Death of a Salesman, quotations

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  • Created by: mcieciera
  • Created on: 02-01-21 15:33
“I’m tired to the death… I couldn’t make it. I just couldn’t make it, Linda.”
Miller immediately foreshadows Willy’s fate. Willy’s references to “making it” can also be read symbolically as referring to Willy’s crushing sense of failure – he has been unable to “make it” as a salesman.
1 of 11
“LINDA: [very carefully, delicately]: Where were you all day?”
Linda realises her husband is close to psychological collapse.
2 of 11
“Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such - personal attractiveness, gets lost.”
We see Willy's unquestioning belief in America as a land where everything is possible and see how he conflates popularity and charisma (“personal attractiveness”) with success.
3 of 11
“HAPPY: …Like I’m not supposed to take bribes. Manufacturers offer me a hundred-dollar bill now and then to throw an order their way. You know how honest I am, but it’s like this girls, see. I hate myself for it… and still, I take it…”
Happy knows how corrupt his line of work can be and shows how corrupt he is. He accepts bribes and sleeps with the partners of colleagues, but still perceives himself to be “honest”.
4 of 11
“WILLY: [stopping the incipient argument, to HAPPY]: Sure, he’s gotta practise with a regulation ball, doesn’t he? [To BIFF] Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative!”
The quote reveals Willy’s clear favouritism, chiding Happy while defending Biff. It also demonstrates Willy teaching Biff the wrong lesson: that the coach will applaud Biff’s theft
5 of 11
“Oh, I’ll knock ‘em dead next week. I’ll go to Hartford. I’m very well liked in Hartford. You know, the trouble is, Linda, people don’t seem to take to me.”
We see how quickly Willy can contradict himself as reality intrudes into his dream-world. At this vulnerable moment, he cannot keep up the pretence to his wife.
6 of 11
“WILLY [angrily, taking them from her]: I won’t have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out!”
Willy’s anger springs from two sources: his wounded pride at not being able to provide for his wife and his guilt about his affair.
7 of 11
“A man who can’t handle tools is not a man. You’re disgusting.”
Willy dismisses Charley as a “man”, perhaps because Charley does not share the Loman men’s ability to work with their hands but perhaps also because Willy is resentful of Charley.
8 of 11
“Great inventor, Father. With one gadget he made more in a week than a man like you could make in a lifetime.”
Willy can never live up to his father’s example. His father was self-reliant, a craftsman as well as businessman, while Willy is a failing salesman, dependent on the charity of others.
9 of 11
“He’s not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a man.”
From one of the key speeches in the play, Linda’s lines sum up the play’s central message: that all human beings, however insignificant, deserve respect and dignity.
10 of 11
“[The light on Willy is fading. The gas heater begins to glow through the kitchen wall…]”
Miller uses lighting effects to undercut Willy’s optimism, with the “glow” from the gas heater reminding the audience of Willy’s suicidal urges. Act One ends on a note of impending doom, again signalling the inevitability of Willy’s demise.
11 of 11

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Linda realises her husband is close to psychological collapse.

Back

“LINDA: [very carefully, delicately]: Where were you all day?”

Card 3

Front

We see Willy's unquestioning belief in America as a land where everything is possible and see how he conflates popularity and charisma (“personal attractiveness”) with success.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Happy knows how corrupt his line of work can be and shows how corrupt he is. He accepts bribes and sleeps with the partners of colleagues, but still perceives himself to be “honest”.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

The quote reveals Willy’s clear favouritism, chiding Happy while defending Biff. It also demonstrates Willy teaching Biff the wrong lesson: that the coach will applaud Biff’s theft

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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