2.1.6

Key Events 9&10

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Act One: Key Event Nine

At this point in the play we are introduced to Ben, Willy's dead brother, in a convergence of reality and illusion.

Key event nine

Key event nine

  • Willy’s dead brother, Ben, ‘appears’ during Willy’s card game with Charley.
  • Willy seems to be remembering a visit Ben made to Willy and his family years earlier.
Significance

Significance

  • The past again intrudes uncomfortably into the present.
  • Willy is unable to tell reality from illusion and speaks to both Ben and Charley.
  • Ben’s presence clearly unnerves Willy who, in his “confusion”, begins an argument with Charley to cover for his strange behaviour.
Quotation

Quotation

  • “Great inventor, Father. With one gadget he made more in a week than a man like you could make in a lifetime.”
Explanation

Explanation

  • This quote takes us to the roots of Willy’s doubts and insecurities.
  • As Ben makes clear, Willy can never live up to his father’s example.
  • His father was self-reliant, a craftsman as well as businessman, while Willy is a failing salesman, dependent on the charity of others.

Act One: Key Event Ten

Through Linda's discussion with her sons, the audience learns of Willy's mental health problems and suicidal thoughts and actions.

Key event ten

Key event ten

  • As Willy takes a walk outside (still in his slippers), Linda opens up to her sons about Willy’s deteriorating mental state and his suicidal impulses.
Significance

Significance

  • As an audience, we learn the extent of Willy’s (and Linda’s) suffering.
  • Willy has lost his salary and now relies on the commission from his sales to make any money.
  • Moreover, the insurance company consider Willy’s car accidents to be suicide attempts: Linda then tells her sons of the rubber tubing Willy has hidden behind the gas heater in preparation for another suicide attempt.
Quotation

Quotation

  • “He’s not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a man.”
Explanation

Explanation

  • From one of the key speeches in the play, Linda’s lines sum up the play’s central message: that all human beings, however insignificant, deserve respect and dignity.
  • The final sentence shares the same techniques as many political slogans with the repetition of “attention” and use of the modal verb “must” helping to create an urgent and forceful tone.
Jump to other topics
1

Introduction

1.1

Introductions

1.1.1Author1.1.2Historical Context1.1.3Setting1.1.4Social Issues
2

Act One

2.1

Key Events

2.1.1Staging2.1.2Key Events 1&22.1.3Key Events 3&42.1.4Key Events 5&62.1.5Key Events 7&82.1.6Key Events 9&102.1.7Key Events 11&12
2.2

Key Themes & Literary Techniques

2.2.1Foreshadowing, Flashbacks, Settings2.2.2Family, Reality, Fantasy
3

Act Two

3.1

Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&23.1.2Key Events 3&43.1.3Key Events 5&63.1.4Key Events 7&83.1.5Key Events 9&10
3.2

Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride3.2.2Metaphor3.2.3Self-Realisation
4

Extended Passage Analysis

4.1

Act One

4.1.1Staging4.1.2The Woman
4.2

Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office4.2.2The Final Confrontation4.2.3The Requiem
5

Character Profiles

5.1

Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman5.1.2Linda Loman
5.2

Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy5.2.3Happy Loman
5.3

Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben5.3.2Charley5.3.3Bernard
6

Key Themes

6.1

Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream6.1.2Fathers & Sons6.1.3Nature & the City6.1.4Success6.1.5Men & Women
7

Writing Techniques

7.1

Structure

7.1.1Act One7.1.2Act Two
7.2

Realism

7.2.1Introduction7.2.2Staging7.2.3Language
7.3

Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction7.3.2Staging7.3.3Music
7.4

Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds7.4.2Diamonds7.4.3Alaska & Africa
7.5

Motifs

7.5.1Introduction7.5.2Cars7.5.3Silk Stockings7.5.4Money7.5.5Mythological Figures
8

Historical Context

8.1

Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression8.1.2America’s Recovery
9

Literary Context

9.1

Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction
9.2

Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero9.2.2The Tragic Flaw9.2.3Recognition9.2.4Emotional Release9.2.5Chaos & Disorder9.2.6Revenge9.2.7Inevitability
10

Critical Debates

10.1

Introduction

10.1.1Introduction
10.2

The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis10.2.2The Marxist Reading
10.3

The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis10.3.2The Feminist Reading
10.4

The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading10.4.3Post-pastoral
10.5

Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy10.5.2The Critics
11

Recap: Main Quotes

11.1

Characters Quotes

11.1.1Willy Loman11.1.2Linda Loman11.1.3Biff Loman11.1.4Happy Loman11.1.5Uncle Ben11.1.6Charley11.1.7Bernard
11.2

Quotes by Act

11.2.1Act One: Key Events 1-3 Quotes11.2.2Act One: Key Events 4-6 Quotes11.2.3Act One: Key Events 7-9 Quotes11.2.4Act One: Key Events 10-12 Quotes11.2.5Act One: Stage Direction Quotes11.2.6Act One: The Woman Quotes11.2.7Act Two: Key Events 1-2 Quotes11.2.8Act Two: Key Events 3-4 Quotes11.2.9Act Two: Key Events 5-6 Quotes11.2.10Act Two: Key Events 7-8 Quotes11.2.11Act Two: Key Events 9-10 Quotes11.2.12Act Two: Howard's Office Quotes11.2.13Act Two: The Requiem Quotes

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    In key event ten we learn of Willy's suicidal impulses. What is he planning on killing himself with?Multiple choice
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Key Events 7&8

Key Events 11&12