Death Of A Salesman QUOTES Flashcards
Willy to Linda
“Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it.”
- Shows how Willy’s sons left him and Linda, and also the fact that it took him a lifetime to pay off his house also shows that his philosophy of ‘being well liked’ doesn’t work very well.
- The dream of success is hard to achieve and when finally achieved, it is too late or took to long
Willy to Biff and Happy about Benard
“Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understnad, you are going to be five times ahead of him.”
- This shows Willy’s values: he thinks that studying hard in school is not nearly as important as being well liked; he thinks that being liked is the key to success.
- Willy has high expectations for his boys, but in reality and in the future, they are behind Bernard, not succeeding at the American Dream
Charley to Willy
“Willly, the jails are full of fearless characters.”
Charley is trying to tell Willy reasonably why Biff should not be stealing, but Willy is being stubborn.
Biff to Linda
“Because I know he’s a fake and he doesn’t like anybody around who knows!”
Biff is referencing the incident he had when he found out that Willy was having an affair. Biff thinks that after that, Willy has despised him because Willy thinks Biff hates him (‘spite’).
Charley to Willy
“You take it too hard. To hell with it. When a deposit bottle is broken, you don’t get your nickel back.”
- Charley is trying to explain to Willy that the great expectations and plans that he had for Biff (‘making it big’ in the city) are not necessarily going to work out, and that he should just let go.
Willy to Biff
“And if anything falls off the desk while you’re talking to him- like a package or something-don’t pick it up.”
This shows how Willy truly believes that Biff has a chance in getting a good deal with Oliver, and thinks that acting like a ‘big shot’ is more likely to lead him to success rather than just being modest and nice (relates yet again to his philosophy of being ‘well liked’ rather than working hard, etc.).
Willy to Howard
“…he died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford, going into Boston- when he died, hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at the funeral.”
- Willy believed that as a salesman, he would be well liked and remembered, but nobody actually did.
- Thinks of himself of being successful when he was never actually so, and he believes that success will come by having many ‘contacts.’
- Cherishes what others think about him a lot, rather than his own achievments
Bernard to Willy
“I’ve often thought of how strange it was that I knew he’d given up his life. What happened in Boston, Willy?”
- Bernard knows that Biff acted out of character after he came back from Boston, but Willy doesn’t want to talk about it because to him, that was the worst event in his life
- He always wanted Biff and Happy to like him, but after that, he believed that Biff hated him, and this event comes back to haunt him repeatedly.
Charley to Willy
“Willy, nobody’s worth nothin’ dead.”
- Willy is considering killing himself because he believes that would yield insurance money that would actually be more than he could make for the rest of his life if he stayed alive
- Charley tries to stop Willy from considering suicide (whether or not he knows about the insurance money = ambigous
Willy to Happy and Biff
“The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.”
- This is when Willy reasons out the stealing Biff and Happy did- at first he was opposed to the notion of theft, but he reasoned it out in his own head to be OK.
Willy to Linda
“You know, the trouble is, Linda, people don’t seem to take to me.”
- It turns out that Willy isn’t as popular and well liked as he makes himself out to be
- Despite being his aspiration and goal to be appriciated, respected and wealthy in society
- Failed American Dreams
Willy to Linda
“Cause I get so lonely-especially when business is bad and there’s nobody to talk to.”
- Willy still believes in Biff and that he will do well and be successful because he was so well liked in high school, but he never really worked or studied hard in high school, so he was never really ‘magnificent’ in the first place.
Willy to Ben
“But the funeral-Ben , that funeral will be massive!…that boy will be thunderstruck, Ben because he never realized-I am known!”
- Willy wants Biff to believe in what Willy has told him about being well liked and having contacts, and dying the ‘death of a salesman.’ This is ironic because only his family and Charlie actually show up at the funeral. He also wants Biff to think better of him.
Willy to Ben
“Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket?”
- Willy, after the incident where Biff found out about his affair, had always thought Biff hated him (‘spite’), but he now found out that Biff still loved him, and additionally, he could now support Biff with insurance money (via suicide).
Willy to Linda
“I’m tired to death. (The flute has faded away…”
Physical struggle with long journeys
