Your Name Here
04/8/2015
English V01B, Section 75097
Journal Entry for Death of a Salesman, Act I
Note Taking
“Before us is the Salesman’s house. We are
Aware of towering, angular shapes behind it,
Surrounding it on all sides. Only the blue light
Of the sky falls upon the house and forestage;
The surrounding area shows an angry glow of
Orange.”
Intro
(Why is this passage important?)
The setting for the scene must play at least a
fairly significant role in the play, for this
introduction takes up six paragraphs in total.
What stands out in this particular passage is the
juxtaposition of the modest house and the
“towering, angular shapes” that we can assume to
be skyscrapers. This comparison is exemplified
by the blue and orange lights dueling overhead.
(Why are your observations important?)
It is suggested by the passage that the
skyscrapers, or rather the change they represent,
is malicious in nature. They surround the
Salesman’s house in a seemingly hostile way,
crowding around it on all sides, imposing
themselves on it. Moreover, the light emanating
from them is an “angry glow of orange”,
contrasting with the natural blue light that hovers
over the Salesman’s house. This suggests to
readers that the changing times may bring a sort
of corruption to what’s good and what’s natural.
“WILLY: How can he find himself on a farm?
Is that a life? A farmhand? In the beginning,
When he was young, I thought, well, a young
Man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a
Lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten
Years now and he has yet to make thirty-five
Dollars a week!”
Line 44
(Why is this passage important?)
The conversation between Willy and his wife,
and by extension the revealing of the argument
between Willy and his son Biff reveals much
about the conflict of values taking place at this
time. This passage represents the summation of
Willy’s values and how he places value on life.
(Why are your observations important?)
These lines show that Willy doesn’t believe Biff
is leading a worthwhile life because he makes
very little money, less even than “thirty-five
dollars a week!” However, it is often apparent
that Biff has led this life to “find himself”. Willy
is perhaps representing the mentality of the
change similar to the introduction of the
skyscrapers to the community – that money is the
only kind of fulfilment that matters in life. This is
a value that will likely be challenged further in
this play.
“BIFF: Shipping clerk, salesman, business of
one kind or another. And it’s a measly manner of
existence. To get on that subway on the hot
mornings in summer. To devote your whole life
to keeping stock, or making phone calls, or
selling or buying. To suffer fifty weeks of the
year for the sake of a two-week vacation, when
all you really desire is to be outdoors, you’re
your shirt off. And always to have to get ahead
of the next fella. And still – that’s how you build
a future. “
Line 135
(Why is this passage important?)
Biff’s lines here represent a direct contradiction
to Willy’s values, those of hard work,
malleability, and monetary prosperity. He sees no
value in this, and seeks his fulfilment somewhere
outside of the most profitable profession.
(Why are your observations important?)
This passage is a criticism of what life has
become amid these changing times. The phrase
“that’s how you build a future” is used ironically,
for Biff questions the value of this future in
saying this. The playwright, here, is speaking
through Biff to strike a jab at the changing
meaning of life, and how little it has become.
This stance will likely be used to counter Willy’s
outlook on life and his means of valuing it.
This play has, thus far (being the first act) questioned how life should be lived and valued, and has provided
different and contradicting perspectives to address this matter. At the point in time where skyscrapers begin to
crowd out small houses, at the time when money-hungry merchants impose their values on their children yet
also lament for better times, criticizing farm hands while missing elm trees, and when one’s life nears its end,
these views will be challenged, and one championed, held up by the plot of the story. What this play seeks to do
is to define the true meaning of the “worthwhile life”.