Death of a Salesman Flashcards
(22 cards)
What are four quotes for Willy Lowman?
“I’m the New England man, I’m vital in New England” (Act One)
“Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich” (Act One)
“You can’t eat an orange and throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit” (Act Two)
“After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive” (Act Two)
What is the analysis of “I’m the New England man, I’m vital in New England”?
Willy’s entire self-definition is centred around his career. He isn’t the man who does sales for New England; he is the New England man. He believes himself to be vital to the company, but in reality, it is the company which is vital to him.
What is the analysis of “Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich”?
Although Willy is the first one to use this line, Ben repeats it many times throughout the play, making it clear that Ben is only a figment of Willy’s imagination. Willy has attached all his ideas of success to the abstract concept of Ben.
What is the analysis of “You can’t eat an orange and throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit”?
This is Willy’s articulation of Linda’s “attention must be paid” speech. Willy isn’t asking for attention or dignity, he’s arguing directly to his employer that there must be responsibility taken for employees. Willy gave his youth to the company, and now the company must take care of him.
What is the analysis of “After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive”?
Willy is expressing the worthlessness of all his years of work. He never earned enough to save anything, and he didn’t build or grow. Now his job is done and he has nothing left. This realisation, along with his large life insurance policy is what drives him to commit suicide.
What are two quotes for Biff?
“He’s liked, but not well-liked” (Act One)
“I realised what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been” (Act Two)
What is the analysis of “He’s liked, but not well-liked”?
Willy’s recipe for success is entirely centred around a cult of personality. Most are liked by their friends and family, but only great men, according to Wily, are well-liked, and that’s what brings them to success. Willy’s belief in personal connections has been passed onto his sons.
What is the analysis of “I realised what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been”?
This is Biff coming to terms with the fact that his father’s illusions of success for him were truly just illusions and nothing more. Biff has spent his life trying to live up to an impossible vision of himself that never actually existed.
What is one quote for Linda?
“He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being” (Act One)
What is the analysis of “He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being”?
This is the play’s direct cry for human dignity. The thesis of Linda’s speech - and of Death of a Salesman as a whole - is that all men deserve respect and attention. No human being is disposable and no man should die without feeling he mattered.
What is one quote for Happy?
“He had a good dream… He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him”
What is the analysis of “He had a good dream… He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him”?
This shows that Happy has now become the idealist, while Biff has accepted the truth and is leaving town to start over. Happy now has the chance to succeed and the urge to be something. Perhaps he will succeed, but more likely he too will fail. Willy died in vain and Happy cannot change that.
What is one quote for Charley?
“The only thing you got in the world is what you can sell. And the funny thing is that you’re a salesman and you don’t know that” (Act Two)
What is the analysis for “The only thing you got in the world is what you can sell. And the funny thing is that you’re a salesman and you don’t know that”?
Charley, Willy’s neighbour, speaks these words to try and make Willy realise that his skill of selling things isn’t up to date anymore. Therefore, he isn’t successful in the field. He is challenging and also mocking Willy for his lack of knowledge.
What are the contexts that link to Death of a Salesman?
- Arthur Miller.
- The Creation of DOAS.
- Aristotle’s Depiction of Tragedy.
- The American Dream.
What is Arthur Miller’s context?
Arthur Miller (1915-2005) was an American playwright and essayist. As a young man, he experienced the emotional strains placed on family relationships through the Great Depression, which left an impression on him. He also worked for a brief time himself as a salesman.
What is the context of the creation of Death of a Salesman?
DOAS was partly based on Miller’s own family history, inspired by his cousin and uncle, as well as other family members. It was something he kept coming back to throughout his life.
What is Aristotle’s Depiction of Tradegy?
Aristotle tells us that tragedy should be the fall of a great person through a fatal flaw, that it offers catharsis and purging of the emotions. Miller did not see tragedy that way, he saw it more as domestic drama, with ordinary people. Miller particularly focused on social injustice.
What is the American Dream?
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, which declares that freedoms, prosperity, success and social mobility can all be achieved through hard work. It implies that society has few barriers preventing anyone from achieving their dreams, should they put in enough effort. In DOAS, Ben Lowman represents someone who has achieved this goal/ ideal. Having lived through the Great Depression in the 1930s, Miller experienced significant doubts about the American Dream’s promise of being universally beneficial, as shown through Willy Lowman.
What are two critical quotes relating to DOAS?
Sheila Hustel - “Willy fell only from an imagined height.”
Arthur Miller - “The tragedy of Willy Lowan is that he gave his life, or sold it, in order to justify the waste of it.”
What are the moments of happiness within Death of a Salesman?
Moments of happiness within Death of a Salesman are rare, but they empathise the tragedy that unfolds.
- Willy’s flashbacks to Biff’s youth: Willy fondly remembers times when Biff was a high school football star. These memories are filled with pride and hope, representing a time when Willy believe in a bright future for is son and himself.
- Family moments around the dinner table: The scene when Biff, Happy, and Willy plan a business future together, before it falls apart, offers a short-lived sense of optimism.
- Linda’s love and loyalty: Linda provides emotional warmth and stability to the whole family. Her unwavering support for Willy, even in difficult times, offers a quiet and enduring form of love and happiness.
- Willy’s dream of success: Though ultimately tragic, Willy’s belief in the American Dream and vision of material success giveshim a purpose and moments of satisfaction, especially when imagining how well-liked he is.
How does a streetcar named desire by Tennessee Williams link to death of a salesman?
Both a street car named desire and death of the salesman were directed by Elia Kazan. The casts of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Millers place were often the same big stars. When the curtain goes up in DOAS, we see a fragmented set. A set that represents a very small pocked of land that hasn’t been overtaken by the high rise buildings all around it. This set is a reflection of the set in Streetcar Named Desire, which again is multiple occupancy housing and has street sounds, music and smells, in particular aftershave lotion. What these two writers are trying to do, is bring a new kind of realism to the American stage. We are going deeper into what shapes a home and a family, father, mother, two sons. Both plays critique the American Dream, Willy Loman clings to the belief that personal charm and being “well-liked” guarantee success, while Blanche DuBois dreams of returning to a lost, idealised past of Southern gentility. Both characters suffer when this dream collapses, Willy through suicide, Blanche through mental breakdown.
