Charley and Ben and Howard and Dave Singleman

Question 1

What is the significance of the fact that Willy says he should’ve went to “Alaska” with is brother, who “walked into a jungle” yet “the man knew what he wanted”? Act 1

Answer 1

Willy is blind to the actual procurement of financial success being either from luck ,such as his brother Ben who intended on going to “Alaska” but ended up “into a jungle”, or hard work such as Charley and Bernard who Willy suggest are “worms”, being physically weaker and therefore inferior. In actual fact it is the lack of direction Willy has that led him to determine his own perception of how to be successful, following the work of Charley in which he does not intellectually compare, while attempting to achieve the fortunes of his brother Ben who acquired his wealth through chance, and in fact did not know “what he wanted”.

Question 2

“Ben, ___ ______ _ teach them?” Act 1 Willy

Answer 2

how should I

Question 3

Howard

“[he only ______ over his shoulder __ _____ _______]” Act 2

Answer 3

glances

as WILLY appears

Question 4

“_______ is _______” - Howard to Willy Act 2

Answer 4

business is business

Question 5

“died the death of a salesman in his _____ ______ ______” Act 2

Answer 5

green velvet slippers

Question 6

“________ of salesmen and _______ were at his funeral” Act 2

Answer 6

hundreds

buyers

Question 7

Explore

“died the death of a salesman in his green velvet slippers” Act 2

Answer 7

Willy’s mythologizing of Dave Singleman contributes to his deluded understanding of the world; a direct parallel to the way in which he compared the mythic Greek figures Adonis and Hercules to his own sons as pinnacles of “personal attractiveness.” Undoubtedly the focus point of Willy’s life is his materialistic desire for being well like in order to have success, which “green”, the colour of the American dollar, symbolises. Noticeably the monetal value of “velvet” reinforces the luxury of the mythic salesman lifestyle. As Miller intends to construct Willy as the “embodiment of the common man” it is important that his indoctrinated idea of the capitalist American Dream solidifies his modern tragedy as an ordinary, “common” man, a universal concept. It could be considered purposeful that in presenting Willy as a victim of the Dream, he is consequently functions as a tool by which the Dream continues because of its futile optimism. Possibly this sense of inevitability is what Miller believes cements the tragedy of the common man.
Miller thereby uses Willy as a machine of
Capitalist America, causing his own tragedy from his materialistic obsession as well as having detrimental effects on his family from the deceit and fantasies in which he has conditioned
them to (“I am not a dime a dozen). This compares to capitalist America which similarly causes crippling financial strain and thus, the tragic fall of the “common man”.

Question 8

What is the significant of
“Dave Singleman”
and
“When he died hundreds of salesman and buyers were at his funeral” Act 2

Answer 8

Willy does not recognise the value of familial relationships and instead focuses on the measurement of success in relation to his financial wealth, which in turn has dismantled the Loman family unit. Though “Dave Singleman” had wealth and “hundreds of salesmen and buyers” at his funeral, he had no one in which to share his wealth as a “singleman” and no intimate family to attend his “funeral”, Miller thus possible has used this peripheral character to emphasis the lack of understanding Willy has about the meaning of the American Dream, providing the audience with a moral message of the importance of family. Willy fathoms being “remembered and loved” as the ultimate satisfaction, arguably this is because he desires to be validated in a way that his family’s love could never satisfy. Through focusing on Singleman’s high esteem as a salesman, Willy ignores the reality that he was still working at 84 likely experiencing the same financial difficulties and pressures with no loving family to console him.

Question 9

“I can’t ___ _____ from a ______” - Howard Act 2

Answer 9

take blood

stone

Question 10

Explore

“I can’t take blood from a stone” Howard Act 2

Answer 10

“I can’t take blood from a stone,” corroborates with the metaphor that compares to Willy himself in that he is “used up” early in Act 2. The impact of this therefore suggests Willy has nothing left to offer as a salesman as he has been figuratively “used up” by capitalist America, which subsequently foreshadows his death at the end of the Act. It could as well be argued that the fact Howard categorises Willy as a “stone” is clear in exploring that in the business world Willy is a commodity that is “used up” and then set aside, a point reinforced when Willy asserts that “you can’t eat the organise and throw the peel away” Howard implies Willy has no vitality in the fact that he “can’t take blood”, this parallels with the idea of the lack of life such as when Linda in the beginning of Act 2 asserted “nothing’ll grow”, which communicates the semantic field of death in the novel arguably used by Miller to foreshadow the fate of Willy in his tragic fall.

