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Matthew Liu
Mr. Pistner
American Literature
19 April 2012
Questions on Death of a Salesman (Act One)
1. When Willy says to Ben, I still feelkind of temporary about myself (1307), Willy
says this in the context that his father left him when he was a child. Willy himself had no role
model or father when he was growing up and therefore does not know how to be a good father.
When he says that he feels kind of temporary about himself, Willy means that sometimes he
feels like he is doing a good job and sometimes he is not. So he wants to learn how to be a better
father because he feels as though anyone could replace him and be a better father than he is. His
need of guidance of how to be a father shows that he did not have a very positive childhood. He
asks Ben for help in how to raise his children since he had no father figure when he was growing
up. When Ben tells him that hes being first-rate with your boys (1307) and that they are
Outstanding, manly chaps (1307), Willy has a great load taken off his shoulders. Willy does
not know how to be a father and when Ben tells him that he is doing a great job, he is very happy
that he was able to prevent his sons from having a childhood like his own. Essentially when
Willy says I still feelkind of temporary about myself (1307), he is asking Ben for guidance
of how to be a good father.
2. When Linda says that attention must be paid to such a person (1309), she is
talking about Willy. Before this, she says Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name
was never in the paper. Hes not the finest character that ever lived (1309). This is to say that
she understands that Willy might not be rich, or famous, or the perfect father but Willy is a

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human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him (1309). She is telling Happy and Biff that
they are treating their father very terribly. Willy might not have been the best father but he must
be treated with respect because he is a human being and he at least deserves acknowledgment
and attention. The terrible thing that is happening to him is that Happy and Biff are completely
ignoring their father and do not want to interact with their father. The message of this quote is
that Willy should not feel like he is worthless and should not be allowed to die with that feeling.
Linda has been mistreated by Willy but still supports him and this reveals that she is a very
strong-willed and sympathetic woman. She is not a woman who wants revenge and has very
good morals. She reveals about Willy that he is outstanding in no way whatsoever and that Willy
wants a better relationship with his sons but they are not allowing it.
3. When Willy says to Charley that A man who cant handle tools is not a man (1303),
they are talking about putting up a roof. Willy has too much pride to let go of the little things
that make him better than Charley. Rather than compare by social status or amount of money
they each have, in which Willy would probably lose, Willy instead claims that a man is defined
by how well he can handle tools. He refuses to believe that Charley is manlier than he is. Willy
says to Biff that Even your grandfather was better than a carpenter (1312) claiming that Biff
can find a better job. In Willys opinion, a family moves up socially by each generation being
better than the previous one. When Biff claims that city life is not for him and that he should be
a carpenter, Willy responds with the fact that Biffs grandfather was better than a carpenter and
being a carpenter would be moving backwards on the social scale. Willy only wants the best for
his family and Biff but he should not decide other peoples fates or what they want to do for a
living. Willys thinking is very competitive and he just wants to move up the social scale.
Everything that he does and his sons do must be towards improving their social status.

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4. When Willy says personality always wins the day (1313), he means that people who
are more carefree are the ones who succeed at the end of the day. Willy also says, Dont be so
modest. You always started too low. Walk in with a big laugh. Dont look so worried. Start off
with a couple of your good stories to lighten things up (1313). Willy seems to have a very
laidback view of life here but only because there is an opportunity. Throughout the play, Willy
does not have a laidback view of life but the reason he is laidback here is because there is a
Million-dollar (1313) idea. It is fair to say that when there is something to be happy about, he
is relatively laidback and gives a lot of advice. On the inside, Willy is hoping that Biff and
Happy do not mess up with this golden opportunity which is apparent when Willy gives multiple
pieces of advice, dont wear sport jacket and slacks (1313), wear a business suit (1313),
start big and youll end big (1313), dont say Gee (1313), etc. Biff and Happy may not
share the same perspective as Willy in that they disagree with some of Willys. For example,
Willy says Ask for fifteen (1313) and Biff disagrees and says Ten, I think, would be top
(1313). All three of them, however, are very happy at the once in a lifetime opportunity.
5. The color of the glow that the heater is giving off, a blue flame beneath red coils
(1315), is what sets the mood and atmosphere of the play. This gives the atmosphere an ominous
and disturbed quality to it because attached to the heater is a length of rubber tubing (1315)
that Willy uses to inhale the gas to try to harm himself. Biff is described as horrified (1315)
when he discovers this tube which means that he was probably not entirely convinced when
Linda told him that Willy is trying to kill himself. It gives a very vivid image of his face and that
is what gives it the ominous and disturbed quality. It is also important to note that The light on
Willy is fading (1315) which seems to represent his life force. When this light fades, Willy says

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that he is so tired (1315) and rudely tells Linda to not talk any more (1315) which adds to
the disturbed quality and the light fading adds to the ominous atmosphere.