5.3.2

Charley

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Charley's Relationship with Willy

Almost ten years after the first performance of the play, Arthur Miller wrote that Charley is “the most decent man” in the play.

Similarities

Similarities

Miller points out that Charley’s aims are not too different from Willy’s as he tries to build a successful career and wants his son to succeed, but Charley is not, in Miller’s word, a “fanatic” like Willy.
Charley conducts himself quietly and modestly and instils “worthwhile” values into his son.

Charley's generosity

Charley's generosity

Charley’s decency can be seen in many ways.
He enters the Loman household in Act One, clearly concerned after being disturbed by noise.
He listens to Willy’s complaints, lends Willy money and, in Willy’s moment of crisis, offers him a job: “You can make fifty dollars a week. And I won’t send you on the road.”
His impulse is to be generous to Willy throughout.

True friendship

True friendship

Charley is also a true friend to Willy (Willy will admit that Charley is “the only friend I got”) in that he is able to stand up to him and tries to get Willy to accept reality.
When frustrated, he is able to tell Willy that “enough is enough” and “I know when I’m being insulted”.

Criticisms

Criticisms

Charley is also able to criticise Willy for his upbringing of Biff and Happy.
When Willy boasts of his boys’ initiative and daring in stealing building materials from the construction site, Charley warns Willy that “the jails are full of fearless characters”.
We later learn that Charley will be proved right years later.

Charley's Defence of Willy

Charley tries to help his friend after Willy is fired, and then continues to defend him after his death.

Tyring to help

Tyring to help

Charley senses the change in Willy after he has been fired and is clearly disturbed enough by Willy’s words and behaviour to urge that “nobody’s worth nothin’ dead”.
Willy, however, is now beyond Charley’s help.
Instead, the voice Willy responds to now is Ben’s.

Defence

Defence

Charley offers a defence of Willy’s dreams in the Requiem.
His speech demonstrates that he understands the precarious existence of a salesman in that he is always dependant on how his buyers respond to him: “when they start not smiling back - that’s an earthquake.”

Understanding

Understanding

Charley understands the insecurities Willy has been battling with for years and how Willy has compensated for this:
“A salesman is got to dream, boy, It comes with the territory”.

Language

Language

Charley’s language in the Requiem tries to give Willy’s life and death a sense of grandeur with the almost Biblical tones of “Nobody dast blame this man”.
Throughout his speech, Charley looks to honour his friend.

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 Charley

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1
Examples of Charley’s decency:Fill in the list
2
Examples of Charley standing up to Willy:Fill in the list
3
Times Charley defends Willy:Fill in the list
4
Quotations from Charley's speech in the requiem:Fill in the list

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Uncle Ben

Bernard