Question 11

What is the significance of HOWARD saying

“I think you need a good long rest?

Answer 11

As Howard symbolises the voice of capitalism, the insinuations of this infers that he encourages Willy’s death as does his brother Ben, who advise that Willy “rest’”. It is dramatically ironic that it is this advice which could have saved him, yet cemented his death. His failure to achieve the heroic status of Singleman, ultimately meant that he had to find salvation for his meaningless legacy in death from his life insurance.

Question 12

ben
“Lay your hand on it” Act 2
What is the significance of this?

Answer 12

Ben endorses the materialistic measurement of success through undermining the modest life Willy had of love and a strong familial unit as it is nothing something he could “lay [his] hand on” as opposed to “diamonds”. Willy’s obvious financial stress is thereby heightened by the isolation he induces upon himself by his fantasies, having no one to talk to

Question 13

Willy to Ben

“am I _____?”

Answer 13

right

Question 14

“nobody’s worth nothin’ dead”

Answer 14

Charley acts as a voice of reason suggesting that success is worth “nothin’” if you don’t live. Willy can’t see that he is worth more to his family than the amount he earns.

Question 15

“the jungle is ____ but full of ________” Ben to Willy Act 2

Answer 15

dark

diamonds

Question 16

Explore

“the jungle is dark but full of diamonds” Act 2

Answer 16

Ben’s final mantra in Act 2 turns Willy’s suicide into a moral struggle and a matter of commerce. Ben ultimately embodies Willy’s subconscious and vocalises his internal recognition of the fruitless and emotionally ruinous life as a salesman. The “diamond” marks a tangible reminder of material success and the eternal tragedy Willy Loman faced; in the end selling himself for the metaphorical diamond of 20,000 dollars. The “dark” “jungle” symbolises Willys suicide with the “diamonds” giving reference to the insurance money which is frustrating to the audience as he still has not recognised that “nobody’s worth nothin’ dead”. Here Miller differentiates between classical tragedy and modern domestic tragedy through the point that there is no anagnorisis where Willy has realised his mistakes in following the wrong dream, only his mistakes in not being successful. As a result Miller implies that the tragedy of the common man is cyclical due to the authority the American Dream has, fuelled by capitalism that the possibility of excessive wealth is tangible which leaves Willy entrapped; illustrated by the way Miller seems to repeat the two Acts. It can then be indicated Happy will continue this structure of inherent denial as he claims he will “beat this racket” and thus also follow the same tragic fall which is universal.

Question 17

“Willy ___ _ salesman” - Charley at the Requiem

Answer 17

was a

Question 18

Explore the quote

“Willy was a salesman”

Answer 18

Charley’s prognosis of Willy’s rapid decline is logical and grounded firmly in practical reasoned analysis. He has recognised Willy’s financial failure, as can be seen from his job offer in Act 2, and while their relationship is somewhat ambiguous, Charley understands his plight and shields him from blame. Therefore Charley again acts as the voice of reason and is used by Miller perhaps to convey the view that salesmen are apart of a superficial domain that dominates the western world which the “common man” does not command and therefore fall themselves at the mercy of the inevitability of disappointment from the illusion of success capitalism provides.

Question 19

ben and the “jungle”, how is he a symbol of capitalism?

Answer 19

He is a representation of capitalism because Ben earns his success in the “jungle” which has associations to the “survival of the fittest” that couples with the competitive reality of a capitalist world. Willy’s peripeteia is therefore his attempt to be successful while following the wrong dream due to the wrong role-model. Therefore, just as Ben augments Willy’s tragedy, it could be implied that Willy’s impact on Biff and Happy could have a similar effect.

