tragic inevitability, cause and effect

• angry glow of orange'(3)

  'the woods are burning! i can't drive a car!'(31)

  'i'm not interested in stories about the past or any crap of that kind because the woods are burning, boys, you understand? there's a big blaze going on all around. i was fired today.'(90)


  willy(3,31,90) metaphorical conflagration showcasing the way his life is seeming to go up in flames in front of him, losing his connection to nature as he increasingly buys into the capitalist schemes- the nature in his mind is being taken over by industrial constructs
• you didn't smash the car, did you?'


  linda(4) proleptic of the way willy kills himself, shows the audience this may be a regular occurence due to his other attempts being passed off as simple car accidents, shows linda's deep understanding and empathy toward willy's situation- her clear love for him
• i wonder if oliver still thinks i stole that carton of basketballs'


  biff(17) reference to biff's propensity for stealing but also to the self-centredness of the family as he doesn't realise that a man like bill oliver wouldn't have the time to remember such a small action, link to inevitable lack of recognition when he goes to oliver's office, shows how the family all seems to be tied down by the past unlike the fast-paced world of business that surrounds them in NY
• i remember you walking away down some open road'


  willy(37) talking to ben, his ideal life as ben set off into the "wild" and managed to find wealth and recognition, what willy believes everyone can achieve if given the chance, willy's abandonment issues? as he thinks that to have left the family like that he must've had a big goal, one that willy wants to try and achieve too
• willy, the jails are full of fearless characters'


  charley(39) mobile concurrence as biff is being chased by the watchmen for stealing timber for the house, charley becomes the voice of reason as willy is, at his core, an enabler of biff as long as he conforms to the masculine ideals that willy holds him to
• you've got to get it into your head now that one day you'll knock on this door and there'll be strange people here'


  linda(43) conversation with biff about how the parents are getting old, she shows she understands the signs of willy's suicidal tendencies as she knows she'll be around in the future but worries for willy ('what about your father?'), makes audience pity her as she seems to only desire for her family to be together again (something she knows will make willy happy)
• the insurance inspector came. he said that they have evidence. that all the accidents last year - weren't - weren't - accidents'


  linda(47) great revelation of willy's suicidal tendencies to both audience and the boys, shows that he will inevitably try again, expect this to be the turning point where boys understand and help their father, but his fate is already inevitable despite their meddlings
• you see how sweet he is as soon as you talk hopefully'


  linda(53) talks about willy like he's a child that needs guidance, when in actuality she was supposed to help in guiding her sons alongside willy, feeds into willy's delusions, her complacency inevitably contributes to willy's suicide as he believes that she will only be happy once they're paid of the mortgage (never speaks her minds, only shows patience when faced with willy's outbursts)
• and, willy, don't forget to ask for a little advance, because we've got the insurance premium. it's the grace period now'


  linda(58) seems materialistic herself as a lot of her dialogue relates to money or the bills they must pay, possibly seems to willy that she's always asking for money so in the end the insurance pay out will bring her joy, once again buying into willy's fragile illusion of imminent success, audience knows this will fail so the way she puts confidence in him will further his emotions of failure and being a let down
• after this payment, willy, the house belongs to us'


  linda(59) running theme of paying off the house, link to the failed american dream as they never once owned anything they had until it was either broken or out of fashion, never gained true financial freedom as the dream promised, shows how despite the fact she will inevitably pay off the mortgage they will have paid the price with willy's life
• i will never get behind a wheel the rest of my life'


  willy(60) seems as though he has reached a turning point, edging away from his suicidal thoughts and despair caused by his constant failures at work, ironic as the audience knows the play's title- his death is inevitable, and likely to be behind the wheel as he has attempted many other times
• (a single trumpet jars the ear. the light of green leaves stains the house, which holds the air of night and a dream. young bernard enters...)'


  sd(92) just before willy is forced to confront memory of error in boston, about to be given news of biff's math failure, the single trumpet is a means to signal the attention toward the events unfolding- not soft like a flute, more telling of the urban world where failure is final, green light links to biff's desire to work in nature, showcasing this as a turning point for biff as it's what inevitably causes him to work on farms instead of attending university (accepting the family's natural adoration for nature)