Scribd
Upload
52 views2 pages

Death of A Salesman - Arthur Miller

Uploaded by

Grace Fafel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
52 views2 pages

Death of A Salesman - Arthur Miller

Uploaded by

Grace Fafel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

The Crucible:

● political allegory
● Joseph McCarthy - 1950 - Red Scare
● Hollywood Ten - Dalton Trumbo
● 1953 - the Crucible
● equated being a witch to being a communist

Death of a Salesman:
● Not much is described because it is a play, so when something is described in detail it is
probably important
● Cues for flashbacks:
○ Flute music (Willy’s father used to sell flutes when he traveled)
○ Costume changes
○ Elm trees replace the apartment buildings
○ Walk through fourth wall
● Working titles were:
○ The Grace Period
○ The Inside of His Head
○ Willy Loman (64) and Linda are the parens
○ Biff (34) and Happy (32) are the children
● Willy often contradicts himself (he is living in 2 places at the same time)
● mercurial: having the qualities of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, and thievishness
(relating to the God Mercury)
● Miller could be using the mythic method to tell the Loman’s story (using an old myth to
frame the basis for a new story)
● jovial: marked by good cheer, convivial, celebratory
● Biff’s stolen items:
○ football
○ crate of basketballs
● Bernard:
○ less popular
○ nerd
○ neighbor boy
○ tried to keep Biff in check
○ studious
○ tries to do the right thing
● The Loman’s believe the key to success is being “well-liked”
● “I thank Almighty God that you’re both built like Adonises” (quote from Willy on page 21)
● “Every man has a conception of himself that in one way or another fails to correspond
with who that man is in reality” (quote from a literary critic)
● The Lomans often exaggerate their own worth and may slightly adjust or fabricate parts
of their accomplishments to make them seem better
● Willy tells Linda that he thinks he is fat and that someone at work called him a walrus (in
the movie it is changed to “short” and “a shrimp”)
Biff vs Happy:
Biff Both Happy

● 34 years old ● Attractive to women ● 32 years old


● West, laborer, drifter ● Well-built physically ● NYC, business
● Lacks confidence ● Womanizer
● Loves his work but ● Doesn’t enjoy his
doesn’t make much work
money
● Has a tendency to be
thievish

● Willy may be a luddite - a person opposed to new technology or ways or working, usually
because of the fear that it may replace them and eliminate their jobs
● The world is moving too fast and becoming too advanced for Willy
● Ben is Willy’s brother - Willy doesn’t know much about Ben because Ben isn’t there for
very long
● “When I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one.
And, by God, I was rich!” (quote from Ben from pages 33 and 36-37)
● Willy describes Ben as “success incarnate”
● “A man who can’t handle tools is not a man” (quote from Willy about what it means to be
a true man)

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy