Cars
English Lit: AQA A Level Death of a Salesman, topic 7.5.2
Cars
Cars recur throughout the play.
Cars
- The play opens with Willy returning home after almost driving off the road (we later learn that this is not Willy’s first automobile accident) and Act Two ends with the noise of a car engine.
Memories and contradictions
- It is a car which prompts Willy’s first memory in the play (of Biff and Happy simonising his car) and, through his discussions of cars, that we get to see how easily and quickly Willy is able to contradict himself: one moment, the Chevrolet is “the greatest car ever built” and the next, “they ought to prohibit the manufacture of that car!”
Financial troubles
- Cars also help to demonstrate the financial struggles faced by the Lomans through Willy’s frustration at having to pay for repairs.
Symbolism
- It could be argued that cars act as a symbol of Willy’s disappointments and frustrations.
Test yourself on Cars
What is Willy's first memory in the play?