銷售員之死[亞瑟·米勒創作小說]

《銷售員之死》是10 February 1949出版的圖書，作者是Arthur Miller。相當具有影響力的二十世紀戲劇，被視為對在資本主義下的美國夢相當嚴苛的批評。

內容簡介

Death of a Salesman
原著小說 銷售員之死檔案
Written by	Arthur Miller 作者 亞瑟·米勒
Characters	Willy Loman Linda Loman Biff Loman Happy Loman Bernard Charley The Woman
Date premiered	10 February 1949 寫於1949
Place premiered	Morosco Theatre New York City
Original language	English 原著語言 英語
Subject	The waning days of a failing salesman 主題：日益落魄的銷售員的落魄
Genre	Tragedy 杯具
Setting	Late 1940s; Willy Loman's house; New York City and BarnabyRiver; Boston背景設定：1940年代晚期；willy的家裡；紐約；波斯頓

Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller.

小說封面

《銷售員之死》由美國劇作家亞瑟·米勒於1949年寫成。

The play ran for 745 performances, winning both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for drama.此劇上演745場，贏得Tony Award和普利茲戲劇獎。

The original production was directed by Elia Kazan with Lee J. Cobb starring in the leading role of Willy Loman.

Elia Kazan導演該部戲劇，Lee J. Cobb主演劇中領銜人物Willy Loman. ，由此，該劇第一次被搬上銀屏。

The play attempts to raise a counterexample to Aristotle's characterization of tragedy as the downfall of a great man: though Loman certainly has hamartia, a tragic flaw or error, his downfall is that of an ordinary man.

亞里士多德以偉人的落敗而塑造悲劇人物，該劇試圖逆道而行：誠然劇中主人公Willy Loman在某些程度上 hamartia，悲劇的弱點， 但是他的落魄時一個凡人的落魄。

In this sense, Miller's play represents a democratization of the ancient form of tragedy;

在這種意義上而言，米勒的喜劇呈現出古代悲劇形式的民主化特點

the play's protagonist is himself obsessed with the question of greatness, and his downfall arises directly from his continued misconception of himself—at age 63—as someone capable of greatness, as well as the unshakable conviction that greatness stems directly from personal charisma or popularity.

劇中主人翁，在追求偉大的泥塘里掙扎，他最終的落敗直接源於自我不斷的認識錯誤---雖年六旬又三---仍可鑄就一番事業的偉人，並且義無反顧地沉湎於偉大直接源自個人魅力或者聲望的信念

情節概述

Willy Loman returns home after an unsuccessful business trip. Willy 在一次失敗商業之旅歸來，Frustrated at his lack of success, his wife Linda suggests that he ask his boss Howard Wagner to allow him to work in his home city so he will not have to travel. 對丈夫職業失敗的沮喪之中，他的妻子琳達建議他向老闆華格納要求讓他在家裡的城市工作，因此免去奔波的辛苦。Willy complains to Linda that their son, Biff, who comes home for the holidays, has yet to make good on his life.但威利卻向妻子抱怨他們的兒子---biff，他恰逢假期歸來，卻只是勉強過活。

Biff and his brother, Happy, who is also visiting, reminiscence about their childhood together.

Biff和他恰好回家探親的happy，一同回味童年。

They discuss their father's mental degeneration, which they have witnessed by his constant vacillations and talking to himself.

目睹父親持續的踟躕和自言自語，他們討論著自己父親精神狀況的惡化的問題。

The two discuss dreams of forming a ranch in the west and establishing their own livestock company and Biff discusses Willy's frustration at his success.

兩個兄弟們，幻想著在西部建立一個農場，然後創建自己的牲畜公司。不過，biff 談到了父親對自己的失望。

Willy appears and confides with them with his plans of establishing a business that will eclipse that of his neighbor, Charley.

父親Willy此時出現，並向他們吐露自己計畫乾一番事業，好讓鄰居查理的事業，相形見絀。

Over the next parts of the play, Willy's perception of reality phases in and out of flashbacks.

戲劇後半部中，Willy通過不斷倒敘，現實得以慢慢鋪陳展開。

Over the course of the play's first act, during a dreamlike sequence, he meets his brother Ben, who had left to mine diamonds in Africa and thus became rich.

劇中第一幕中，作何通過意識流慢慢拼湊起現實的碎片：Willy遇見了他的兄弟本，他在南非開鑽石而富有了。

In another similar sequence, he encounters his mistress, with whom he flirts and gives gifts of stockings.

而後他又遇見了他的情婦，他調戲她並給她用長筒襪裝著的禮物。

Willy's delusional dream-sequences encroach upon reality, and his family is affected by them. Seeing Linda mending stockings, he orders her to throw them out. He also grows furious at Charley's son.

Willy妄想囈語嚴重乾礙了現實，所以他的家庭收到牽累。看見妻子在縫補長筒襪，他就嚴詞要求她把它們扔掉。而且他要對查理的兒子Bernard大發雷霆。

小說評論

在真正去看《銷售員之死》之前，總是把它和意識流、人格解體、悲劇性缺陷等一系列高深的辭彙聯繫在一起。由此產生的敬畏之心，一直使我與這部偉大的作品擦肩而過。直到一天，偶然聽到《銷售員之死》的一段錄音，整個人完全被吸引了進去。一路聽下來，為他們曾經執著的夢想而激動，為父子間那暗流涌動的溫情而感動，又為美國夢的最終破滅而深深悲痛。

我想，這么一部優秀的作品所吸引我們普通讀者的，未必是專家學者們的解析：意識流、父權意識抑或現實主義。至少它所吸引我的，是小人物在社會洪流中的掙扎。這樣的小人物與我們共享著一樣的人生和夢想：我們的家中也為柴米油鹽而爭吵，也不乏刀子嘴豆腐心的溫情；我們也希望走到社會成功的前台，但辛勤工作卻未必能保證夢想的實現。當文末，威利以生命代價去換取最後一絲“成功”的尊嚴，讓人不由沉思：值得嗎？

《推銷員之死》（Death of a Salesman）是劇作家亞瑟·米勒的劇本，完成於1949年，是一部相當具有影響力的二十世紀戲劇。這部劇作被視為是一場對在資本主義下的美國夢相當嚴苛的批評，同時也讓米勒以及劇中主角“威利·羅曼”（Willy Loman）成為家喻戶曉的人物。《推銷員之死》在演出之後大受好評，贏得了1949年的普立策獎，讓米勒成為美國的全國性作家。