Linda Loman Key Quotes Flashcards
“Maybe its your ………….”
- Glasses are a transparent commodity,
- Ironic that Linda would then suggest that it is fault of the glasses when the situation involving Willys mental state is clear and (ergo transparent) to the audience and even Willy who admits “No, its me, its me”.
- Linda’s passivity of Willy’s mental stability is significant in the tragedy due to her inadvertent isolation she causes on her husband.
‘glasses’
‘Most often…
‘Jovial’
‘She has developed an…
iron repression of her expectations to Willy’s behaviour,’
‘She more than loves him, she…
admires him.’
‘as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little…
cruelties , served her only as sharp reminder of the turbulent longings in him.’
‘Mercurial,’ ‘dreams,’ ‘cruelties,’ ‘longings,’
Act One
“[calls with some ________]”
trepidation
Act One
“Taken an… Should I get you an…? It’ll… you.”
- Linda’s suppression has socially conditioned her as only being able to physically alleviate Willy’s pain with an “aspirin” rather than mentally as an equal challenge to his dream and self-denial.
‘aspirin,’ ‘aspirin’ ‘soothe’
“[a ribbon in her hair, … a … of washing]”
- Linda symbolises the dutiful housewife of the 1940’s patriarchal expectations which allows the audience to understand her lack of authority over Willy in present time to act as the “foundation” and “support” of his stability.
- The “ribbon” perhaps could be argued to signify how Linda is figuratively tied by societal boundaries and therefore unable to help Willy from his hamartia (self deception).
- Furthermore, It could also be interpreted that the “ribbon” also has associations, stereotypically, to feminine qualities- reflective of Linda’s subordinate role as a wife which is further established through the conventionalised domestic core of “washing”.
‘carrying,’ ‘basket’
Act 1
“[now is ________ a pair of her ____ stockings]”
‘mending’ ‘silk’
Act 1
“[She pulls ………….. and paper out of her ………. pocket]”
“[Linda puts the stockings in her pocket]”
- Linda only holds power in intellect , as evident by her “pencil and paper”, and being good at ‘mending’ things such as her ‘stockings’, is taken away by Willy due to his insecurities of being an insufficient husband unable to provide financially or materialistically for his family.
- Linda is forced to disregard any potential she has “in her pocket” by Willy, which reflects her oppression by the patriarchy society where she is not subject to a voice. - The “stockings” could also symbolise Linda trying to metaphorically “mend” her marriage.
- Alternatively, the stockings demonstrate how Willy is cannot to be reminded of his infidelity.
- Or, Linda mending stockings creates the appearance that Willy’s wife is poor, and that he is therefore unsuccessful.
‘pencil’ ‘apron’
“a …… ……. can be just as …………… as a …….. man”
- ‘small man,’
- exhausted
- great
‘I don’t say he’s a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper… But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention…
must be paid. He’s not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person.’
Requim
‘I made the last payment on…
the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody home.’
Act 1
“But he’s a human being…
and a terrible thing is happening to him.”
‘where are the all the people…
he knew? Maybe they blame him.’
