Death of a Salesman 3

"Willy. I - I just can't work for you, Charley.
Charley. What're you, jealous of me?
Willy. I can't work for you, that's all, don't ask me why."
-Page 1602

This quote shows Willy's tagic flaw. His tragic flaw is his sense of pride. Charley is offering a pretty nice job basically just because he feels bad for Willy and wants to help out. Willy just got fired from his job, but he still refuses to work for Charley. His ridiculous refusal comes out of his self pride. He used to feel much more successful than Charley and does not want to accept that he needs help from him. He wants to be successful so bad that he can't even accept the fact that he isn't. This tragic flaw causes him to be miserable and only puts more pressure on Biff to be successful. I admire Willy for working so hard and being so passionate about his work and trying to better his situation. However, Willy should have realized that the dream he had did not fit him. If he would have been able to realize that his talents were not in sales, than he could have lived a better, happier life as something else. Willy eventually commits suicide hoping that his insurance/inheritance money could help revive or remotivate Biff. This idea is honorable, but his family would have rather had him alive and he only does this to fulfill his pride of success when Biff doesn't really care about money anymore.

Death of a Salesman 2

Linda: "He's been trying to kill himself." -page 1577

Willy: "Funny, y'know? After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive." -page 1603

The two quotes above display the literary technique of foreshadowing. They both foreshadow the ending of the play in which Willy commits suicide. The reader is aware for almost the entire play that Willy is very unstable and going a bit crazy. Quotes like these those give more details to the predicted fate of Willy. The first one comes from Linda towards the beginning of the play, when she is explaining to her kids why they need to stay and look out for their father. The second quote comes from Willy towards the end of the play, when he is talking to Charley. Personally, I think the second quote is when Willy seriously considers suicide the most. The foreshadowing helps the reader make an early prediction of the ending, better analyze the story, and be able to recognize other times foreshadowing is used.

I just wanted to add that this was one of the most depressing stories I've ever read. I think I got to into the story and let it effect my emotions because I was honestly upset after finishing it. To see Biff and Willy's dreams and pride be crushed right in front of their faces was hard to read.

Death of a Salesman 1

"Just wanna be careful with those girls, Biff, that's all. Don't make any promises."
-page 1557

This quote comes from Willy early in the play. This is the first instance when Willy has an actual flashback and the reader gets information from Willy's memory. Willy is thinking back to the times when him and Biff and Happy all got along and when expectations for the future were at the highest. Because this account is from Willy's memory, than it is nonrealistic. Memory is a major connection between Death of a Salesman and The Glass Menagerie. Both are nonrealistic, because memory is never 100% accurate. It takes into account the perspective of only the single person's memory. Willy thinks back and remembers how great things used to be when Biff was athletic and successful. I'm sure if it were Biff or Happy or Linda's memory, it would be at least slightly different from Willy's. Willy's flashbacks, hallucinations, and recollections of memory are very important in the story. Understanding what is real and what isn't is crucial in understanding the play.