Death of a salesmen: tragic characters; suffering; shame Flashcards
Willy rude to Linda - Act 1 Scene - Linda’s suffering
- “You didn’t crash the car, did you?” - odd Qs forshadows death
- “[with casual irritation]” - he is used to this - fem and marx critism
“I don’t want a change” - in reference to swiss cheese - bad temper childish - hurts Linda - “[with infinite patience]”
Willy Act 1 Scene 1 - forshadowing and suffering
“I’m tired to death” “[The flute has faded away He sits on the bed beside her, a little numb] - dream fading away; frustrated - forshadowing
- capatalist society - works to death
Willy’s comment about working and the house
“Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it.” - forshadow’s ending - miller highlights capitalist ideal
Stage direction says the boys are
“lost”
Biffs monologue - initial - key quotes
“nothing more inspiring or -beautiful than the side of a mare”
“twenty-eight dollars a week!”
“I come back here I know that all I’ve done is to waste my life” - always come back father/ societal pressure
- ecocritical - nature vs urbanisation - sense of freedom
Happy’s monologue - initial - key quotes
“plenty of women, And still goddamit, I’m lonely” - disatisfied - capatalist society
Willy reveals insecurities to linda
“I’m fat”
“But they do laugh at me. I know that” - keeping things from Linda - insecurities revealed further
Introduction of the woman
Linda: “The handsomest”
- “From the darkness is heard the laughter of a woman” - analepses - guilt - laughing - mocking?
Willy’s guilt/shame about stockings revealed
“I won’t have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out!”
Willy’s mental confusion shows - shame
- ref to biff stealing
- all at once hear’s women’s laughter + Linda and Bernard talking of whats wrong with Biff - Perhaps Willy is making the link in his head
“Shut up!” - x2 - willy - denial; willy’s mistake/ guilt / chaotic mind is emphasised
“exploding at her” - explodes at Linda
“Willy is alone in the kitchen, wilting and staring. The leaves are gone” - ecocritical - idylic setting he wants dissapearing
“What is her stealing?” “Why is he stealing?” - shift in focus; uncertainty - subtle shift suggests confusion - fails to acknowledge his own blame
Charley offers Willy a job
“I got a job, I told you that” “What the hell are you offering me a job for” “Don’t insult me” “I got a good job”
How does Linda create empathy for willy
“he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him” “attention must be paid” “you call him crazy”
“the man is exhausted”
How does Linda reveal willy’s shame?
“When he has to go to Charley and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend … that it’s his pay” - exposition from linda in this monologue
Linda reveals what willy’s been trying to do
He’s been trying to kill himself.
Biff says people laugh at willy - willy enter’s scene + hears this significance
And who in the business world thinks I’m crazy?
- again contradictions - earlier in act one - referenced that people laugh at him - shame
Act 2: symbol of seed
“But not enough sun gets back there. Nothing’ll grow any more” - symbolic of leaving a legacy - house going to be paid off - realistic - forshadows end - capatalism - doesn;t respond to this
Scene where Willy asks for better job
“Can we talk a minute?” - constant interruptions
“[with increasing anger]” - “all I need to set my table is fifty dollars a week” - responds with “kid”
“[desperately]”
“business is business”
“angrily” - willy monologue “[barely interested]”
“there was respect, and comradeship, and gratitude” - long monologue emphasises breakdown - - polysindetic trycolon
“There were promises made across this desk!”
“a man is not a piece of fruit!” - not disposable - socialist
[banging his hand on the desk]
Willy - fired - realises
“Pull yourself together”
“grasping HOWARD’s arm” “I’m not a cripple” - ironic - leans on them emotionally - pride is cracking - harmatia
“Willy stares into space, exhausted”
willy visits bernard - stage direction
“small and alone”
Willy realises biff didn;t enroll into summer school cuz of him yeah he came to boston
“Willy stares in silence” - penny dropping
“with strong edge of resentment in his voice] … What about it?” - refuses to accept responsibility
- looks at him “as an instruder”
Willy rejects job from charley even after getting fired
“I don’t want your goddam job”
- need to grow up
“furiously] you big ignoramus … I’ll rap you one” [ready to fight]
willy is given money by charley
then fordowing of death
“he puts the money in willy’s hand”
“funny, y’know? … you end up worth more dead than alive”
“Willy stands still, dreaming” - planning suicide
Biff finds willy with woman
“Biff remains motionless, tears falling”
“Dad…” x 2
willy “infected by it” - guilt
“you gave her Mama’s stockings!” - betrayal
“you fake! You phony little fake! you fake!”
willy’s death is planned - need;s seeds
“nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground”
willy debating on death
“a man can’t go out the way he came in, ben, a man has got to add up to something”
“twenty thousand dollars” - life insurance
“i am known”
Biff realisation
“I saw the things that I love in this world”
“why am i trying to become what i don’t want to be?” - desperate and emotional
- extended monologue
- in common with willy
- hole life been a lie
- marx crit
“I’m nothing!” - x2 “sobbing”
“why is he crying?” - confused
Willy’s death
“the music crashes down in a frenzy of sound” - music emphasises climax and death
“the leaves of day are appearing over everything” - tension: climax - ecocritical
