The Importance of Linguistic Features in Death of a Salesman everything we need to know about the performance is provided in the written text. Focusing on the playwright's use of preference structure, silence, and the turn-taking mechanism will reveal that all the vital features of live theater are available in the written words. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayTo facilitate an assessment of the legitimacy of the linguistic methodology and its results, it is first necessary to consider what can be discerned from text and performance. of the death of a salesman from a non-linguistic point of view. The piece was born from the hypothesis that “the distinction we make between our past and our present is unreal: everything exists simultaneously in our minds. » Death of a Salesman shows Willy Lowman's mind as it deteriorates from repeated disappointments and unfulfilled aspirations. Many factors contribute to this process: stubborn belief in the American dream and the need to prove that one is a hero of the American way of life breeds deception from family members and oneself. The entire Lowman family consists of central characters - with the possible exception of Happy - and the audience/reader gets insight into the themes, plot, and protagonist through their interactions. Linda, Willy's wife, is a multifaceted character. She pretends to be a stereotypical housewife in post-war America. The perpetual presence of a washing basket in her hands, scenarios such as "Linda fills her cup when she can". ...Linda holds his jacket for him” (p.55) all highlight his perceived role in the family. Linda speaks softly and clearly when speaking to her husband, simple phrases like “Rest.” Should I sing to you? (p.54) emphasize her soothing and protective nature in the delicate management of her mental state. However, her willingness to ban Biff from the house if he does not comply with her wishes regarding Willy, in conjunction with her competent management of the family finances, exposes Linda as a strong woman whose depth of perception far exceeds this that his behavior implies. This is evident when she tells her son that Willy "must go to Charley's and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend it's his salary" (p. 45). Linda's keen awareness of the reality of the family's situation is evident when she tells her boys, in the first act, about the "little rubber hose" (p. 47) that she discovered. This pure truth is juxtaposed with vast deception. Every day I go down and take this little rubber hose. But when he comes home, I put him back where he was. How can I insult him like this? (p.47) This antithesis embodies the conflict in Death of a Salesman. Those who allow themselves to see and face the truth are in conflict with those who live in a cloud of illusion - whether by choice or consequence. While Linda hides the truth to protect those close to her, Happy chooses to deceive herself and others. He exaggerates like his father: when he meets Miss Forsythe in a restaurant, he lies about him and about his brother's occupations. As a marginalized family member, sporadic one-line contributions to discussions are incongruous and do little more than provide comic relief: "I'm getting married,Mom. I wanted to tell you. (p.53) Echoes his teenage mantra "I'm losing weight, have you noticed, pop?" (P.26) These self-serving ploys for attention inform his peacekeeping efforts. When Biff insists on telling Willy an unpleasant truth about his moral character, Happy asks him to "tell him something nice" (p. 83) and goes on to suggest a nice lie that would suffice. When the tension reaches the point of embarrassment, Happy disavows Willy publicly rather than taking action: “No, he's not my father. He's just a guy. (P.91) Biff's character contrasts with that of his brothers in its complexity. He demonstrates sensitivity to nature by describing the "inspiring sight... of a mare and a new foal" (p. 16) during his first appearance on stage. Biff also admits in this scene that he is "mixed" and "like a boy" (p. 16); this sets the tone for Biff's positive development toward self-awareness – the only character in the play who achieves this. Young Biff's confidence is based on a false and inflated self-image and perception of the world provided by his father. Miller contrasts the moment when Biff first loses all certainty of himself with the moment when he first glimpses the truth about who his father is. The years of disillusionment that followed ended when Biff realized the danger of lying to oneself: How the hell did I get the idea that I was a salesman there? I even believed him myself... he took one look at me and - I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life had been. We have been talking in dreams for fifteen years. I was a shipping clerk. (p.82) Miller's use of the word "dream" in Biff's speech draws a parallel between trivial everyday lies and the "greatest lie of all, that the world is made up of individuals towards whom society is responsible, if one works hard enough, success is inevitable. » Belief in this maxim contributes greatly to Willy's disappointments with himself and with