrothersKaramazov,whichhehadpickedupthinkingitwasadetectivestory.（IfyouwanttoknowwhatturnedArthurMillerintoaplaywright,readDostoevsky'

s"

greatbookofwonder"

ashelatercalledit.Haveyoueverbeeninspiredbyabookyouread?

）Hereaditonthelongsubwayridestowork,andsaidlater,"

Allatonce[I]believedIwasborntobeawriter."

Millersavednearlyallofhisfifteen-dollar-a-weeksalary,andaftertwoandahalfyearshehadenoughforayearofcollege.HewrotethepresidentoftheUniversityofMichigananeloquentletteraskingforoneyeartoprovehimself.Hepromisedthatifhedidnotdowell,hewouldleavetheuniversityafterhisfirstyear.Theuniversityacceptedhiminjournalism,andheleftthewarehousewherehehadbuiltupthegreataffectionforhisco-workersdocumentedinhisplayAMemoryofTwoMondays.Inthewarehousehehadfoundalittlecommunityofpeoplewhocaredabouteachother,incontrasttohisfather'

sbusinessworld.Amongthequestionsalwayshoveringoverallhisplays,includingDeathofaSalesman,are"

Doesanyonecare?

"

and"

Howdoesamanmakeahomeforhimselfintheworld?

AtcollegeMillerlearnedabouta$500awardthatwasavailableforaplay.Hewroteoneinsixdays,andwontheprize.Hefelthehadbegunwhathehadbeenborntodo.AttheUniversityofMichiganhemetmanypeoplewhohadstrongpoliticalbeliefs,ideasabouthowtheworldshouldberun.Listeningtothedebatesheightenedhisconcernaboutmorality.Havingwonseveralmoreawardsbeforegraduating,MillerreturnedtoNewYorkin1938towriteplays,but"

intwomonthswasonrelief."

Oddjobskepthimgoingwhilehebegantowriteforradio.Manyofthesejobsweremanuallabor,whichgavehimthebackgroundforhisplaysaboutworking-classpeople.

Intime,Millerwroteregularlyforthebestdramaprogramsonradio.Inspiteofhisimpatiencewithradio'

srestrictions,helearnedhowtohandlequicktimeshiftsandhowtoblendrealityandfantasy,acentralstrategyinDeathofaSalesman.

Miller'

sfirstBroadwayplaywasafailure,andhetoldhimselfthatifthenextonedidn'

tsucceedhewouldgointoanotherlineofwork.In1947AllMySonsputhimonthemap.LikeDeathofaSalesman,itdealswithfamiliesandmoralissues.WhileDeathofaSalesmanisaboutwhatsocietyowestoindividuals,AllMySonsisaboutwhatindividualsowetosociety.Itranallthatseasonandwonmanyawards.

Withtheconfidenceofthatsuccess,MillerbeganDeathofaSalesman,amoreambitiousplay.Itimmediatelywonextraordinarypraiseinthiscountry,andalsobecameoneofthemostfrequentlyproducedAmericanplaysabroad.Abestseller,unusualforaplay,ithasbeenreadbymillionsofpeoplewhohaveneverseenitonastage.

Millerhasbeenapublicfigurewhoseactionsshowwhathestandsfor.DuringJosephMcCarthy'

witch-hunt"

herefusedtorevealthenamesofthoseatameetinghehadattendedwhomighthavebeenCommunists.HewasconvictedofcontemptofCongressin1956,buttwoyearslatertheSupremeCourtreversedtheconviction.HelateractivelycampaignedforworldwidefreedomofexpressionasanofficialofP.E.N.,theinternationalsocietyofwriters.

InadditiontoDeathofaSalesman,Miller'

splaysincludeTheCrucible（1953）,AMemoryofTwoMondays（1955）,AViewfromtheBridge（oneact,1955;

fulllength,1957）,AftertheFall（1964）,IncidentatVichy（1965）,ThePrice（1968）,andAmericanClock（1980）.

SeveralofMiller'

splayshavebeenadaptedintomovies.In1960hewrotehisfirstoriginalscreenplay,TheMisfits,whichstarredhissecondwife,MarilynMonroe.Millerhasalsoproducedfourbooksofreportageincollaborationwithhisthirdwife,thephotographerIngeMorath:

InRussia,IntheCountry,ChineseEncounters,andSalesmaninBeijing.

ThepopularityofDeathofaSalesmanistimeless.Audiencesaroundtheworldhavebeendrawntoit,movedbyitsstoryofalongingforfulfillment.AnotablerevivalwasstagedonBroadwayinNewYorkCityin1984.

^^^^^^^^^^DEATHOFASALESMAN:

THEPLOT

WillyLoman,atravelingsalesman,comeshomeinthemiddleofthenightwhenhe'

ssupposedtobeonabusinesstrip.HetellsLinda,hiswife,thathecouldn'

tkeephismindondriving,andkeptgoingofftheroadbecausehewasdaydreaming.Sheurgeshimtoaskhisbossforapositionwiththecompany'

sheadquartersinNewYork,sohewon'

thavetotravelanymore,andheagreestoseehisbossthenextday.Hegoestothekitchenforasnack,andbecomesinvolvedinamemoryofhissonBiff.HehasbeentalkingtohimselfsoloudlythathewakesBiffandhisbrotherHappy,whoareboththerevisiting,BifffromtheWest,andHappyfromhisownapartmentinanotherpartoftown.Theboys,now32and34,talkoveroldtimes,worryabouttheirfather,andschemeaboutgoingintobusinesstogether.

InthescenefromWilly'

smemory,Biff,Happy,andLindaallsuddenlyappearonstageastheywerefifteenyearsearlier,whentheboyswereteenagers.Biff,thefavoriteson,isthehighschoolfootballcaptain.Heisabouttoplayanimportantgame,andalsoabouttoflunkseniormath,despitehisfriendBernard'

shelpstudying.BookishBernardisnot"

wellliked"

byBiff'

sstandards,andhisfatherCharley,asalesmanwithhisownbusiness,isnot"

byWilly'

sstandards.Still,forallhisattemptstobe"

impressive,"

Willyisnotdoingwellasasalesman,heconfessestoLinda.Willy'

sthoughtsshiftfurtherbackintimetoshowhimdallyingwithanotherwomaninahotelroom.

Backinthepresent,Happycomesdownstairstocalmhisfather,butisunsuccessful.Theneighbor,Charley,comesinwiththesameintent,butWillygetsinsultedwhenCharleyoffershimajob.Meanwhile,invisibletoCharley,Willy'

solderbrotherBenhasarrivedfromthepast.Willyistryingtohaveaconversationwithtwopeopleatonce,fromdifferentperiodsofhislife,andendsupquarrelingwithCharley,wholeaves.Nowcompletelyimmersedinthepast,WillyshowsoffhisteenagedboystoBen,whoinviteshimtomovetoAlaska.ButWillyhasconvincedhimselfhehaspossibilitiesathome.

Returningtothepresent,Willyleavesthehousetogoforawalk.Thefamilygatherstodiscusshistroubledsituation.Lindasaysheistryingtokillhimselfbecauseafter36yearswiththecompanytheyhavenowtakenawayhissalaryandheisbackoncommissionlikeabeginner,andbrokebecausehecan'

tsellanything.Hisprideisshatteredandhe'

sexhausted.Lindacriticizestheboysfornotrespectingtheirfather.Willycomesintotheroom,andthesonstrytocheerhimwiththeirplantoopenasportinggoodsbusiness.BiffwillgotoBillOliver,aformeremployer,andaskfor