Willy’s Narrated Time and Narrative Identity in Death of a Salesman

This essay explores the ways in which Willy tries to (de)construct his identity in the narration of his life story in time. By drawing on Ricoeur’s narrative theory which elaborates on the mutual connectedness between one’s own identity formation and his or her storytelling competency, this essay argues that Willy appears to be such a good storyteller that he could almost identify himself as such, no matter how trustworthy his story might be. In fact, all Willy does throughout the play is to tell a story about himself. He narrates the story of his lifelong career as a salesman. He also tells a story about why he chooses to pursue his salesman career and how it goes well in the beginning and goes wrong in the end. And he also tells a story about his fatherhood and why it turns out to be problematic. In doing so, he proves that his life story is more than just a narrative; it shapes his narrative identity in time. This essay examines how and why this is the case by analyzing his life story as it takes shape in his mind and drawing its connoted meanings.