Historical and Literal Background Flashcards
the playwright was ronin 1915 and grew up during the American Depression, the economic crisis of the_____were many enterprises went bankrupt.
1930’s
Willy can pride himself on the fact that the Chevrolet is “the greatest car ever built” and treat it as a status symbol when it is working, and attack it when it needs repair; what doe she say about the car?
“That goddamn Chevrolet, they ought to prohibit the manufacture of that car!”
Willy is sensitive enough to notice how the neighbourhood has been charged for the worse by encroaching industrial society. He yearns for what type of existence?
a more rural existence and condemns the claustrophobic atmosphere created by the increased building
The social attitudes that Willy displays are those which were common when?
at the time of writing
The American Dream harks back to early American history when?
when pioneer conquered the wilderness of the frontier
The myth was that becoming rich was as a simple matter of using your personal qualities as an individual. What has arthur Miller noted about the myth in his autobiography?
that Americans are ready to blame themselves rather than the repercussions for the family which is echoed in Willy and Biff who both blame themselves for their lack of economic success and its repercussions for the family
Something of the pioneer spirit of the early days of America in the form of a great love for the outdoors is the ideal of the ‘__________________’ would could build a cabin like Willy and live in harmony with the land like Biff?
backwoodsman
Willy talks of competitiveness which is an essential element of the masculine attitude that underlies capitalism. Why does Happy compete sexually?
as he cannot compete on a work basis with the executives
Why is DOS not a communist attack on Capitalism?
this was a time during the Cold War and Arthur Miller was not attacking the ordinary American values
The record machine in Howards office is a clear echo of the Expressionist form which had attempted to project the mind of the main character onto the stage using large and unusual symbols rather than real things. The sound recording machine brings back the past truthful y and when Willy bumps against it accidentally; it makes an ugly and unbearable noise that has to be stifled quickly. What does this suggest?
this suggests that Willy does not want to hear the sounds of a happy family or to feel that the past can be captured forever
What is significant about the way Willy’s forbidden thoughts, such as the memory of his affair, recur at crucial moments?
as this shows a contrasting side of his personality to that which he is presenting to the world
