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November 25, 2005
Death of a Salesman, Act I
Willy, moving towards the forstage, with great agitation: You'll give him the answers! (40)
It bothers me that Willy is ok with Biff cheating to get by. He seems to feel that as long as people like him everything will be great. But, the truth is that being well-like is not enough. Sure, he has personality, but you can't get by on just that. You can't expect others to carry you. Eventually, they will become so frustrated with having to do things for you, that they won't like you anymore and they won't respect you.
Also, this play confuses me a little. I am not sure if these events are memories and they really happened, or if they are just the illusions of a disappointed old man. Or if they are a combination of both. I'm unsure of exactly what is wrong with Willy. Does he have some known condition, or is he just this way because he is disappointed about his life and the life of his boy Biff? And why does he seem to favor Biff over happy? Hopefully the second act will clear some of these things up.
Posted by LorinSchumacher at November 25, 2005 4:27 PM
Comments
I think Willy has Alzheimer's or dementia.
Willy favors Biff because he was a good athlete in school. I guess he had high hopes for him. They're a lot alike too.
Posted by: Kayla Sawyer at December 1, 2005 5:25 PM