Key Events 7&8

Test yourself

Act One: Key Event Seven

The play returns to the present and Willy's current feelings of inferiority and shame.

Key event seven

One memory now merges into another as Willy reacts to Linda’s attempts to comfort him.

Significance

We begin to see how Willy is unable to control his memories and how they torment him.
The guilty secret that Willy has kept from his wife for years surfaces and leads to an angry outburst.

Quotation

“WILLY [angrily, taking them from her]: I won’t have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out!”

Explanation

Willy’s anger springs from two sources.
First, there is a sense of wounded pride as he is not able to provide for his wife to afford new stockings.
- That Linda must mend them reminds him of his failure.
The sight of silk stockings also provokes a sense of guilt as they remind Willy of his affair with the Woman in Boston.

Act One: Key Event Eight

We are introduced to Willy's neighbour Charley and their simultaneously close and strained relationship.

Key event eight

Charley, Willy’s friend and neighbour calls by, despite the late hour, worried about the noise he has heard.
He and Willy settle down to a game of cards

Significance

We see the difficult relationship between Willy and Charley.
Willy feels able to open up to Charley, asking him for advice on how to deal with Biff, but he reacts angrily when Charley offers him a job.
The squabble then moves on to Charley not being able to put up a ceiling.

Quotation

“A man who can’t handle tools is not a man. You’re disgusting.”

Explanation

Willy dismisses Charley as a “man”, perhaps because Charley does not share the Loman men’s ability to work with their hands but perhaps also because Willy is resentful of Charley.
His pride is wounded by Charley being able to offer him a job and, on Willy’s side, there is a competitive streak looking for a way to put Charley down.

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 & Links

2.2.1Foreshadowing & Inevitability

2.2.2Time

2.2.3Settings

2.2.4Family

2.2.5Reality v 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

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