DOAS 2.5 Flashcards
Happy in this section
. Confidence: talking to Stanley + moving furniture
. Extravagance: champagne, cocktail, lobster
. Cool + efficient: calls evening a “little celebration”
. Boasts Biff is “a big cattle man”, lies “Biff is a quarterback with the New York Giants” to the girl
. Calls girl “strudel” and “honey”: sexuality
. Empty character - doesn’t live up to name
Uneasy Biff
. Distracted, doesn’t engage with girl
. Asks Happy nervous questions
. “Hap, look -“ he’s cut off, disinterested Happy
Biff’s meeting with Bill Oliver - realisation at office
. Anagnorisis: “I’m not the man somebody lends that kind of money to
. Illusions shattered: “I realised what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been”
. Has never been a salesman, Willy “thinks I’ve been spiting him all these years and it’s eating him up”
. “How the hell did I ever get the idea that I was a salesman?” new honesty
Happy’s denial of Biff’s realisation
. Wants him to lie to W: “Say you got a lunch date”
. Delaying inevitable, hopes that Willy “thinks it over for a couple of weeks, and gradually it fades away”
. Wants to preserve the illusion of Biff as salesman
. Biff: “It’ll go on forever”, must end the lies
Happy fooling himself
. Based on good intentions
. Knows his father is “never so happy as when he’s looking forward to something!”
. Pathos - Willy always looks to a brighter future, never happy in the present, lives in permanent anticipation
. “I took his fountain pen” reminds us of Biff’s early stealing habits - Biff recognises how serious this is
Biff’s convo with Willy
. “Everything go all right?” H replies “Terrific, Pop”
. “I had an experience today”, Willy can twist this
. B wants to talk “cold fact”, W prefers embellishment
. B wasn’t a salesman for Oliver but a “shipping clerk”
. W: “But you were practically-“ B: “Let’s hold onto the facts tonight”
Willy leading the convo
. “the woods are burning” “I was fired today”
. “the woman has… suffered” emotional blackmail
. “I haven’t got a story left in my head” he lies
. “not interested in… facts and aspects” idealism
. Determined for good news: “he gave you a warm welcome?” “Imagine, man doesn’t see him for ten, twelve years and gives him that kind of a welcome”
Biff is drawn in
. “Betcha he threw his arm around you”
. “Yeah he gave me a couple of -“ realises
. Happy embellishes lie: “He told him my Floridian idea”
. Biff is finally beaten: “Well - I talked. And he listened see.”
Biff’s strength of character
. he “breaks off, suddenly angry”
. Willy is angered by this, flies into a rage
. Biff gives up “I can’t talk to him” we sympathise
. Willy peddles a version of the truth and is determined to have his version accepted - like a salesman
Events build to Climax 1
. Start of section: single trumpet note - recalls start of play + flute that reminds Willy of his father
. Biff’s math failure is raised, upsets him: “I’m gonna tell you what happened and you’re going to listen to me.”
. Willy turns attention to Linda + young Bernard
. Light on house “snaps out” bringing us to present
. Willy still in the past “I didn’t flunk math - you did!”
Events become more frantic 2
. Willy sees theft of Bill’s pen “My God, Biff!”
. Goes back to past - two diff time schemes at once
. Responds to operator’s voice wildly, Biff asks in a “frightened” tone, “Dad what’s the matter?”
. Increased tension, Biff kneels + promises to “make good” despite Willy’s cruel denial
Biff changes his story 3
. He can’t cope with Willy’s lapse into the past: he weakens, adopts Willy’s positive version
. “He said it was just a question of the amount… I’m supposed to have lunch with them tomorrow”
. Biff is “agonised”
The Theft
. “I took the ball years ago and now I walk in with his fountain pen?”
. Biff took pen to avoid confronting Bill
. Theft can be seen as revenge: didn’t want to reward Willy by becoming successful
. Biff punishes Willy through own failure
. “Are you spiting me?” Willy sees it this way
The Climax of the section
. Willy strikes Biff: shocking
. Happy separates them
. Discord + disharmony in family
. Result of years of bad feeling and resentment building between the two
The Woman’s Voice
. Why Biff resents his father - his infidelity
. Biff is past making excuses for Willy - ignores him
. Non-chronology shows torment in Willy’s mind
. Reminded of similarities between Happy and Willy: both flirtatious with women
. Woman says to “answer the door!” confuses Willy
. Past + present interwoven - Willy’s mental state
