Willy as a tragic victim Flashcards
(24 cards)
-initial CHARACTERISATION of Willy almost collapsing in his own home from exhaustion EVOKES PATHOS from the audience, which Miller with toy with throughout the play, establishing a level of sympathy and possibly empathy
[He is past sixty years of age’ ‘His exhaustion is apparent’ ‘soreness of his palms]
-Willy’s first spoken line being illustrates how he is tired to death of working, almost uncertainty in whether he will even survive his work, mirrored in his reckless driving → ‘i suddenly couldn’t drive anymore. The car kept going off onto the shoulder’ SYMBOLISES how he is running out of steam to keep him on the straight and narrow
‘it’s all right, I came back’
-despite the nature of his job as a travelling salesman - venturing into all different regions, yet he is RESTRICTED and doesn’t get the luxury or AGENCY to be able to travel out west
-beginning of the end, LONGING for nature and despite travelling for years and years he has never seemed to end up anymore → SENSE OF INEVITABILITY IN HIS DEATH
- encapsulates Willy’s struggles with aging, DISILLUSIONMENT, and his failing grip on reality, all of which are core to the play’s exploration of the HUMAN CONDITION and the pitfalls of chasing an unrealistic dream
‘you can imagine me looking at scenery on the road every week of my life. But it’s so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick and the sun is so warm’
-MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DECLINE Willy’s inability to focus while driving highlights his deteriorating mental state, a symptom of his advancing age and growing stress. It suggests that he is no longer able to function effectively in his demanding profession as a traveling salesman, which relies on long hours and constant vigilance
“Suddenly I realise I’m going sixty miles an hour and I don’t remember the last five minutes,”
this line highlights Willy’s declining mental health and his growing awareness of his disorientation and instability
-the ADJECTIVE implies that Willy himself finds his thoughts unsettling or irrational, which reflects his confusion and inability to control his mental state
→it suggests a moment of VULNERABILITY, as Willy momentarily admits that something is wrong, even though he typically tries to maintain a facade of confidence.
→his moment also hints at his REOCCURRING SUICIDAL IDEATION as it aligns with his later behaviour and eventual tragic end
‘I have such strange thoughts’
-Sense of absolute OPPRESSION and ENTRAPMENT and physical restraints suffocating him → idea of SUFFOCATING linking to his suicidal ideation - ‘Why don’t you open a window in here, for God’s sake?’
-His life seems to be collapsing around him, despite when the Lomans first moved to Brooklyn where they seemed to have much more space, prospects and hope, grew plants in the back garden
→ In contrast, now Willy feels confined in his own home and feels very trapped - this is enhanced by the stage set of claustrophobic buildings
‘They have us boxed in here’
-Linda is a MOUTHPIECE for Miller, conveying the argument that his flaws are not responsible for his downfall and yet more likely attributable to HUMAN CONDITION → TRAGIC PROTAGONIST
-CAPITALISM distracts from understanding others and recognising our humanity
‘He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being’
-TRAGEDY OF THE COMMON MAN - not of noble status so on the surface he doesn’t have far to fall for his tragic downfall
HOWEVER
-he has big dreams and aspirations which METAPHORICALLY position him higher → his ‘greatness’ is evident in his dreaming - he has a lot to lose
‘Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper’
-reveals the cut-throat nature of the CORPORATE WORLD reflecting CONSUMER CULTURE and how Willy has now become a TRAGIC VICTIM of this, he has reached his ‘shelf life’
-CAPITALISM favours profits over people - encouraging Willy to take his own life, the CAPITALIST AND CORPORATE WORLD play the true TRAGIC VILLAIN bringing about Willy’s demise
‘Unheard-of-territories to their trademark and now in his old age they take his salary away’
-trying to kill himself with things in the house and the car which are SYMBOL of material success, MATERIALISM is slowly killing him
-the SETTING of the basement reflects that Willy wants to keep his death secret, hiding his suicide with shame at the lowest level of the house in a dark space
-ADJECTIVE of little downplays the reality and gravity of his suicide to respect his PRIDE - avoiding to face the DEFEAT of his pursuit of the AMERICAN DREAM
-Linda’s ROLE AS A WIFE is to support Willy’s work and dream
‘the little rubber pipe’
-Howard expressing the sentiment of CAPITALISM’S UNFORGIVING NATURE, doesn’t appreciate or account for the struggles of the less fortunate
‘it’s a business kid and everybody’s got to pull his own weight’
-suggests Willy is lost in the CAPITALIST WORLD and needs to find somewhere to settle instead of pursuing his futile corporate dream
-ADJECTIVE of ‘little’ is indicative of his fragility and vulnerability as a TRAGIC VICTIM
-acts as a MONOLOGUE as Linda is on the phone and we cannot hear Biff’s response - reinforces the theme of ISOLATION, emphasises the DISCONNECT between Willy and his sons
‘He’s only a little boat looking for a harbour’
-use of SOUND from Howard’s recording device serves as an EXPRESSIONISTIC DEVICE making the scene disorientating - the echoing of Howard’s children’s voices imposes a painful inescapable reminder of all that Willy doesn’t have - infiltrating his senses with his achievement of the AMERICAN DREAM
-emphasises the stark CONTRAST between Willy’s failure and Howard’s success
‘Howard, I think I’ll get one of those machines.’
