READING THE PLAY—ACT 2 AND REQUIEM
- Respond to the following questions with a short answer of a paragraph or two for each. These questions may refer to any parts of the play—Act 1, Act 2, or the Requiem. Be sure to defend your ideas with specific references.
- One character referred to in Death of a Salesmanbut who never actually appears is an old salesman whom Willy once knew—Dave Singleman. Willy refers to Singleman in a lengthy speech in the scene in which he asks Howard for a job in New York (near the beginning of Act 2).
Reread this passage now; then explain the role that Dave Singleman plays in Willy’s life and in the play.[unique_solution]
- Happy abandons his father in the restaurant scene when Willy becomes an embarrassment and gets in the way of his son’s night on the town.
(1) Is Happy’s public denial of his father at all justified in the way in which Willy has treated his son throughout his life?
(2) Is there a connection between Happy’s rejection of Willy and Happy’s periodic insistence that he’s losing weight and will soon get married? Explain your ideas with references to the play.
- To what extent, if any, is Linda Loman responsible for Willy’s failure and suicide? Be sure to make specific references to the play.
- Select one speech from Death of a Salesmanthat you think is particularly significant (but not one that has already been quoted in this Assignment Booklet). Perhaps it reveals something important about a character; perhaps it moves the plot along in a significant way; perhaps it tells the audience something important about the past interactions of the Loman family—or perhaps it does something else that you feel is significant. Quote the speech (or the most important part of it) and explain its significance in the play.