Week 4 Notes (1/3-10/11)

Main focus of this week was on Death of a Salesman
Main thoughts

• Why did Willy fail in life? Why didn't he succeed?
• Story shows the change and conflict of the American dream- making it big out west and making it big in the city
• Story portrays the decay of the American dream
• Is Willy responsible for the failures of his own sons?
• Why was Willy so indecisive when it came to his sons? When it came to his own life?
• Is Willy's death his fault or the fault of his family?
• Linda enabled Willy and treated him more like a baby then an equal partner
• Should Linda let Willy live in his day dream or should she have stopped him?

Big Focus on relationships

• Biff and Willy-
• tension from past
•  Biff has little to no respect for his father.
• Willy only sees that Biff he wants to see, not what his son actually is.
• Biff has little tolerance for his father's delusions.
• Biff and Linda-
• Biff seems to get along better with his mother, but she seems to be more focused on Willy and not her sons.
• Biff is angry at her for letting his father live in a fantasy world
• Linda wants Biff to live up to his father's expectations as well as play along with his madness
• Linda and Willy
• strange, somewhat unhealthy relationship
• treats him more like a child then her husband
• Willy confides in her
• Willy is sometimes cruel to her
• Biff and Happy
• Tension between them over their father's attention
• Biff is always favored over Happy
• Biff wont live in a fantasy world while Happy wants to
• Happy wants to be like his father, Biff doesn't
• Willy and Ben
• Similar to Biff and Happy relationship- Ben was the golden son
• Willy always trying to aspire to Ben