-TRIADIC STRUCTURE shows how Willy yearns for a place in society where his efforts are recognised and appreciated - something he is TRAGICALLY yet to experience
‘be remembered and loved and helped by so many people’
-Willy TRAGICALLY admires his legacy - yet to achieve the legacy and respect of Dave and most likely never will do
-Willy is the opposite and is easily discarded and lost in the CONSUMERIST AMERICAN DREAM
‘when he died hundreds of salesmen and buyers attended his funeral’
-MOTIF OF LONELINESS evokes PATHOS to an extent reminding us of Willy’s humanity
HOWEVER
-Willy lacks any true excuse, and this moment expresses how the BEHAVIOUR OF THE PROTAGONIST is affecting those around him, this affair is breaking down his family dynamic
-CAPITALISM culturally binds all of society to the extent it takes the primary role in dictating Willy’s own life and leading to his TRAGIC DEMISE
[TO THE WOMAN] ‘I was lonely’
[TO BIFF] ‘I was lonely’
ANALEPSIS of the FLASHBACKS to the incident with the women serves as an…
EXPRESSIONISTIC DEVICE exemplifying the fragile and disorientated state of Willy’s mind, connecting moments of failure through a blending of the past and the present
-HOMAGE TO CLASSICAL TRAGEDY - Biff recognising his efforts despite not being a noble prince or esteemed figure, use of MODIFICATION of the typical tragic hero as the modern man, calling him a prince is elevating his status
-MODIFIERS of troubled and underappreciated are OXYMORONIC showing Millers blending of historical and modern TRAGIC GENRE revealing Willy’s suffering and hardships in the modern age
‘You’ve just seen a prince walk by. A fine, troubled prince. A hard-working underappreciated prince’
-Willy’s moment of ANAGNORISIS → giving away the most precious thing to him, his money
-paints a picture of his mental state, a sense of LOSS OF HOPE is overwhelming - not motivation coinciding with themes of ABANDONMENT
‘here’s some more I don’t need it anymore’
-MOTIF of the FRONTIER AMERICA DREAM, moment of ANAGNORISIS for Willy rejecting the CAPITALIST DREAM
-Willy is seeking a TANGIBLE LEGACY as an achievement, METAPHOR of growth → illustrates his desperation for having something to show for his life → perception of DEATH
‘I’ve got to get some seeds right away! Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground’
-EXPRESSIONISTIC STYLE conveying the fragility and overwhelming state of Willy’s mind, he is being consumed by his own mental issues
[SOUNDS, FACES, VOICES SEEM TO BE SWARMING IN UPON HIM AND HE FLICKS AT THEM CRYING]
-links to the opening scene where Willy is fixated on driving as a way to escape
-MATERIALISM is literally driving him to his death, being killed by his own car, still chasing the AMERICAN DREAM right up to his death
[SOUND OF A CAR MOVING AWAY AT FULL SPEED]
-Willy returning to his brother’s success and allowing it to guide him emphasises his DESPERATION to emulate this success - TRAGEDY is the only way he will provide for his family is when he dies and leaves them his money
‘Ben… where do I…. how do I’
-no people attending Willy’s funeral illustrates the ISOLATING effects of CAPITALISM and how there is a lack of human connection
-complete opposition of Dave Singleman’s funeral → TRAGIC misguided delusion of Willy to go into sales, he hasn’t become well liked, well respected or a legend, instead chasing the dream has inevitably resulted in his demise
‘Why didn’t anyone come?’
