Section 1
1.
Willy
returns home extreme weariness and Linda is obviously worried about him; the
audience is faced with several possibilities- tired or going mad? Later he
kills himself while driving so is this just setting up the final action.Is he
just setting Linda up by saying how badly he has been driving lately?
2.
Willy’s
first line,’It’s alright I came back’. Ambiguity of this line- one day he
won’t?
3.
He
appears to be a pathetic old man- arch supports and Linda mothers him- shoes
and jacket.
4.
One hand
he talks about selling to Brown and Morrison and the next he is resolved to
control his life.
5.
Willy
shifts his anger to the loss of greenery around his house.
6.
The
audience is introduced to the constant contradictions he makes ‘ mountains out
of molehills- Is Willy inventing his own difficulties or is he the VICTIM of a
terrible fate(tragedy of the common man.
Section 2
1. Biff and Happy awake to overhear the
conversation between Willy and Linda.
2. They are aware of his forgetfulness-but are
aware that Willy is beginning to live in his own distorted world.
3. Biff and Happy show that their attitude to
women is extremely lacking in maturity and that they are openly sexist.
4. Biff loves his life in the open country
5. Happy’s life doesn’t seem so good even though
he has the trimmings of the American Dream. Neither married
6. Happy’s conquests with engaged girls ‘ruining
them before their weddings’ cruel and unethical – what other sexist attitudes
come through this conversation?
7. Bill Oliver an ex-employer is mentioned and
Biff unrealistically sees himself able to get a business loan from him-American
Dream
8. Boys are heard even though Willy is continuing
a conversation with himself and expresses his concern for Biff. He loves Biff
9. Can the boys prevent themselves making the same
mistakes and ending up like Willy?
10. Biff’s farmwork equates to Willy’s DIY
projects. Happy has gone for a whitecollar job but is still unhappy.
Section 3
1. Willy is lost in a daydream and the lighting
changes along with the music. Dreamstate- characters enter through the walls.
2. Willy watches Biff polish the car and condones
the theft of the football.
3. Willy hopes to have his own business- he is
well liked where ever he goes- the importance of popularity and looks over
hardwork and study- (Bernard and Charley)
4. Linda tots up the commission and Willy’s
exaggeration is noted.
5. Willy contradicts himself-well liked to not
liked – appearance is not conducive to sales.
6. Woman’s laughter off stage. Whenever this
occurs the ambiguity of the words/ meaning on stage are highlighted here.
7. Willy has increasing difficulty in
differentiating between reality and dream and the past and the present. Miller
interleaves the use of time to add to the drama and tensions on stage.
8. Willy’s belief that his son’s looks and
popularity will help them succeed in business.
9. Willy ‘s boastfulness is undermined by the fact
that he has not earned enough money to pay his bills.
Section
4-Willy remembers his lover in Boston.
1. Willy continues to talk as if to Linda but it
is clearly the secretary in Boston. Lighting changes and Willy returns to this
scene in Boston.(Changed location from the house)
2. Willy talks of loneliness on the road and the
woman tells him that she had singled him out of all the salesmen. This shows
Willy’s lack of integrity as he cannot stay faithful to the one truly loyal
character of Linda.
3. Willy is still talking about his wife and her
understanding of him whilst the woman thanks him for the stockings.
4. Lighting changes and Linda is mending her
stockings- guilt demonstrated here. Unsuccessful as she is wearing mended
stockings.
5. Willy throws these out in a temper.
Section
Five- Willy remembers Biff being unsuccessful in school
1.
Bernard
and the Regent’s exam- Willy’s recollections are no longer idyllic as before
2.
Petty
theft and failure to study maths
3.
Willy pushes
Biff’s sporting success above all things
4.
Willy
seems oblivious to the unethical behaviour he condones – his self deception is
obvious here
Section
6
Willy
daydreams about following Ben and his life-Charley plays cards with Willy
1.
Willy
discusses achievement in life- laments not going to Alaska with Ben(American
Dream)
2.
Willy
rejects financial help from Happy and rejects the job offer from
Charley.(pride)
3.
Discusses
handling tools- Willy identifies tools and physical work with being a
man-masculinity
4.
‘The
world is an oyster but you cannot crack it open on a mattress’. You have to
work to succeed/going to bed with people is not the way to economic and social
success.
5.
‘The
woods are burning’ –seen as a metaphor for the jungle disappearing and the elm
trees which were cut down in the garden-the very land of opportunity is going
up in smoke.
Section
7
Willy
plays cards with Charley but talks to Ben
1. Ben’s entrance is made through the walls to
ensure that audience realise Ben is the dead brother and its imagined- unreal
event
2. Charley leaves as Willy talks to Ben and argues
with Charley over the aces
3. Ben is the only one who had all the answers-
flute- connected to Willy’s father rather than Ben-Linda and Willy have a
conversation with dead Ben
4. Biff and Ben spar but Ben trips him up-never
fight fair with a stranger-why?
5. Willy wants to rebuild part of the property and
sends the boys off to steal some building material- Ben and Willy agree how
manly it is to steal- Charley and Bernard – can’t hammer a nail- despised for
this
6. Willy feels: ’kind of temporary about
myself’-reveals Willy’s insecurity about himself.
7. Ben and Willy are positioned at opposite sides
of the stage- they are opposites in life- Ben confident- Willy not
8. Willy cannot distinguish truth from imagination-
Ben is imagined not a remembered character.- Is Ben arrogant and scathing about
Willy’s behaviour?
9. Willy comes across as naive- Ben substitute
father figure?
10. When I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen.
When I walked out I was twenty-one.
Section
8
Willy’s
plans to commit suicide are discovered and the Loman brothers decide on a
business plan.
1. Linda talks about Willy to Biff and Happy. Very
pertinent quotes in this section
2. Biff’s lines; ’spewing out that vomit from his
mind’.
3. Linda; ’Attention must be finally paid to such
a person.’(The common man).Is he potentially a tragic figure a fallen hero?
Could he have changed this fate?
4. ‘he’s a human being and a terrible thing is
happening to him
5. Her conversation with her sons ’and one a philandering bum.’ p.45
6. The fake accidents and the length of
hose/piping to connect to the gas in the cellar- suicide
7. Is it true that the son’s have been responsible
for the way Willy behaves? Do you agree or disagree?
8. Happy and Biff review Biff’s work patterns and
his whistling in the lift
9. Willy blames Biff for never growing up but the
conversation moves to Bill Oliver and the business proposition to enable Biff
to ‘stay home’
10. Willy gives advise but it is again
contradictory in nature- to joke-to be serious etc.
11. Happy relates commercial success with sexual
success
12. Willy loses himself in the memory of Biff’s
football achievements-golden glow bathes Biff on the stage to show the warmth
and idealised memory of Biff- totally unrealistic.
13. Biff calls Willy a fake, which worries Linda
but it is not explained.
14. Biff discovers the pipe behind the gas heater
in the cellar and realises that Linda has been speaking the truth that Willy is
a suicide risk
15. Willy failed to recall that he had pawned the
diamond Ben had given him for Biff’s course- Willy’s memory is also failing him
and his grip on reality is surely going.
16. Biff decides to start a business to appease the
family- but this will not help Biff
17. Biff is being altruistic here yet Willy blames
him for never growing up
18. Biff does take responsibility for his father-
moves the piping.
19. Willy originally mocked Bernard and encouraged
Biff to do the same- now he says he is childish- whistling in the lift.
Difficult to know what Willy wants from Biff
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