1. Willy Loman's Dreams: Willy Loman has always dreamed of achieving great success in sales and providing a comfortable life for his family. However, he fails to acknowledge that the world around him has changed, and his business techniques are outdated.
2. Flashback Sequences: The play delves into Willy's past through flashback sequences. We learn about his struggles, aspirations, and unfulfilled ambitions, which have shaped his present failures and mental instability.
3. Family Relationships: Willy's relationship with his sons, Biff and Happy, is strained. Biff is disillusioned with his father's empty pursuit of success and abandons his plans to follow in Willy's footsteps. Happy appears more optimistic but is just as lost and directionless as Biff. Willy's wife, Linda, remains devoted to him despite his flaws, but she can't help but see his downward spiral.
4. Appearance versus Reality: Willy's perception of himself and his situation is often at odds with reality. He delves into fantasy and delusions to cope with his failures and clings to the past, refusing to accept the changes in the present.
5. Betrayal and Disillusionment: Willy confronts his sense of betrayal when he discovers that Biff never actually achieved the success he had believed in. This shattering of illusions leads to Willy's complete mental breakdown.
6. Tragic Ending: In a desperate attempt to provide for his family after his death, Willy commits suicide. The play ends with the Loman family grappling with the aftermath of his passing and trying to come to terms with his tragic end.
Miller's play explores themes such as the American Dream, the cost of chasing unrealistic aspirations, familial relationships, and the human toll of being trapped in a cycle of self-delusion and failure. "Death of a Salesman" remains a poignant and thought-provoking examination of the complexities of the human experience.