Death of a Salesman Flashcards
What quote shows that Willy picked his job because he thought it would help him become well-liked?
“And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. ’Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?”
Explain how the quote “a diamond is hard and rough to touch” foreshadow Willy’s suicide at the end of the play?
Ben’s “diamonds in the dark” idea transforms Willy’s suicide into a chance for success. Unlike his dead-end meetings, Ben suggests death will bring a reward: the $20,000 insurance payout. Willy sees this as a final win, proving his worth and securing Biff’s future. This “diamond” replaces the material success Willy craved but never achieved. By taking his own life, Willy tragically fulfills his own dark prediction of being worth more dead than alive.
What does “Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground” show about Willy Loman?
Willy’s sudden urge to plant seeds in his tiny backyard reveals a deep emptiness. The garden becomes a desperate attempt to replace his failing career and Biff’s disappointing choices. He worries about leaving no mark, a stark contrast to his profession built on selling an intangible image. Willy’s choice of gardening suggests a subconscious longing for a different path, a path where his “roots” could have truly grown. He tragically fails to become the successful salesman he admires.
What does the quote “When did I lose my temper? I simply asked him if he was making any money. Is that a criticism?” show?
Willy Loman is responding to his wife Linda, who has admonished him for losing his temper and criticizing their son Biff. Willy’s defensive response reveals that money is a very touchy subject. Throughout the play, money is the persistent reality check on the characters’ self-deceptions and fantasies, and the need for money is the direct cause of many of the characters’ actions. When Willy asked Biff about money, his unspoken question was whether he could hope for any monetary help from his son.
What does the quote “The only thing you’ve got in this world is what you can sell” show about attitudes towards money?
The idea that you only have what you can sell makes it seem like only material things in life are important. This idea is suggesting that having a lot of money is the most important thing in life compared to happiness or being kind or being loved.
What does the quote “After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive” show about Willy’s outlook on life?
Willy is saying that because he does a lot of work and doesn’t earn any wages from it, Willy’s life insurance payout would be worth more than his salary. Willy is saying that this would make him worth more dead than alive, but he’s not taking into consideration other things that add up to his worth, highlighting the idea that Willy is a materialistic man that believes success and money are the most important thing.
What does the quote “We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house!” from Biff Loman show about the family?
The family do not communicate with each other to help make things easier. Willy used to lie to his sons to make himself seem more successful, Willy lied about the affair, Linda would lie about not knowing he was suicidal and would lie to her sons by getting them to believe Willy’s lies about being more successful.
What does the quote “A salesman is got to be liked.” show about Willy?
When Willy says this, it’s saying that he cares more about being well liked than having genuine connections. This explains why Willy often lied to his kids to make himself seem more successful, instead of being more open and honest with them, which could have helped him build more of a connection with them.
What does the quote “Be liked and you will never want” show about Willy?
Willy is saying that the key to success is being liked, but this doesn’t really work because even though Willy has met a lot of people in his workplace because he’s worked for the company for so long, he doesn’t make any salary because he is bad at sales.
How is the quote “Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, you are going to be five times ahead of him” ironic?
This quote is said in a flashback by Willy and he’s saying this to Biff. In the present, Biff is unemployed and Bernard is a successful lawyer. This is because Bernard spent his time getting the qualifications he’d need for a job and learning how to do the job, as for Biff he didn’t do that and spent the time trying to be well-liked but that didn’t work out because now he doesn’t have qualifications and that makes it harder for him to get a job.
What does the quote “I’m not bringing home any prizes any more, and you’re going to stop waiting for me to bring them home!” from Biff show about his character?
Willy believes that everything is going to work out and that he and his family will be rich if he keeps working the same job and tries his best to be liked, what Willy hasn’t noticed is that this plan hasn’t worked in years so it’s not going to work any time soon. Linda often lets Willy believe in this delusion, but Biff openly admits that his delusion is never going to be a reality and that he wants Willy to admit that they will never be rich.
