Success Flashcards
‘I’m the New England man. I’m…
‘Vital in New England.’
Repeating lies in order to try and believe them that he is a successful salesman. Believing that success comes from sales.
‘Biff Logan is lost. In the greatest…
‘Country in the world.. A young man with such - personal attractiveness.. Lost. I’ll get him a job selling’
Shows he puts success down to being a salesman, well liked and personal attractiveness. That he’s seeing Biff as a failure because he isn’t making money and isn’t a salesman. Driving force for their conflict in the play.
“Bernard can get the best marks in school…
But when he gets out in the business world.. You are going to be five times ahead.”
Again shows Willy’s wrong view of the AD.
“Be liked and…
You will never want.”
We know through Willy’s experience that this is an ineffective way of achieving success
“I’m overjoyed to see…
How you made the grade, Bernard”
Wishes Biff was this successful
“(Small and alone) what-
What’s the secret?”
Willy’s realises his sons aren’t successful and he has failed. Troubled, he seeks an answer to how to help his sons become a success.
Ben found diamonds in the jungle, silly wants to do the same. How does this relate to his death?
His dream is to find and earn diamonds, he sees his death as a final business deal and gateway to success for his sons and for him to leave a legacy behind. He sees the $20,000 insurance payout as “like a diamond” which he so desires.
“When the mail…
Comes in he’ll be ahead of Bernard again!”
In reference to his suicide and how the money will make him and his sons a success.
Willy sees everything as a competition. He spends his whole life - and finishes it- in order to try and achieve success and the AD which he sees as only being obtained through wealth, value and popularity.
“He had all…
The wrong dreams. All, all wrong”
Biff knows that Willy had the wrong view of the dream and feels sympathy towards Willy for it, he reflects Miller’s view about the negative effects of the AD and how more and more people in society are adopting similar conceptions of it as Willy.
‘A silver athletic …’
‘Trophy stands.’
- stage direction
No other decorations -shows he grasps onto this achievement to convince himself/others of his success - establishing theme of play
