Key Events 11&12

Test yourself

Act One: Key Event Eleven

The Loman men are swept up in plans for a new business. Their misplaced values and beliefs are seen again.

Key event eleven

Biff and Happy tell Willy of their Loman Brothers business idea and Biff’s plan to visit Bill Oliver the next day in order to ask for a start-up loan.

Significance

We see how easily the Lomans are swept away by the illusion that success is imminent, with Willy telling his boys, “I think your troubles are over”.
It is assumed that Bill Oliver will remember, and still admire, Biff, despite the reality behind why Biff left Oliver’s employment.

Quotation

“Start off with a couple of your good stories to lighten things up. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it – because personality always wins the day.”

Explanation

Willy again repeats his mantra that success is built on “personality”, giving his sons the dubious advice that this alone, rather than substance (e.g. a sensible business plan) will prevail.

Act One: Key Event Twelve

Act One ends on a note of impending doom, again signalling the inevitability of Willy’s demise.

Key event twelve

While upstairs, Willy, dreams of Biff’s golden future.
We follow Biff to the kitchen and, eventually, the gas heater, from behind which he discovers Willy’s hidden rubber tubing.

Significance

Miller contrasts Willy’s fantasy with reality.
The “golden pool of light” which Biff walks in symbolises how Willy still idealises him – as the star footballer who came out onto Ebbets Field with “the sun all around him”.

Quotation

“[The light on Willy is fading. The gas heater begins to glow through the kitchen wall…]”

Explanation

Miller uses lighting effects to undercut Willy’s optimism, with the “glow” from the gas heater reminding the audience of Willy’s suicidal urges.
Act One ends on a note of impending doom, again signalling the inevitability of Willy’s demise.

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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