What does Bill Oliver represent in Death of a Salesman?
In the play Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, the character of Bill Oliver is an old supervisor for whom Willy Loman’s son, Biff, used to work. This is also the moment when he feels it is time to stop the fantasy under which the Lomans continue to live and he decides to confront Willy with the truth about it all.
What happened between Biff and Bill Oliver?
Biff found himself all alone in the waiting room. For some reason, he compulsively entered Oliver’s office and stole his gold fountain pen. He realized he had never been a salesman for Oliver’s company; he had merely been a shipping clerk.
Why is Biff going to ask Bill Oliver to lend him $10000 or $15 000?
Biff thinks of a man named Bill Oliver, for whom he was worked; Biff believes he can get a loan of ten thousand dollars from Oliver in order to begin a business of his own.
What is the symbolic significance of Bill Oliver’s gold fountain pen?
The pen in itself is a metaphor for the American dream – a dream that was attained by his father but never fully fulfilled, meaning that people are never really satisfied with what they have, they always want more.
Why did Biff stop working for Bill?
Why did Biff stop working for Bill Oliver? He suspected Oliver knew he had stolen some basketballs. 12. Happy says, “I don’t know what to do about him [Willy], it’s getting embarrassing.” To what is he referring, and what does the fact that Happy thinks this way tell you about his character?
What does the gold pen symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
The fountain pen symbolizes corruption and shallowness — traits associated with greed and materialism in the business world. After stealing the pen, Biff realizes he doesn’t want the same unhappy and dissatisfying life his father has clung to all these years.
How did Ben get rich in Death of a Salesman?
Willy laments to himself and Happy that he did not go to Alaska with his brother, Ben, who acquired a fortune at the age of twenty-one upon discovering an African diamond mine.
What is the secret Death of a Salesman?
Biff’s “big secret” is that he stole a pen from Bill Oliver. It may seem a minor incident, but the desperately symbolic gesture holds a world of meaning. The senseless theft finally makes Biff realize the truth: that he had never, ever been a salesman for Oliver, only a shipping clerk.
What does Linda symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
Linda is probably the most enigmatic and complex character in Death of a Salesman, or even in all of Miller’s work. Linda views freedom as an escape from debt, the reward of total ownership of the material goods that symbolize success and stability.
What do diamonds symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
Diamonds. To Willy, diamonds represent tangible wealth and, hence, both validation of one’s labor (and life) and the ability to pass material goods on to one’s offspring, two things that Willy desperately craves. Correlatively, diamonds, the discovery of which made Ben a fortune, symbolize Willy’s failure as a salesman …
What does Ben symbolize in Death of a Salesman?
Willy Loman’s brother Ben is a minor yet important character in Arthur Miller’s ”Death of a Salesman. ” Ben represents success, something Willy desperately wants to achieve; he also is a force that propels Willy towards his end.