Death Of A Salesman

Within the play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, there are multiple ideas conveyed through to the viewer which establish the context in which the quote is interpreted. The quote 'we're free' is spoken by Linda Loman in the ending scene of the play - the Requiem. As the ending line, this quote concludes the play, leaving the viewer to consider it's meaning. Because of the multiple ideologies conveyed through the play, many readings and responses can be interpreted from within this text, either isolating certain components of the play such as Willy's deluded dreams, to the effect of Willy's suicide on his family as a whole.

Throughout the text it is clear that culture plays a significant part in the play's capacity to express certain principles, such as the philosophies of the American Dream. In the play, the American Dream is defined through success and popularity according to Willy Loman. Measured through the amount of wealth and friends, Willy's goal in life is to live the American Dream, which led to his downfall. Willy's dreams ended up clashing with those around him and he begins to disregard the ambitions of others as he strives to reach his goal. By dwelling on his own dreams, he is liable to overlook the needs and aspirations of others, an example being Biff and his dreams of working on a farm, while Willy wishes Biff to follow in his footsteps and become a well-liked salesman as Willy believed himself to be. The quote 'we're free' in this context, can be interpreted as the family becoming free of the pressure of Willy's dreams, letting them move on into their lives and act without the demands of Willy Loman as a father and husband. By committing suicide, Willy leaves his family free to find out who they really are. Biff, while he is still confused, has embraced the fact that his father's dreams were all an illusion and is willing to tear away from his father's model and become an individual, while Happy refuses to see the truth of his father's ambitions and continues on, as a copy of Willy himself. Linda can now move on, and is, in a sense free from all the anxieties she once had, both mentally and physically, from Willy's health to the mortgage on the house.

By stating 'we're free', Linda could also have meant free from Willy himself. Throughout the play, it is clear that Linda realises that Willy has tried to commit suicide but lets it pass. By replacing the rubber piping every evening behind the gas heater, may be an act in which Linda shows that she has accepted, and maybe even encouraged the fact that Willy wanted to kill himself. The night Willy was to commit suicide, Linda knew he was unstable because of the fight between Willy and Biff, but still complied to let him sit alone, downstairs while she was in the bedroom. It is possible that Linda realised that Willy had ruined himself by believing in the American dream to such a point of instability, that the only way for Willy to rest in peace. was for him to die. By stating 'we're free' Linda could have meant Willy was free of the harsh consumer society, where a man was only a piece of fruit to the successful Howard's of the world.

As the play ends, the sound of the flute, symbolizing Willy's father, begins to play again, while the hard towers of the apartment buildings rise to sharp focus. This recurrence

of the flute melody symbolizes the Willy's futile pursuit of the American Dream, while the harsh

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