Death of a Salesman Prepared by Aw Joern

Death of a Salesman Prepared by: Aw Joern (2) & Nur Aqilah (12)

Overview for Willy’s Characterization �Traits: Negative vs. Positive �Roles: Willy’s role in this drama �Relationships: Willy’s relationships with other characters �Tested types of questions: Sample essay questions

Traits [Negative VS Positive ]

Traits Negative Positive � Self-contradictory �Strong character �Determined � Self-deceptive � Easily distracted � Greed � Egoistic (pg 57) � Instill children with wrong values to get them to succeed (pg 48) � Mentally unstable � Not at peace with himself - ‘Never leave a job till you’re finished remember that ‘ (PG 16) �Sets expectations for Biff -> Willy’s sense of Pride towards Biff’s future prospects

Self-contradicting and Self-Deceptive Quotes �Pg 5 : ‘Bif is a lazy bum. ’ ; ‘There’s one thing about Biff- he’s not lazy. ’ �Pg 6 : ‘Why am I always being self-contradicted? ’ �Act 1 (pg 48) VS Act 2 (pg 57) �Pg 48 – ‘And if anything falls off the desk……. They have office boys for that. ’ �Pg 57 - ‘Willy has picked it up and gives to him. Pause. ’ -> he becomes a office boy.

Easily Distracted �Willy is easily drifted from his hopping thoughts and dellusions. �Changes the topic of discussion quickly

Greed �Endless chase for the unattainable dream �He is always dissatisfied �He always wants more

(False) Pride � WILLY: That’s just what I mean, Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. "Willy Loman is here!" That’s all they have to know and I go right through. (Act 1) pg 20 � Willy's exaggerated sense of pride suggests his underlying insecurity and desperate concern over meeting his own inflated expectations. It's highly likely that this unfortunate but annoying personality trait is the very reason why everybody makes fun of him. Ironically, it may just stand in the way of him achieving anything to be proud of.

Roles

�Willy Loman - An insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman. Willy believes wholeheartedly in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, but he never achieves it. Nor do his sons fulfill his hope that they will succeed where he has failed. When Willy’s illusions begin to fail under the pressing realities of his life, his mental health begins to unravel. The overwhelming tensions caused by this disparity, as well as those caused by the societal imperatives that drive Willy, form the essential conflict of Death of a Salesman.

Willy’s roles �Protagonist: The Protagonist or main character is the central or main figure of a story. In some context, protagonist is also referred to being a hero. �Willy as seen in this drama, he is the main character, thus a protagonist. However, is Willy a hero?

�Answer: Yes, he is. He is a tragic hero. �Tragic hero: Willy Loman goes through his life blindly, never realising the full truth about himself or the situation itself. He is also contradicting. (Act 1, pg 5) He is delusional and stubborn. Willy refuse to admit that he is a failure. (Act 1, pg 21) The idea of tragic flaw or harmatia, is seen through his delusional self. His tragic flaw caused his own downfall. Hence, his delusions lead him to taking his very own life. (Act 2, pg 104 -105)

Willy’s roles �Antagonist: A person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary. �Willy is an antagonist to both himself and his son, Biff.

�Willy acts as an antagonist to himself; his misguided values about success and twisted version of the American Dream paired with his pride and knack for self-deception lead Willy to pursue the wrong life path. As an example, Willy’s pride keeps him from accepting Charley’s job offers (Act 2, pg 71 -72) �Willy acts as an antagonist to his son, Biff; Willy’s self-deception keeps him hounding Biff to lead a lifestyle that is not his cup of tea. (Act 2, pg 8 o-81)

�Conclusion; His false notions about Biff and how success should be achieved caused Biff’s emotional damage. It also made him very arrogant that he cannot keep a job. From here, we can see that Willy is his own foe and also the cause to Biff’s sufferrings.

Relationships

Willy & his sons (Biff) �Complicated and tense relationship with his eldest son, Biff. �Felt that Biff has let him down since Biff seemed like Willy’s mirror. (Not successful) �Biff has no proper job, not married, unable to settle down to anything. �Willy thought that Biff failed purpose to anger him: ‘Spite, spite, is the word of your undoing!’(Act 2, pg 99) 'You don't want to be anything, is that what's behind it? ' he accuses Biff during their confrontation in the restaurant (Act II).

Willy & his sons (Biff) �Even more damaging, though, from Biff's perspective, are Willy's ideas of how to get on in life. Willy has taught his sons that being popular is really all that matters, that success will follow if one is 'well-liked', rather than inculcating the virtues of study, and hard and steady work. Biff feels that this led to his failure in high school and thereafter he has been unable to apply himself to anything.

Willy & his sons (Happy) � Willy's relationship with Happy is unsatisfactory. � On the surface, Happy appears more settled than Biff, he has not turned out a success either. � Happy: low-paid job, living on rent, and like Biff he has not settled down and got married, but continues to run around with various women. � Vies for his father's attention, but Willy is always more focussed on Biff, his one-time favourite son, on whom he seems to have pinned all his hopes. � Yet it is Happy that Willy ends up influencing the most; he shares his father's delusions about gaining success and wealth, whereas Biff is able to see through them.

Willy’s relationship with the 2 ladies Linda The Other Woman �Linda loves and � The Other Woman respect Willy �Gives him unconditional love and support �Eg pg 38 �Willy also loves Linda as he feels guilty when she is mending the stockings. Pg 25 picked Willy. -Pg 24 � Makes him feels special and this showers him with the qualities he wants to have through the sweet talks by the other woman. � Gives him reassurance but it is a false one

Stockings (as a symbol) �Willy’s guilt due to the affair he has �Willy’s sore reminder of his failure. �Willy feels angry that he can’t afford the stockings for Linda (RELATIONSHIP)

Relationship between Ben and Willy �Pg 33 �Puts Willy to feel depreciated and contradicts Willy’s boastful character �Idolize Ben and expects children to be like him.

� BEN: Principally diamond mines. � LINDA: Diamond mines! � BEN: Yes, my dear. But I‘ve only a few minutes— � WILLY: No! Boys! [Young Biff and Happy appear]: Listen to this. This is your Uncle Ben, a great man! Tell my boys, Ben! � BEN: Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into jungle and when I was twenty-one I walked out. [He laughs] and by God I was rich! � WILLY [To the boys]: You see what I been talking about? The greatest things can happen! (Act 1 - pg 32) � Willy clings to Ben's material success as tangible evidence of his family's worth. He longs to measure up to the financial success of his brother. In many ways, Ben's success fuels Willy's misguided notion that riches are just around the corner.

�WILLY: … was rich! That’s just the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right! (Act 1 - pg 35) �Willy interprets Ben's tangible wealth as proof of the worth of his family and himself. He wants his son to be like his brother – unafraid to go out and make their own success.

Sample Essay Questions

Sample Essay Questions �Why does Willy reject Charley’s job offer? �Compare and contrast Willy's conflicting images of Biff. Why does he defend him and criticize him? �Discuss examples of ways in which Willy Loman's suicide is foreshadowed in the first act of the play.

�http: //www. shmoop. com/death-of-a- salesman/success-quotes. html �http: //www. sparknotes. com/lit/salesman/themes. h tml