Death of a Salesman 120 questions and
answers
WILLY: a young man with such—personal attractiveness, gets lost. - answer Literary Device:
Hyperbole, Conflict (Man vs. Man),
Meaning:
• Willy's reflections suggest complete faith in the notion that in America, anyone who works
hard and is personally compelling is destined to succeed.
• Beyond that, they have a right to succeed. By the end of the play, however, it becomes
apparent that that isn't necessarily true.
• Willy's reflections suggest complete faith in the notion that popularity and personal
attractiveness bring success.
• The fact that Biff's life hasn't amounted to much, despite him being so popular in high school,
is truly hard for Willy to understand.
• It just doesn't fit into his idea of the world.
• This exceptionalism is reflective of arrogance because it sees a subjective vision as truth and
little else can be offered.
BIFF: And it's a measly manner of existence. (Act 1) - answer Literary Device: Conflict (Man vs.
Man), Sad tone, Alliteration
Meaning:
• Inner conflict With what he wants to do and what his father wants him to do.
• Conflict with his father Biff longs for a life the great outdoors and working + building things
with his hands.
• He feels that Willy too had the "wrong dream" as he had built the ceiling and the new garage.
• Also throughout the play Willy seems to long for simpler things as well, like growing things.
• Miller's criticism of the American dream, often thought to have stemmed from his socialist
views.
,Willy's comments cross the line from hopefulness about the future to the suggestion that his
aspirations are already reality. He clings to the delusional idea that Biff is somehow superior to
the average young man.
• Willy clings to his hope that Biff will settle down and become a major business success despite
the unlikelihood of such an event. This desperate hope is what eventually leads him to commit
suicide by the end of the play. He goes to his death with the delusional idea that Biff will one
day be a famous businessman.
HAPPY [enthralled]: I can outboxout lift and outrun anybody in that store... (Act 1) - answer
Literary Device: Conflict (Man vs. Man) enthusiastic tone
Meaning:
• Hap too faces an inner conflict like Biff.
• He prefers the competitive nature that comes along with the American Dream and is unable
to let go of the idea of success BUT at the same time he is trapped within the hamster wheel of
American capitalism.
WILLY: I can park my car in any street in New England and the cops protect it like their own. (Act
1) - answer Literary Device: Metaphor (Cops)
Meaning:
• Willy's characterization of the American people as kind and virtuous to anyone who is
personally attractive demonstrates his utter faith in his twisted version of the American Dream.
• Willy is a slave to the delusional idea.
• The car is a symbol of wealth Demonstrates everything that willy stands for and the fact
WILLY: The world is an oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress - answer Theme: Visions
of America, Biff, Dreams&Hopes&Plans, Appearances,
Literary Device: Metaphor - Oyster and mattress
,Meaning:
• Willy believes that there are many opportunities out there in the world which will only come
with hard work however to get the really good opportunities one needs to be touch and not
lazy and soft.
BEN: You've got a new continent at your doorstep, William. (Act 2) - answer Theme: Visions of
America, Dreams&Hopes&Plans
Literary Device:
• Conflict - Man vs. Man, Man Vs. Nature,
• Hyperbole Represents that opportunity is present everywhere all Willy has to do is work hard
to achieve it.
• Continent It's a symbol of the amount of opportunity that is present in America.
Meaning:
• The American West is depicted as rife with opportunity, free of confinements and prosperity,
an ideal place to pursue the American Dream.
• In the West, however, the fight is man vs. man and man vs. nature.
• The American West is portrayed as a land of opportunity waiting to be tapped.
• Willy is haunted by the fact that he didn't accompany his brother to Alaska.
• It seems like sometimes he feels that this missed opportunity is the thing that robbed him of a
chance at the American Dream.
CHARLEY: Willy was a salesman. And for a salesman, there's no rock bottom to the life.
"in the blue riding on a smile and a shoeshine."
A salesman is got to dream boy, it comes with the territory. (Act 2) - answer Theme: Visions of
America, Dreams&Hopes&Plans
, Literary Device:
1. Conflict - Man vs. Man
2. Metaphor - For Willy's ego
3. Connotation - His job was to persuade people into buying his product, and salesmen can
honestly do anything if they truly believe in what their selling. However, Willy got trapped in
aspiring to the American Dream and found himself in the midst of doing less and less honest
work (Such as having an affair with the women)
Meaning:
• Charley's Eulogy It refers to the fact that Willy Loman is a salesman, who does not produce
anything nor has an particular skills except his self-esteem, and positivity which are reflected in
his appearance (smile, shoe-shine) and allow him to be "well-liked" and thus to sell things.
• As soon as he is not well liked, or loses his smile, then he has nothing at all, he can't sell, and
since he can't do anything else, he will crash and burn.
• Blue - It's a calm color which is used to represent that Loman was able to escape reality and
die peace.
WILLY: He's (Charley) liked, but he's not—well liked. (Act 1) - answer Theme: Dreams, Hopes and
Plans,
Literary Device: Repetition of "Liked"
Meaning:
• It represents that willy is sucked in deep into the "American Dream" and that it's not enough
to just be liked, one needs to be popular and have a charismatic personality in order to succeed
in society.
• Eventually, we learn that Willy isn't particularly well liked at all.
• Delusional.
