What does Willy mean when he says the woods are burning? The woods are a symbol of life.As Willy's life crashes around him he says “The woods are burning” meaning
his life is coming apart
.
Why does Willy frequently say the woods are burning?
I cant drive a car!” Willy mentioning that the “woods are burning” is
symbolic of how his life is falling apart
: he can't achieve the American Dream, his two sons are not helping him, and the rest of the events unfold as the story develops.
What does the jungle mean in Death of a Salesman?
The jungle is
symbolic of life, and diamonds of success
. As Willy's life is crashing down around him, he says, “The woods are burning! I can't drive a car!” At the end of the play (and many other places as well) Uncle Ben refers to the jungle: “You must go into the jungle and fetch a diamond out.”
What does the trees represent in the Death of a Salesman?
Willy longs not only for these plants and trees, but for the return of the lost qualities they symbolize in his life:
strength, hope, and well-being
. This is partly why Willy wants a house in the country, with flowers, trees, and a vegetable garden.
What does Willys garden symbolize?
Seeds. Seeds represent for Willy the opportunity to prove the worth of his labor, both as a salesman and a father. His desperate, nocturnal attempt to grow vegetables signifies
his shame about barely being able to put food on the table and having nothing to leave his children when he passes
.
What is the significance of the color gold in Death of a Salesman?
119) gold is a color that represents
success, prosperity, happiness, wealth, power
etc.
What is the irony in Death of a Salesman?
Situational Irony
Willy ends up committing suicide after deciding that he is not living up to his dreams
. He believed the insurance money would help his son, Biff, begin a successful career; however, the insurance money never materialized because the death was a suicide.
What is the moral lesson of Death of a Salesman?
The play demonstrates how
a person's self-perpetual denial can impact those around him, and include them
. Ultimately, Willy's tragic end is the failure to realize the American dream (and a really bad case of sales burnout).
What does jungle symbolize?
The word “jungle” itself carries connotations of
untamed and uncontrollable nature and isolation from civilisation
, along with the emotions that evokes: threat, confusion, powerlessness, disorientation and immobilisation.
What does nature represent in the Death of a Salesman?
In the play “The Death of a Salesman” the author Arthur Miller uses nature imagery to depict
the downfall of the Loman family
. He does this through showing the lack of growth, the lack of reliability, and the risks that the Lomans take.
What does the rubber hose represent in Death of a Salesman?
In sum, the rubber pipe symbolizes
Willy's quiet determination to eliminate himself in the midst of what has turned out to be an unfulfilling and superficial life
. The rubber pipe, as well as the title of the play, are also indicators as to how the play will end.
What does the refrigerator symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
The refrigerator reflects
the idea of the American Dream
. Willy's distorted views on being successful are reflected on his refrigerator. He states that if he had the more popular General Electric one like Charley then it would likely last longer, while comparing his Hastings refrigerator as being unknown.
What object symbolizes Willys best year?
What object symbolizes Willy's best year, the year in which he felt most happy and successful? 2. Because this action reminds him of
the stockings
he gave to The Woman and his subsequent infidelity.
What are the symbols in Death of a Salesman?
Diamonds and the Jungle
The diamonds that made Ben rich are a symbol of concrete wealth in Death of a Salesman. Unlike sales in which Willy has nothing tangible to show for his work, the diamonds represent pure, unadulterated material achievement.
What act most symbolizes Willy's sense of desperation?
Willy's desperation for memories is suggestive of his
feelings of abandonment
. He is again trying to cling to the past to avoid the present. The “high music” mentioned here is the flute that his father played.
What do Biff sneakers symbolize?
Biff's shoes represent
his hopes and dreams
. His UVA shoes show his dream of playing football in college and being successful. After discovering his dad's affair, Biff burns his dreams along with the shoes. The rubber pipe represents Willy's depression and hopelessness, as well as his hope for his family.
What does the red Chevy symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
The car symbolizes
Willy's struggle and eventual failure to achieve the American Dream
. Nothing was ever as good as the dream of what it should have been. Chevrolet is an American car brand and was the kind of car that the character Willy Loman owned in the play Death of a Salesman.
What does the woman symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
Not only does she function as the plot device that disillusions Biff Loman about his father's identity, she also serves as
a ghost of truthfulness
throughout Miller's play.
What happens to happy at the end of Death of a Salesman?
