11.1.1

Willy Loman

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Quotations About Willy Loman

Here are seven quotations about Willy's character:

Ordinariness

Ordinariness

Linda: “not a great man… a small man”.
Biff: pleads with his father to finally accept that they are both just “dime a dozen”.

Idealistic but delusional

Idealistic but delusional

“We’ve got quite a streak of self-reliance in our family”
“… Three of the stores were half-closed for inventory… Otherwise I woulda broke records”
Biff: "Wrong dreams"

Flawed

Flawed

Miller warns us of Willy's “little cruelties” in the opening stage direction. We see many of his flaws - his pettiness, short temper and infidelity – throughout the play.

Insecure

Insecure

Willy admits to Linda that, deprived of a guiding influence at a young age, Willy has always felt “kind of temporary” about himself.

1

Introduction

1.1

Introductions

1.1.1Author 1.1.2Historical Context 1.1.3Setting 1.1.4Social Issues

2

Act One

2.1

Key Events

2.1.1Staging 2.1.2Key Events 1&2 2.1.3Key Events 3&4 2.1.4Key Events 5&6 2.1.5Key Events 7&8 2.1.6Key Events 9&10 2.1.7Key Events 11&12

2.2

Key Themes & Literary Techniques

2.2.1Foreshadowing, Flashbacks, Settings 2.2.2Family, Reality, Fantasy

3

Act Two

3.1

Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&2 3.1.2Key Events 3&4 3.1.3Key Events 5&6 3.1.4Key Events 7&8 3.1.5Key Events 9&10

3.2

Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride 3.2.2Metaphor 3.2.3Self-Realisation

4

Extended Passage Analysis

4.1

Act One

4.1.1Staging 4.1.2The Woman

4.2

Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office 4.2.2The Final Confrontation 4.2.3The Requiem

5

Character Profiles

5.1

Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman 5.1.2Linda Loman

5.2

Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman 5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy 5.2.3Happy Loman

5.3

Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben 5.3.2Charley 5.3.3Bernard

6

Key Themes

6.1

Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream 6.1.2Fathers & Sons 6.1.3Nature & the City 6.1.4Success 6.1.5Men & Women

7

Writing Techniques

7.1

Structure

7.1.1Act One 7.1.2Act Two

7.2

Realism

7.2.1Introduction 7.2.2Staging 7.2.3Language

7.3

Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction 7.3.2Staging 7.3.3Music

7.4

Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds 7.4.2Diamonds 7.4.3Alaska & Africa

7.5

Motifs

7.5.1Introduction 7.5.2Cars 7.5.3Silk Stockings 7.5.4Money 7.5.5Mythological Figures

8

Historical Context

8.1

Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression 8.1.2America’s Recovery

9

Literary Context

9.1

Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction

9.2

Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero 9.2.2The Tragic Flaw 9.2.3Recognition 9.2.4Emotional Release 9.2.5Chaos & Disorder 9.2.6Revenge 9.2.7Inevitability

10

Critical Debates

10.1

Introduction

10.1.1Introduction

10.2

The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis 10.2.2The Marxist Reading

10.3

The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis 10.3.2The Feminist Reading

10.4

The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis 10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading 10.4.3Post-pastoral

10.5

Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy 10.5.2The Critics

11

Recap: Main Quotes

Jump to other topics

1

Introduction

1.1

Introductions

1.1.1Author 1.1.2Historical Context 1.1.3Setting 1.1.4Social Issues

2

Act One

2.1

Key Events

2.1.1Staging 2.1.2Key Events 1&2 2.1.3Key Events 3&4 2.1.4Key Events 5&6 2.1.5Key Events 7&8 2.1.6Key Events 9&10 2.1.7Key Events 11&12

2.2

Key Themes & Literary Techniques

2.2.1Foreshadowing, Flashbacks, Settings 2.2.2Family, Reality, Fantasy

3

Act Two

3.1

Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&2 3.1.2Key Events 3&4 3.1.3Key Events 5&6 3.1.4Key Events 7&8 3.1.5Key Events 9&10

3.2

Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride 3.2.2Metaphor 3.2.3Self-Realisation

4

Extended Passage Analysis

4.1

Act One

4.1.1Staging 4.1.2The Woman

4.2

Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office 4.2.2The Final Confrontation 4.2.3The Requiem

5

Character Profiles

5.1

Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman 5.1.2Linda Loman

5.2

Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman 5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy 5.2.3Happy Loman

5.3

Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben 5.3.2Charley 5.3.3Bernard

6

Key Themes

6.1

Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream 6.1.2Fathers & Sons 6.1.3Nature & the City 6.1.4Success 6.1.5Men & Women

7

Writing Techniques

7.1

Structure

7.1.1Act One 7.1.2Act Two

7.2

Realism

7.2.1Introduction 7.2.2Staging 7.2.3Language

7.3

Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction 7.3.2Staging 7.3.3Music

7.4

Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds 7.4.2Diamonds 7.4.3Alaska & Africa

7.5

Motifs

7.5.1Introduction 7.5.2Cars 7.5.3Silk Stockings 7.5.4Money 7.5.5Mythological Figures

8

Historical Context

8.1

Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression 8.1.2America’s Recovery

9

Literary Context

9.1

Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction

9.2

Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero 9.2.2The Tragic Flaw 9.2.3Recognition 9.2.4Emotional Release 9.2.5Chaos & Disorder 9.2.6Revenge 9.2.7Inevitability

10

Critical Debates

10.1

Introduction

10.1.1Introduction

10.2

The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis 10.2.2The Marxist Reading

10.3

The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis 10.3.2The Feminist Reading

10.4

The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis 10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading 10.4.3Post-pastoral

10.5

Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy 10.5.2The Critics

11

Recap: Main Quotes

Practice questions on Willy Loman

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1
Complete the quotations showing how delusional Willy is:Fill in the list
2
What does Miller warn us about in the opening stage directions?Multiple choice

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The Critics

Linda Loman