A plethora of essential and advanced quotes from ‘Death of a Salesman’ by Arthur Miller. This document would be of great use to English Literature AS/A level students. Quotes are organised by character and theme. Analysis of quotes is included.
Death of a Salesman
The Loman House Bernard
“a small, fragile-seeming home” “What’re you lookin’ so anemic about,
“an air of the dream” Bernard?”
“an angry glow of orange” “He’s liked, but he’s not well liked.”
“walls” “earnest and loyal, a worried boy”
“transparent” “There’s nothing the matter with him
“But in the scenes of the past these (Biff)! You want him to be a worm like
boundaries are broken” Bernard? He’s got spirit, personality…”
“they massacred the neighbourhood” “How do you like this kid? Gonna argue a
“silver athletic trophy” case in front of the Supreme Court.”
“towering, angular shapes behind it,
surrounding it on all sides”
“telling of grass and trees and the
horizon”
Charley The American Dream
“He’s liked, but he’s not – well liked.” “an air of the dream”
“a large man, slow of speech, laconic, “Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You
immovable” finally own it, and there’s nobody to live
“A man who can’t handle tools is not a in it.”
man. You’re disgusting.” “life is a casting off”
“Who the hell do you think you are, “in the greatest country in the world”
better than everybody else? You don’t “the man who makes an appearance in
know everything, you big, ignorant, the business world, the man who creates
stupid …. Put up your hands!” personal interest, is the man who gets
“Willy, nobody’s worth nothin’ dead.” ahead.”
“You’re the only friend I got.” “with a certain vicious audacity” –
“He’s a man way out there in the blue, “When I walked into the jungle, I was
riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And seventeen. When I walked out I was
when they start not smiling back - that’s twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich!”
an earthquake.” - Charley disagrees with “Never fight fair with a stranger, boy.
Biff, and he tells the group that Willy You’ll never get out of the jungle that
was the truest salesman there ever was. way.”
He depended on the happiness and “a one-million dollar idea” (Willy)
affirmation of his customers. If he didn't “not enough sun gets back there.
have that, his life would shatter. He was Nothing’s grow anymore” (Linda)
exemplary in his profession, which “business is business” (Howard) –
caused him to rely heavily on his own “Where am I gonna put you, kid?” -
success. This is what really killed him— Willy's connection to Howard's father fits
his failure to continue to receive the in with Willy's ideas of how business
affirmation of others, the failure of his works, but to Howard—who, we
own dreams. presume, is more concerned with profit
“You been jealous of me all your life, you than indulging in nostalgia—this just
damned fool!” isn't that important. Thus the very things
“Willy, when’re you gonna realise that that Willy counted on here abandon and
them things don’t mean anything? You betray him.
named him Howard, but you can’t sell “It’s a business, kid, and everybody’s
that. The only thing you got in this world gotta pull his own weight.”
is what you can sell. And the funny thing
is that you’re a salesman, and you don’t
know that.” - Charley tries to tell Willy
that those things—his relationships,
being well liked or successful—don't
, matter in the world of real capitalism.
The American Dream is much harsher
than Willy's idealized vision of it. Once
again Willy has spent so much of his life
worrying about his image of success that
he has lost the meaning within his own
life.
Linda Loman
“she more than loves him, she admires him … longings which she shares but lacks
the temperament to utter and follow to their end”
“life is a casting off”
“the handsomest man in the world” - Her love for him transcends success or
finance. She loves Willy for Willy. Willy, on the other hand, is not so loyal to Linda—
in fact, he has betrayed her with another woman.
“You’re the best there is, Linda, you’re a pal, you know that? On the road – on the
road I want to grab you sometimes and just kiss the life outa you.”
“I won’t have anyone making him feel unwanted and low and blue … I know he’s
not easy to get along with – nobody knows that better than me.”
“never had an ounce of respect” (Biff)
“I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name
was never in the paper... But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening
to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like
an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person.” - Unlike the
other characters in the play, Linda sees Willy as a hero—his accomplishments are
great because of his humanity, even though they may seem small or even pathetic
to others. Linda feels as though her sons have betrayed Willy by accusing him of
being unhinged or not taking his state of mind seriously. She later reveals that Willy
has made several attempts to kill himself—offering a more concrete and urgent
reason for why "attention must be paid" to Willy.
“stop yelling at her!” (Biff)
“be sweet to him tonight, dear. Be loving to him. Because he’s only a little boat
looking for a harbour.”
“Enough to be happy right here, right now.” – “Why must everybody conquer the
world?”
“But where are all the people he knew? Maybe they blame him.”
“Forgive me, dear. I can’t cry. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t cry. I don’t
understand it. Why did you every do that? Help me, Willy, I can’t cry … I made the
last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody home. We’re
free and clear. We’re free. We’re free. We’re free.” - The irony of the American
dream is made clear here. Linda was only able to pay for the house, a goal Willy
was aiming to achieve, with the insurance money collected after Willy's death. His
American Dream has been realized, but he isn't there to see it—it's just empty
money, without life and meaning behind it.
Happy Loman Ben Loman
“Manufacturers offer me a hundred- “The man knew what he wanted and
dollar bill now and then to throw an went out and got it! Walked into a
order their way. You know how honest I jungle, and comes out, the age of
am, but it's like this girl, see. I hate twenty- one, and he's rich! The world is
myself for it. Because I don't want the an oyster, but you don't crack it open on
girl, and, still, I take it and - I love it!” – a mattress!” - This moment once again
Living in Biff's shadow as a child, Happy plays on the idealised versus realised
has always tried to overcompensate for "American Dream." Adventuring to Africa
his father's approval. It makes sense, and making a fortune overnight is Willy's
then, that he would pursue the same idea of what the American dream should
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