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DOAS Themes - Coggle Diagram
DOAS Themes
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Nature vs. the city
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house vs. skyscrapers shows Willy is stuck in the past and hanging on to the old traditional ideas associated with manual work
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Biff's passion for working on the ranch shows that nature pulls Biff out of the business world- Willy to is pulled by it and his inability to fit in the business world is foreshadowed at the start
Willy is concerned with urbanisation and over population- "gotta break your neck to see a star in this world"
Willy's father- built with his hands- Willy's true legacy is lost and he idolises Dave Single-man to try fit in the business world
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Success and failure
Willy's father is a universal element that is the tissue joining all the themes but his past success doesn't reach willy which leads to Willy's lack of legacy that he desires resulting in his failure
Tangible success is the success that counts- this intangible success that capitalism teaches us is worthless and in the end being liked gets you nowhere
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Biff contunues to fail due to the wrong values he is tuaght but Willy continuosuly refuses to recognise Biff's failure and his role in it and beleives until the end that Biff is successful
The Lomans will never achieve success in the business world because they are not suited to it and only Biff recognises it whereas Happy continues to believe he can force himself into this trade
Attitudes towards women
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Willy's affair shows a disrespect towards Linda that Happy adopts and demonstrates the Madonna-whore complex as Linda is pure and caring but Miss Forsythe is seen as a trashy whore
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Linda has a maternal role and expresses the safe and secure domesticity that the boys want in a women as they see it as caring but in reality it shows submission and domination between men and women
There seems to be a value in unexpressed sexuality and Happy loses interest once his purpose with her is over- Biff and Happy share experiences es of women and boast about their sexual conquests
Renown and Names
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Dave Single man- his funeral has many people that admire him and this is what Willy strives for, to be known and remembered
Naming Howard is something Willy sees as significant and giving him status and power but in reality it is meaningless as the status is intangible
Football game memory they chant "Loman Loman" and this shows that being liked and known can achieve status with luck, glory and personality
"I am not a dime a dozen I am Willy Loman and you are Biff Loman"- cannot admit that him and his family are worthless so pride themselves on having a name and creating success out of the name being known and liked
Masculinity
Willy's father using his hands- instilled Willy with the importance of manual work and masculine values
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We are constantly told what a man is not so what is man? We never find a solution and conflicting views cloud the true characteristics of a man
Success is built on physicality- Willy sees his sons as Adonises vs. the anaemic Benard (anaemia more common in women)
"a man who cant handle tools is not a man"- using your hands is important for masculinity so Charley and Benard are not men but end up with more success and power
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The promise of America
People come over from the old world to the new world of America that is filled with hope and success-it is meritocratic so you can achieve anything you want with hard work
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Dave Singleman: idealised, traditional ideas of work that he represents and Willy follows this legacy but fails to achieve success because of the false American dream
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