Act Two: Howard's Office Quotes

Howard's Office - Quotations About Capitalism

The scene in Howard's office is a comment on the cold, uncaring nature of capitalism and the divisions it creates between men. Here are a few key quotations from the scene:

Optimism

“I’m gonna knock Howard for a loop, kid”.
- Willy arrives to Howard's office full of optimism - he has said this to Linda a few lines earlier.
- But Willy is quickly put off his stride by Howard’s demonstration of the wire recorder and his impatience with Willy’s attempted interventions (“Sh, for God’s sake”).

Divisions

“Sure, they’re only a hundred and a half”.
- Willy is forced to discuss the machine and, keen to please Howard, tells him that he’ll get one for himself. Howard’s response helps to demonstrate the divide between the two men: the audience knows that Willy does not have that kind of money to spend.

Lack of sentimentality

“You didn’t crack up again, did you?”
- Demonstrates Howard's lack of care or concern for his employee.

Cold capitalism

“Business is business”.
- Howard has no time for sentimentality and rejects Willy’s mentions of his father or of the old days where, according to Willy, “there was respect, and comradeship, and gratitude in it”.

"Desperately, angrily"

Miller’s stage directions reveal how distressed Willy becomes.
Howard is unmoved, with Miller describing him as “barely interested”.

Howard's Office - Quotations About Values

Willy’s speech about his father and Dave Singleman is the vessel for one of Miller’s key ‘messages’ in the play: businesses treat their employees as disposable rather than worthy human beings.

Delusions

“‘Cause what could be more satisfying…?”
- Willy’s speech about his father and Dave Singleman is the longest in the play.
- It reveals the delusion at the heart of Willy’s dreams: that the life of a travelling salesman is glamorous and rewarding.

Willy and Howard's values

Willy - thinks Dave Singleman embodies values such as “friendship” and “personality”.
Howard - motivated by other values (he “can’t take blood from a stone”).

Demanding respect

“You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit!”
- Here, Willy protests against how businesses treat their employees as disposable and asserts his worth as a human being who deserves respect and dignity.

1Introduction

1.1Introductions

1.1.1Author

1.1.2Historical Context

1.1.3Setting

1.1.4Social Issues

2Act One

2.1Key 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

2.2Key Themes & Literary Techniques

2.2.1Foreshadowing, Flashbacks, Settings

2.2.2Family, Reality, Fantasy

3Act Two

3.1Key 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

3.2Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride

3.2.2Metaphor

3.2.3Self-Realisation

4Extended Passage Analysis

4.1Act One

4.1.1Staging

4.1.2The Woman

4.2Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office

4.2.2The Final Confrontation

4.2.3The Requiem

5Character Profiles

5.1Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman

5.1.2Linda Loman

5.2Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman

5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy

5.2.3Happy Loman

5.3Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben

5.3.2Charley

5.3.3Bernard

6Key Themes

6.1Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream

6.1.2Fathers & Sons

6.1.3Nature & the City

6.1.4Success

6.1.5Men & Women

7Writing Techniques

7.1Structure

7.1.1Act One

7.1.2Act Two

7.2Realism

7.2.1Introduction

7.2.2Staging

7.2.3Language

7.3Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction

7.3.2Staging

7.3.3Music

7.4Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds

7.4.2Diamonds

7.4.3Alaska & Africa

7.5Motifs

7.5.1Introduction

7.5.2Cars

7.5.3Silk Stockings

7.5.4Money

7.5.5Mythological Figures

8Historical Context

8.1Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression

8.1.2America’s Recovery

9Literary Context

9.1Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction

9.2Applying 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

10Critical Debates

10.1Introduction

10.1.1Introduction

10.2The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis

10.2.2The Marxist Reading

10.3The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis

10.3.2The Feminist Reading

10.4The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis

10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.3Post-pastoral

10.5Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy

10.5.2The Critics

11Recap: Main Quotes

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