The Flouting and Violating of Cooperative Principle in Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”

This study presents a pragmatic analysis of Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman”. The study sheds light on Grice’s “Cooperative Principle”, its four maxims namely (Quality, Quantity, Relation, and Manner), and the violation and flouting of them. The reason behind selecting this play is that in this play, the writer criticizes the idea of capitalism in American society. Miller shows that American people are victims of capital society and its values. Consequently, the hero of the play, Willy Loman is always depicted living in his imagination and dreams far away from reality which makes him flout and violate the maxims of the Cooperative Principle. The study aims to know how the maxims of the Cooperative Principle are flouted and violated by the main characters of the play and which is mostly flouted and violated. A qualitative method has been used to analyze the speech of the main characters to get the aim of the study. After analyzing 15 selected quotations from the play, it has been concluded that the hero violates and flouts the four maxims in a very obvious way. The maxim of relation is the most one which is flouted and violated because of the hero, Willy Loman, is seen talking about irrelevant matters and issues because he lives in his illusions.