At the funeral,
Happy is unchanged, his old self
. He says that “[they] would've helped him” (p. 110), even though he himself had been extremely cruel to Willy by abandoning him at a restaurant just before the big quarrel, and certainly this wasn't the only incident where he had shown no regard at all for Willy.
Is Happy Happy in Death of a Salesman?
Who Is Happy Loman? Happy Loman is
Willy and Linda Loman's son
in Death of a Salesman. Happy is thirty-two years old, younger than his brother Biff by two years. Happy emulates his father in many ways, believing Willy's theory that success comes from being well liked.
What is the major theme of Death of a Salesman?
The main themes and symbols of Death of a Salesman include
family relationships
and, at large, the shortcomings of the American dream and all of its consequences, namely the financial well-being that can afford people certain luxuries.
What are 3 themes in Death of a Salesman?
Denial, contradiction, and the quest for order versus disorder
comprise the three major themes of Death of a Salesman. All three themes work together to create a dreamlike atmosphere in which the audience watches a man's identity and mental stability slip away.
How does the Death of a Salesman end?
In the Death of a Salesman ending,
Willy realizes that he will never live up to his own expectations and drives off in his car and commits suicide
. His grand scheme was for his life insurance policy to give Biff a chance to live the life Willy had never been able to live for himself.
What is the turning point in Death of a Salesman?
As a result,
Scene 8
is a turning point for Biff. He consciously chooses reality over fantasy. He would rather deal with the facts, as strange and disturbing as they may be, than reinvent events to suit his purpose. Scene 8 is important for Willy because he is also truthful about his situation.
What is the message of The Jungle?
Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to
expose the appalling working conditions in the meat-packing industry
. His description of diseased, rotten, and contaminated meat shocked the public and led to new federal food safety laws. Before the turn of the 20th century, a major reform movement had emerged in the United States.
What does jungle mean in slang?
noun.
a place filled with violence, usually referred to the ghetto
.
What is the difference between the forest and The Jungle?
A forest has many tall trees and can usually be traveled through by humans. The word ‘jungle' is usually used to describe a tangled or overgrown mass of vegetation over a large area of land. A jungle usually has a tropical or humid climate and many plants on the ground between trees and larger plants.
What does the tape recorder symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
In his play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller employs many symbols to illustrate the themes of success and failure. They include the rubber hose, the tape recorder, and the seeds for the garden. These symbols represent
Willy's final, desperate attempts to be successful and the failure he cannot escape
.
Why does she put the rubber hose back after she had taken it?
3) Linda puts the hose back because
she wants Willy to take the hose off himself
. To confront him with the hose would be to insult him and his sense of pride. This act shows how compassionate she is; she watches and knows what will best help her husband.
What do seeds represent?
Traditional symbolic meaning of seeds include:
Potential, Trust, Hope, Nourishment, Sacred, Earthiness, Initiation, Reproduction, Cycles, Time, Provision
. It takes time and patience to plant a seed and wait for the plant to rise and become full in its expression.
What does the jungle is dark but full of diamonds?
And by God I was rich” (Miller). Ben then goes on to describe to Willy that “the jungle is dark but full of diamonds” meaning to say that
there is no way to know if he'll be successful when he goes out to Alaska but good things come out of hard work
.
Where did Uncle Ben make his fortune?
Willy laments to himself and Happy that he did not go to Alaska with his brother, Ben, who acquired a fortune at the age of twenty-one upon
discovering an African diamond mine
. Charley, having heard the shouts, visits to check on Willy. They play cards.
Why does Biff steal the pen?
The fountain pen symbolizes corruption and shallowness — traits associated with greed and materialism in the business world. After stealing the pen,
Biff realizes he doesn't want the same unhappy and dissatisfying life his father has clung to all these years.
What is the main conflict in Death of a Salesman?
The main conflict in Death of a Salesman deals with
the confusion and frustration of Willy Lowman
. These feelings are caused by his inability to face the realities of modern society. Willy's most prominent delusion is that success is dependant upon popularity and having personal attractiveness.
Will you take that phony dream and burn it?
Biff exclaims, “Will you let me go, for Christ's sake? Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?
… I'm not bringing home any prizes any more and you're going to stop waiting for me to bring them home!” (132 – 133).
What does Biff mean when he says I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been?
I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.”What does he mean? A.
he finally learns that he was adopted, and he is angry that his parents never told him
.
