Willy is bemoaning the worthlessness of all his years of work. Willy gave his youth to the company, and now the company must take care of him.Īfter all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive. He is arguing directly to his employer that there must be responsibility taken for employees. But Willy's appeal is not for some abstraction of attention or dignity. This is Willy's articulation of Linda's "attention must be paid" speech. You can't eat the orange and throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit. No man should die without feeling he mattered. The thesis of Linda's speech - and of Salesman as a whole - is that all men deserve respect and attention. This is the play's direct cry to human dignity. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. He's not the finest character that ever lived. He does not speak normal words, but is the personification of a symbol - Willy has attached all his ideas of success and worth to the abstract concept of his brother Ben, whether Ben merited it or not. Although Willy is the first one to use this line, Ben repeats it many times throughout the play, making it clear that Ben is only a figment of Willy's imagination. The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he's rich! Willy, regarding Ben. In this quote, we see that Willy's belief in personal connections has been transferred to his sons as well, as they dismiss their friend Bernard for only garden-variety likability. But only great men, according to Willy, are truly well-liked - and that is what brings them success. Most people are liked by their friends and acquaintances. Willy's recipe for success is based entirely around a cult of personality. When he discovers that he isn't vital anywhere, his worldview crumbles. He believes himself to be vital to the company, but in reality it's the company that's vital to him and his feelings of self worth. He isn't the man who does sales for New England - he's the New England man. Willy's self-definition is centered around his career.
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