A* SUMMARY FOR 'DEATH OF A SALESMAN' AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE B ASPECTS OF TRAGEDY -
This includes everything you will need to know about 'Death of a Salesman' in order to get an A* in you English Literature A-Level.
This document includes an overview of the play, a plot summary, key quotations a...
Death of a Salesman revision booklet AQA A Level English Lit B
compare & contrast of the characters Willy Loman and Charley in the play Death of a salesman by Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman as a story told through mind and memory of Willy Loman
All for this textbook (32)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
English Literature B
Aspects of Tragedy
All documents for this subject (227)
Seller
Follow
HelpWithHumanities
Reviews received
Content preview
Death of a Salesman
Overview
• Unlike traditional tragedies, the play tells the demise of an everyday domestic gure. As a
result of this, the audience can sympathise and emphasise with his su ering and decline.
• As the play follows a domestic breakdown, setting is important. The Loman household seems
small, insigni cant and vulnerable — which is symbolic of Willy himself.
• The towering angular shapes of the setting create a feeling of entrapment and hint the fragility
of domestic life and the family unit. The world beyond engulfs the house, just as Capitalist
America consumes Willy.
• Miller employs two di erent time frames: real time and remembered time. It is clear that Willys
past actions have been ignoble.
• Miller uses the play to o er an indictment of the American Capitalist system; exposing the
harmful and destructive ideology of the American Dream.
• He is a Walter-Mitty character: an ordinary and ine ectual person who indulges in fantastic
daydreams of personal triumphs.
Character analysis’:
Willy Loman:
• Willy is the protagonist of the play. He is confused and has a blurred sense of the past and the
present, he also lives vicariously through his sons.
• Willy is demoted and ultimately red at work, this contributes to his declining mental health.
• He is disillusioned with the trajectory of his life.
• His late brother Ben was a successful businessman — this served as a reminder of Willy’s own
failures. Ben represents the wealth and success that eludes Willy.
• Willy’s delusion of himself builds as the play progresses.
Linda:
• Linda works diligently to maintain the illusion of Willy’s success.
• She allows Willy a level of authority and control that he cannot attain in his professional life.
• She serves as an equal partner in the family’s delusions. She tells Bi “his life is in your hands.”
Bi :
• Bi ’s hamartia is his inability to develop a traditional career for himself.
• Bi is a complete foil to his father and brother, he feels compelled to seek the truth about
himself rather than create a facade of material success.
• Bi ’s identity crisis is a function of his and his fathers disillusionment, whereby in order to
reclaim his identity, he must expose.
Happy:
• Happy’s name is ironic because he is not really happy at all.
• Happy and Willy share each others worst traits and both have a fervour to be superior.
• He is a womaniser who remains static and one-dimensional throughout the play.
• As a result of the American Dream, he is destined to be swallowed up by the force of blind
ambition that fuels his insatiable sex drive.
Dave Singleman:
• Just like his name suggests, Dave is a ‘single man’ and therefore self-su cient, which shows
his independence and individuality.
• ‘Dave’ means beloved which goes along with how well-known Willy says that he was. He serves
as Willy’s role model throughout the play.
• He died the novel ‘Death of a Salesman’ that eludes Willy — hundreds of salesmen and buyers
attend his funeral in a stark contrast to Willy.
ffff fi ff ff fi ff ff ff ffi fi
, Uncle Ben:
• One of Willy’s lifelong regrets is that he didn’t go with Ben to Alaska.
• Willy always asks Ben for advice, however, as Ben is dead the advice he receives is merely the
product of his own imagination.
• Ben’s successes serve to highlight Willy’s failures.
Bernard:
• Bi and Bernard are the parallels of their fathers, Willy and Charley.
• Bernard grows up to be a successful lawyer, despite how Wily used to mock him for studying
hard. Bi cannot live up to Bernard’s success.
Charley:
• Charley is Willy’s neighbour and only friend.
• Like his son, Charley is a lawyer, but he is humble and functions as a voice of reason in Willy’s
world of delusion and confusion.
The Woman:
• ‘The Woman’ has the double a ect of making the audience both despise and pity Willy.
• Her two appearances in the play are fragments of her haunting Willy’s imagination.
• Her laughter is a symbol of mocker and recognition of naivety.
• She functions as the plot device that disillusions Bi Loman about his fathers identity.
Key quotations:
Willy:
• “I put thirty-four years into this rm” — this shows how easily disposable he was despite
dedicating his life to his career and ‘The American Dream.’
• “Walked into a jungle, and comes out, at the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich! The world is an
oyster, but you don’t crack it open on a mattress!” — referring to his brothers success.
• “I’m vital in New England!” — exhibits his hubris and his delusion.
• “Because personality always wins the day!” — delusion.
• “I’ve got to get some seeds” — extended metaphor for Willy having no growth within his life,
both personally and professionally.
• “A man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being liked” — Willys over-concern with
what other people thought of him.
• “You stole Bill Olivers fountain pen!” — a reference to Willys delusion and belief that Bi was
trying to spite him, when really he wanted to make him proud.
• “Spite! Spite is the word of your undoing” — exposes Willys relentless anger and
disappointment at Bi .
Linda:
• “Bi , his life is in you hands!” — Linda is just as delusional as Willy and puts an extremely unfair
responsibility on Bi .
• “A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man” — empathetic, philosophical.
• “You make mountains out of molehills.”
• “We’re free… we’re free… we’re free” — group of three emphasises the strain that a nancial
burden can have.
• “Why didn’t anybody come?” — a stark contrast to Dave Singleman’s funeral, showing the
nature of Willy’s character.
• “Not enough sun gets back there. Nothing’ll grow anymore.” — A reference to the extended
metaphor of the seeds.
• “Be loving to him. Because he’s only a little boat looking for a harbour.”
Bi :
• “You fake! You phony little fake! You fake!”— exposing Willy.
• “I’m no good. Can’t you see what I am?” — deconstructing his father’s delusions.
• “Pop! I’m a dime a dozen! And so are you!”
• “Screw the business world!”
ffffff
ff ff ff fffi ff fi ff
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller HelpWithHumanities. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $13.11. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
