Death Of A Salesman

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  • Created by: chlozilla
  • Created on: 25-05-17 15:30
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  • The Death Of A Salesman
    • Themes
      • The American Dream
        • context
          • originared early in the 1930's - fight between consumerism and materialism - Willy buys into the idea of it more than most
        • Willy  - "Be liked and you will never want" symbolic of the growing corporate culture that he fails to see
        • Willy passes the legacy of the american dream on to his children - long term prevents their chance to find out who they really are or what they may have become
      • Untitled
      • Tragedy and the common man
        • Willy Loman is the tragic protagonist - using local real life situations to bring about his downfall and the cynical and hopefuly view of a man with an american dream
      • marginalised role of women
        • represents a male-dominated and male-centered universe - Linda - a wife and mother goes against the gender stereotypes of 1930's america by confronting her wons
      • masculinity in american dream
        • willy dislikes charley because he doesn't know how to handle tools and dismisses bernard because he likes books not sports. Biff avoids holding a steady job as he feels it emasculinates him and wants 'mans' work hearding cattle and Happy uses women to explore his masculine qualities
          • The male characters constantly feel threatend and have to defend and maintain their masculinity - they all have an overwhelming sense of pride (HUBRIS) and this leads to their downfall.
    • Characters
      • Willy
        • An old man who had never had much success in his career, and believes certain things are demasculating. puts all his attention into Biff and neglects Happy puting psychological damage prevelant
          • "The trouble is Linda, people don't seem to like me."
            • "I can see it like a diamond, shining in the dark."
          • "A man who can't handle his tools is not a man."
            • "I'm not a cripple."
      • Linda
        • post-war america women were the show wives and mothers of the house and Linda accepts this role happily for Willy. Until her protecrted and sheltered family is at risk and she then states her authoritativeness.
          • "Willy daerling you're the handsomest man in the world."
          • 'violently to BIff' - "Don't you care whether he lives or dies?"
          • "Linda holds his jacket for him"
          • "a man is not a bird to come and go with the spring time."
      • Biff
        • Biff is the favoured older son, who has always had the conditional love of Willy as he fed Biff his hopes and dreams. As a result Biff has wanted to gey back at Willy and is searching for the right thing to stop demasculating him, needs reassurance for his masculine ways
          • "with a ranch i could do the work i like and still be something."
          • "I can't take hold of some kind of life."
          • "he did like me. always liked me."
      • Happy
        • Happy has always lived in Biff's shadow, never comapred and has completely lost to Linda despite the fact that Happy is the one that has stayed back for his family. He follows similalry in Willy's footsteps in the aspect that he talks big about big dreams - materialistic
          • "I'm losing weight, you notice, Pop?"
          • "the trouble with you in business was, you never tried to please people."
          • "I'm gonna get married Mom, I wanted to tell you."

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