Quotes

Question 1

Act 1

Willys description

Answer 1

His exhaustion is apparent

Opening description

Question 2

Act 1

Linda’s love for Willy

Answer 2

She more than loves him, she admires him

Opening Description

megalopsychia

Question 3

Act 1

Dream - Stage directions

Answer 3

An air of the dream clings to the place, a dream rising up out of reality

Opening Description

The dream within the setting

Question 4

Act 1

Willys nature/treatment of linda

Answer 4

His mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties

Opening description

Question 5

Act 1

Willys exhaustion/foreshadowing

Answer 5

I’m tired to death. (The flute has faded away…

Willy

Physical struggle

Question 6

Act 1

Lindas gentle care

Answer 6

(very carefully, delicately)

Stage directions

Question 7

Act 1

Willys inflated self importance

Answer 7

I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England.

Willy

he is defined by his career, he crumbles when hes not needed

Question 8

Act 1

Willy’s frustration/capitalism

Answer 8

Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it

Willy

Question 9

Willy’s contradictions

(about biff)

Answer 9

Biff is a lazy bum!
…
There’s one thing about Biff - he’s not lazy.

Willy

Shows his mind degrading

Question 10

Biff’s description

Answer 10

and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s

Description

sets him up as a character who will rebel

Question 11

Popularity ≠ Sucess

Answer 11

He’s liked, but not well-liked.

Biff about Bernard

willys obssesion with sucess and popularity passed to his son

Question 12

Willy’s perception of Ben

Answer 12

The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich!

Willy about Ben

willy says it first, then ben repeates it - rienforcing he is in his imagination, just repeats Willy’s thoughts

Question 13

Linda convaying the plays message

Answer 13

I don’t say he’s a great man. Willie Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived. [But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He’s not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog.] Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person.

Linda about Willy

Direct cry to human dignity, all men deserve respect and attention, no man should die feeling like he didnt matter.

Question 14

disposable nature of employees

Answer 14

You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit.

Willy about the company

articulation of lindas speech, argues employers have a responsibility - gave his youth now deserves to be take care off

Question 15

Requiem

Willy’s Hamartia

Answer 15

“He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong… He never knew who he was.”

(Blind faith in theamerican dream, inabilty to understand himself)

Monosyllables create an air of finality

Question 16

Willy’s realisation

Answer 16

After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive.

worthless years of work, subsistence worker

also realises his life insurance’s large premium

Question 17

Biff’s realisation

Answer 17

I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.

Biff coming to terms with his fathers illusions of success

spent his life trying to live up to his fathers expectations

Question 18

Willy’s realisation

seeds

Answer 18

I’ve got to get some seeds. I’ve got to get some seeds, right away. Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground.

willy

its too late to grow a future for his sons, at least he can plant vegetables to provide after he is gone

Question 19

Happy and the cycle of failure

Answer 19

I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have - to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him.

Happy at the funeral

Happy has become the idealist, happy is blatantly wrong willy did die in vain

Question 20

Millers use of language to Elavate the common man

Answer 20

Biff to Willy - “a Prince”
Willy to Biff - “Like a young God, Hercules…”

elevates and dignifies all ordinary american citizens.

Question 21

Happy about women

Answer 21

I just keep knockin’ them over and it doesn’t mean anything.

Happy

Question 22

fear of reality

Willy

Answer 22

“They seem to laugh at me.” “I’m not noticed”

Willy

Question 23

Linda and the woman

Answer 23

“The handsomest. [from the darkness is heard the laughter of a woman. It continues through Linda’s lines]”

Linda & Directions

Question 24

Willy seeks validation from the American dream (Ben)

Answer 24

“That’s just the way I’m bring them up, Ben - rugged, well liked, all-around”

Willy to bens ghost

Question 25

Linda (tragedy of the common man)

Answer 25

“a small man can be just as exhausted as a great man” | Linda about willy

Question 26

Music -biff

Answer 26

“A carpenter is allowed to whistle!” | Biff

Question 27

Howard the realist

Answer 27

“This is no time for false pride Willy” | Howard

Question 28

Industrialisation -willy

Answer 28

“You can see nothing out there, they’ve boxed in the whole goddam neighbourhood” | Willy

Question 29

Biff self discovery

Answer 29

“When all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am” | Biff

Question 30

Linda’s final words

Answer 30

“I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody home.” “We’re free. We’re free… we’re free…” | Linda

Question 31

Setting

Answer 31

"we are aware of towering, angualr shapes behind, surrounding it on all sides" & "we see a solid vault of apartment houses" ## Footnote densely populated urban setting, oppressive presense of the tower blocks, "vault" evokes associations of deathly tombs.

Question 32

lindas fear

Answer 32

"why? what happend? (slight pause) did something happen, willy?" "i came back" | foreshadowing ## Footnote hints hes untrustworthy he spensd nights away from the fmaily home - name willy is demeaning william supposedly great, suggests he is a shell of a suposed great man

Answer 33

"theres more people thats whats ruining this country | irony ## Footnote hates what theyre doing but doesnt recognise hes part of the problem, speaks with assumed authroity on the citys social dynamics - beleif hes more important than he is

Question 34

willys flaws

Answer 34

"did you see the ceiling i put up in the living room?" | symbolism irony ## Footnote Seeks approval, the ceiling i a symbol of entrapment, suffocation - and he put it up symbolises his outdates delusions towards work and masculity that are stunting his growth,

Question 35

THE FLUTE

Answer 35

serves as a subtle reminder of the adverturous and pioneering past in the loman family "father sold flues he made along the way on a road trip2 taunts willy with his failure to achieve greatness like his brother.

Question 36

willys status

Answer 36

"i dont say hes a great man but hes a human being" | dramatic irony ## Footnote main message of the play - the common man is just as apt a tragic hero as a noble one, we feel pity for linda defending a man we know to be disloyal

Question 37

happy

Answer 37

"im going to get marreid mom. i wanted to tell you." "go to sleep dear." | repetition tone ## Footnote desperate fro attention - mirrors willys obession with validation from the business world. name recalls the founding principels of the untited states (life liberty and the pursuit of happiness) in the decleration of independences ironic because he is jaded and disenchanted

Answer 38

"not enough sun gets back here. nothing will grown anymore" | iimagrey symbolism ## Footnote failure and dissapointments of the loman family, declining fortunes contrast brightness. builidung stifle the opportunty to grow - lomans chances