Post-pastoral
English Lit: AQA A Level Death of a Salesman, topic 10.4.3
Post-Pastoral
It is possible to read Death of a Salesman as a post-pastoral text.
Post-pastoral
- Death of a Salesman can perhaps be read as a post-pastoral text in that it (briefly) exposes the economic reality of rural life in the mid-20th Century.
Making a living
- Biff admits to only earning “twenty eight dollars a week” on the ranch and, as such, has no realistic hope of raising the “ten thousand dollars” needed to buy a ranch.
Reality of the countryside
- As Happy asks Biff, “what can you make out there?”
- Although the myth of the American countryside appeals to men such as Willy and Biff, the reality remains that, without money, it too can be a harsh environment.
Test yourself on Post-pastoral
How much money does Biff earn?
Who asks Biff, “what can you make out there?”