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Characterization of Willy Loman
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| Willy Loman, 60, a travelling salesman, a man who enjoys working. He dreams of great commercial success through personal charme and popularity. He always lives in extremes, either where imagined success just seems within reach or where dispair waits to overwhelm him. |
| 1.
Outer appearance |
| » He is a firmly small, elderly man ( past 60 years of age ) and he limps |
| » Willy always wears the same suit |
| » He wears glasses and he has got grey hair |
| (according to the film) |
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| 2.
Behaviour |
| » He is a salesman, in former times he was successful (at least they had enough money to survive) |
| » His life is based on a lie, he cannot cope with reality |
| » Now he is not successful any more, but he pretends to be (he sticks to old dreams) even though he was under notice to leave his job. (He was fired) |
| » He still pretends to earn money, but in fact he borrows money to show this "salary" to his family |
| » One quotation: "Start big and you'll end big" |
» He sometimes talks to dead people e.g. his brother Ben or to people just existing in his imagination  this behaviour shows that Willy Loman is a daydreamer |
| » Another aspect is that Willy does not listen to his sons. He has got a difficult relationship to them |
| » Willy does not understand why his son Biff does not have the same dream he has got |
| » He had an extramarital affair in Boston |
| » Willy simulated a car crash, but in fact it was an attempt to commit suicide |
| » He's convinced that with the money his family would get out of the life insurance, he made a good decision and Biff could fulfill his dream career |
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| 3. Thoughts |
| » He is determined to commit suicide |
| » Willy talks to himself |
| » He thinks he is succesful |
| » Wants the best for his family |
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| 4. Language |
| » He speaks very hazy |
| » Sometimes he shouts and then he calms down again |
| » He talks to himself |
| » He uses everyday colloquial English |
| Elaborated by Johannes Pieper and Sabrina Di Matteo |
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Characterization of Linda Loman
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| 1. Outer appearance |
| » looks like a typical housewife and mum |
| » hairstyle as it was typical for the 50s and 60s |
| » grey-blond hair to the chin |
| » clothes: skirt and blouse in simple colours but sometimes red lipstick |
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| 2. Behaviour |
| » caring |
| » considerate |
| » obedient submissive wife |
| » follows her husband's rules and supports him |
| » respectful |
| » encourages her husband |
| » she lets him know that she`s always beside him, Willy treats her badly, but she always defends him |
| » she sees it as her duty as a good wife to praise her husband even when he`s wrong |
| » enables Willy to live in a fantasy world |
| » she hides the truth because she doesn`t want to see him in pain |
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| 3. Feelings, emotions and thoughts |
| » she mostly hides her true feelings from her husband Willy |
| » at the grave she can`t cry |
| » she doesn`t understand the suicide of her husband |
| » she isn`t able to realize his step |
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| 4. Language |
| most of the time she speaks: |
| » friendly |
| » quiet |
| » has command of herself (self-controlled) |
» just in one scene, in Act II she loses her self-control (p. 133)
 shouts at her two sons
uses swear-words
for example à you and your lousy rotten whores (ll. 2,3)
"you're a part of animals" (l. 17) |
| Elaborated by Christine Köhler and Carolin Wulle |
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Characterization of Biff Loman
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Biff is described as a 34-year-old man who moved back into his parents' house. Though he's a kind looking man of middle age, he hasn't found a straight way yet. He still makes his living with working in part-time-jobs and because he liked the job as a farmhand best, he plans to buy a ranch on credit so he can work on his own farm. He seems to have a good relation to animals and compared to his brother Happy he is less self-confident In contrast to Happy, Biff can't imagine having an ordinary job. Because they're both neither married nor have a girlfriend, the two brothers have their loneliness in common. Both of them spend a lot of time in their parents' home, but at least Happy has got a job and his own apartment.
Biff has got a bad conscience because of his income and he moved back into his parents' house to change his way of life. While his father calls him a lazy bum, his mother believes that he will find himself at last. He finally realizes how hard it is to change and that is why he feels like he's wasting his own life.
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| keywords: |
| » 34-year-old man |
| » moved back into his parents' house |
| » kind looking man, less self-confident than his brother |
| » makes his living with working in part-time-jobs |
| » can't imagine having an ordinary job |
| » not married no girlfriend |
| » guilty feelings because of his income |
| » would like to change but isn't able to |
| » feels like wasting his own life |
| Elaborated by Yasemin Karaduman, Andreas Peratinos & Marko Cebi |