Question 20

“[He tries to make Willy face him but Willy pulls away and moves to the left]”

Answer 20

Millers use of stage directions , “[He tries to make Willy face him but Willy pulls away and moves to the left]” though is literally directional instructions, Miller allows on stage the physical actions of the characters to dramatically communicate to the audience, metaphorically, his intent. The intent insinuated is the idea Biff figuratively is symbolic of reality while Willy “pulls away” in self deception and towards the falsity of the American Dream. Moreover, the precise dramatic direction in which Willy moves to the “[left]” foreshadows his tragic fall as he has not both physically or figuratively made the “right” decision in listening to Biff who transcended the barrier of the dream world and therefore also has escaped the same tragedy which confused his father.

Question 21

According to Willy, Ben was the only man who ever knew what>

Answer 21

“knew the answers”

Question 22

Why is Charley and his son despised?

Answer 22

as they both “can’t hammer a nail” and present the same manly behaviour advocated by Ben, Willy, Biff and Happy

Question 23

When speaking to Ben, what revealing remark does Willy say, although Ben hurries off to a business appointment?

Answer 23

that he feels “kind of temporary about myself”

Question 24

What does the conversation between Howard and Willy reflect?

Answer 24

the reality of capitalism- economic facts cannot be changed by emotion. This ultimately proves that the belief on which a salesman life is founded-that his psychological approach can win the day- is shown to be a myth

Question 25

What does the American Dream ambition suggest about the pioneers ambition which Ben symbolises?

Answer 25

the need to settle down, build your own home and venture out into the wilderness, making their fortune

Question 26

How does Charley eloquently reflect his sympathy for WIlly?

Answer 26

states that “He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine”

Question 27

Since Ben is not real, how can we, the audience, interpret this?

Answer 27

as evidence of Willy’s fragile state of mind

Question 28

explore

“So this is Brooklyn” -Ben

Answer 28

Ben’s overall contemptuous demeanour implies that he might have expected more from Brooklyn, which the chuckling adds too. From this we infer that Willy believed that status was the uppermost in Ben’s mind.

Question 29

What could be interpreted from the fact that when Willy admits his profession is “selling”, ben swiftly leaves?

Answer 29

as Ben is a figment of Willy’s imagination at this point, this may signify a repressed shame about his profession

Question 30

What does Willy say to Howard about how selling used to be and how it is now?

Answer 30

“There was respect, and comradeship, and gratitude in it, Howard”

“it’s all cut and dried”

Question 31

How is it ironic that Howard plays with the “wire-recording machine” while Willy tries to ask him for a favour?

Answer 31

it is ironic that as Willy attempts to ask Howard a favour, it is Howard’s love for his family that intervenes and prevents him from acknowledging Willy’s request

Question 32

explore the fact that Howard states “business is business” which follows with Willy’s story about being a boy

Answer 32

Howard clearly expresses a pragmatic approach to selling, “business is business.” In other words, the only consideration is whether the move for Willy will increase profits. Willy, however, seems to take up the reference to youth which indicates a regression to a juvenile fantasy. In this instance, Howard becomes the father figure and symbol of power, referring to Willy as “kid” and explaining why Willy returns in a child like demeanour.

Question 33

explore

“He’s a man out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine”

Answer 33

Charley’s speech in the requiem about the nature of the salesman’s dreams eulogizes Willy as a victim of his difficult profession. His poetic assessment of sales defends his death and attributes his work to the sort of mythic quality that Willy himself had always envisioned about it. Charley likens the salesman to a heroic, courageous sailor “out there in the blue” with nothing to guide him and powerful forces against which to contend. It is noted that there is a great disparity between the enormity of the salesman’s task and the piddling tools with which he is equipped: Willy had only the insubstantial smile on his face and shine of his shoe with which to sell himself:Failure faded Willy’s smile and smudged his shoe, which made it even more difficult to sell himself. Willy still had to go out and give it his best, because “a salesman is got to dream.” Charley’s sympathy reveals itself in this remark—he understands that Willy didn’t simply feel compelled to sell; rather, Willy failed even to recognize that he had any choice in life.

Question 34

While Linda’s lucid diagnosis of Willy’s rapid decline is made possible by her emotional sanity, Charley’s prognosis of the situation is what in contrast?

Answer 34

is logical, grounded firmly in practical reasoned analysis. He recognises Willy’s financial failure and the job offer that he extends to Willy constitutes a commonsense solution. While his and Willy’s relationship is ambiguous, he understands his plight and shields him from blame.