Quotes Explained

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  • Created by: sasha19
  • Created on: 29-03-18 10:37
“...he thinks I’m nothing, see, and so he spites me. But the funeral… Ben, that funeral will be massive”
Willy believes that he would be more valuable dead than alive, this reinforces the idea that Willy measures the value of a man on his funeral.
1 of 17
“A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.”
Charley insists that having such an uncertain future, Willy couldn’t have avoided having these dreams.
2 of 17
“A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man”
This links to the theme of tragedy and whether or not Willy is actually a tragic hero.
3 of 17
“Be liked and you will never want”
Should you be like you will have everything and not need to want anything more. This shows that Willy values personality over hard work.
4 of 17
“Gee, look at the moon moving between the buildings”
This shows what Willy truly desires to live in the rural countryside, and with nature. But he forces his to remain in the city.
5 of 17
“He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong”
Biff has realised that Willy had all the wrong dreams, this shows a contrast between Biff and Happy.
6 of 17
“He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine”
Charley is pointing out that Willy had an enormous job to do but no good tools to sell himself with.
7 of 17
“I can see it like a diamond, shining in the dark, hard and rough, that I can pick it up and touch in my hand. Not like- like an appointment”
Willy is contrasting the difference between the tangible success that Ben has, and the fact that Biff is unsuccessful.
8 of 17
“I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you”
Biff is trying to point out to Willy that they both are ordinary people, and that they are nothing special.
9 of 17
“I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody!”
Biff felt that Willy had inflated his ego so greatly, that he thought so highly of himself that he refused to take orders from anyone.
10 of 17
“You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away- a man is not a piece of fruit”
Willy is talking about his own company and the fact that they had ‘taken his youth’ they felt that when he was no longer needed they got rid of him. This play of the theme of betrayal.
11 of 17
“It’s Brooklyn, I know, but we hunt too”
Willy is lying in order to impress Ben, he is attempting to compare himself to Ben and prove that he is just as good. It is clear that Willy is also beginning to believe these lies himself.
12 of 17
“Nothing’ll grow anymore”
This shows a lack of hope, and continues the theme of Willy’s lack of success and failure.
13 of 17
“The gist of it is that I haven’t got a story left in my head”
Willy doesn’t know how to tell Linda about the fact that he has lost his job, the use of ‘story’ has connotations of lies and fiction, which suggests that Willy is aware of his deceitful nature.
14 of 17
“Why must everybody conquer the world?”
This is attempting to show the toxicity of dreams and over ambition. Linda expresses concern that Willy's massive aspirations are getting the better of him. She seems afraid that if Willy latches on to his brother's big dreams of success.
15 of 17
“Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?”
Like Linda, Biff is voicing his concerns about how toxic Willy’s dreams are and the fact that he is close to destruction. This can also be thought as Biff attempting to escape from these dreams too.
16 of 17
“I’m not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you”
Biff insists he be left alone to live his life. He's begging his father to allow him to measure his personal success in his own way. Biff no longer wants any part of Willy's delusions. This causes Willy to overreact as he refuses to realise himself.
17 of 17

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Charley insists that having such an uncertain future, Willy couldn’t have avoided having these dreams.

Back

“A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.”

Card 3

Front

This links to the theme of tragedy and whether or not Willy is actually a tragic hero.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Should you be like you will have everything and not need to want anything more. This shows that Willy values personality over hard work.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

This shows what Willy truly desires to live in the rural countryside, and with nature. But he forces his to remain in the city.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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