Biff. His journey towards suicide is punctuated by fragments of hope linked to falsification. At the end of the first act, optimism surrounds the impending trip to Willy's boss, Howard, about which he declares, "Everything will be fine." (p.54) The next morning is also the day Biff visits Oliver for an unrealistic business proposal. Willy tells Linda that Biff is "heading for a change... He could be... anything in that suit!" » (p. 55). When all ventures fail, Willy's difficulty in distinguishing appearance from reality and past from present escalates:Biff: So I'm done with Oliver, you know? Are you listening to me? Willy: Yeah, sure. If you had not failed... (p.87) Guilt resulting from past misbehavior can be seen here interfering with current judgment. Ben, Willy's older brother - who only appears in flashback sequences of Willy's memories - symbolizes his father's glorious past and achievements (as indicated by the accompanying flute music) and therefore also the importance of family ties. Ben also embodies the American dream. It is therefore significant that it is he who lures Willy towards the final decision to commit suicide. Desmond Wilcox states: "Miller denied that the play was either an indictment of American capitalism or an analysis of family relationships gone wrong, although any reader or spectator is bound to feel that these are elements which make it part. » It is appropriate that Wilcox includes the reader and viewer as equals in his statement about understanding Death of a Salesman. Linguistic analysis of Arthur Miller's manipulation of turn-taking mechanisms - based on V. Herman's modification of theformulation of Sacks et al. as described by Levinson (1983) – in an extract from the end of the first act (see appendix), supports many of the above-mentioned inferences about character and theme. The sequence involves Linda, Biff and Happy discussing Willy's condition. Of the total 37 turns, Linda has 19, Biff 13, and Happy only 5. Immediately the reader understands that in the co-text of Linda's short and infrequent soothing turns, this indicates an unexpected depth in her character. Linda is the dominant character in this sequence, she selects herself 8 times maintaining the topic and focus on Willy's misfortune despite Biff's attempts to end the conversation in turns 10 and 16, and her turn skips every time Linda asks him for a truthful answer; 10, 16 and 18. At turn 7, Linda performs a long 16 line lap without any preemptive bid for the floor. His speech is full of challenging rhetorical questions that reveal to the reader much of the history of Willy's situation and deterioration, "no one knows him anymore, no one welcomes him." And what goes through the mind of a man who travels seven hundred kilometers to return home without having earned a cent? The repetition of “no one” underlines the atmosphere of isolation that torments Willy and permeates the play: the same isolation that filled the Lyric Theater during the performance I attended. The mood was heightened by Miller's set design notes calling for "imposing angular forms...surrounding all sides" (p. 7), which imposed on the audience as well as the actors. The loneliness evoked that evening is also present in the texture of Linda's speech in turn 7. Miller uses naturalistic language with poetic syntax to convey the atmosphere and tone of the speech. The repetition of “old”, “why” and “how long” resonates with disillusionment and weariness. The description of his unsuccessful efforts illustrates how mythical the American dream is and Willy's dedication detrimental to his well-being. Happy's superficial nature is evident in Linda's pointed remarks in round 3 and her insult which causes him to end round 7 by interrupting her. with its characteristic brevity. She responds with a term of endearment in turn 9 to soften the disfavored accusation, then she turns her attention to Biff, Miller indicates in the stage directions that he is chosen as the next speaker. She asks a direct question, but the adjacency pair remains open, Biff jumps to turn 10 and simultaneously attempts to close the conversation. Linda, who clearly will not prefer either side of her son's response, is self-selecting and denying him the power to close the conversation while ensuring the current topic is maintained. In rounds 11-14, mother and son alternate equally and speak honestly. Turns 13 and 14 are an adjacency pair (AQ) that exposes a truth about the past and alludes to Willy's secret affair that Biff doesn't dare mention to his mother. Biff's guilt, sensitivity, and protective nature become evident here in the handling of Miller's turn. When Linda criticizes Biff for using metalanguage to explain further in turn 15, he responds with a multi-clause turn skip with further attempts to abruptly end the conversation "I'm going to bed." And follows that with an attempt to leave the room. Linda self-selects again in line 17 with a dramatic, truthful comment that angers Biff, but does not make him question her - illustrating the avoidance of the truth that characterizes this family. Instead, he responds to her reproaches by asking her the question: “Now what do you want?