FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Act I
In “Death of a Salesman” there are various methods of figurative language
used. In the beginning of this play, the first figurative language present
before the play’s dialogue even begins with the sound of the flute being
personified, as it “tells of grass and trees and the horizon.” Also,
before the play’s dialogue begins as the setting is being told to us, there is
also a house being personified as “fragile-seeming.”
This causes imagery for the audience perspective of the play (at least in
written form) due to the author personifying the house. As soon as we get into
the dialogue of Act I, we immediately see that Willy uses a hyperbole, or an
exaggerated sentence, “I am tired to the death.” Obviously,
Willy is not so tired that he is dead, but he feels as if he could be, because
of being tired. It is followed by Willy saying, “...The
car kept going onto the shoulder,” a form of metonymy. “Onto
the shoulder” means that Willy’s car drifted close to the lanes that shouldn’t be crossed on a
freeway. A few more lines later and a synecdoche is used in the play,
“...to show the line,” This
is obviously a part of a whole that is used, for example, for a line of
clothing, newspapers,etc. A metonymy is also used in the same line when Willy
refers to the Wagner Company as
“old man Wagner.” An idiom in the play quoted by Willy, yet again, is “The
way they boxed us in here.”
It doesn’t literally mean they’re boxed, but the different meaning is that Willy
feels as if he’s enclosed in his own home. On page 1782, Willy states
“They massacred the neighborhood.” This
is a hyperbole due to the exaggeration of what was massacred. He is referring to
the trees and nature being cut down, calling it a “massacre.” Another hyperbole
in response to Willy, is Linda’s statement of, “...like
being a million miles from the city.” This
doesn’t mean they are that far from the city, but it feels as if they are. When
Willy states, “Population is getting out of control,”This
can be both viewed as personification and a metonymy. Population is referred to
the American population and it is personified by stating it is “getting
out of control.” A little later on in the playwright, Linda states, “You
make mountains out of molehills.”
This quote is an idiom, meaning that Willy is over-reacting to situations that
shouldn’t be all that bothersome.
As the setting shifts over to the conversation between Biff and Happy, there are
various examples of figurative language between their conversation. The first
one that’s noticeable is Biff saying, “His
eyes are going.” This is an idiom meaning that Willy’s vision is deteriorating. With that being
said, Happy states that his father, “Just
doesn’t keep his mind on it,” meaning that his father doesn’t pay attention to the road or how he’s driving. On page 1784, Happy states, “...You’re
still kind of up in the air,”
an idiom not literally meaning that Biff is flying up in the air, but that his
ideas and what he’s going to do with his life is still in questioning not only
by Biff himself, but by his father. When Happy states,
“I just keep knocking them over,”
It is another idiom meaning that he goes through girls one after another and
doesn’t think anything of it. On page 1790, Willy is in the past, talking to
younger Biff and Happy about them being, “...both
built like Adonises.” This is a simile, comparing the boy’s build to Adonises, which Adonis is the god of beauty and desire. Later on, Biff and Happy both make idioms in their
sentences, “...knock them dead, Pop?”
and “Knocked ‘em cold in Providence, slaughtered ‘em in Boston!”
These mean that their father did very well in the business world and possibility
made a breakthrough or new deal in his business. “Hanging
up the wash!” is stated by Biff, a metonymy, that “the
wash” is referring to the laundry freshly washed.
Act II
In the beginning of this act of the play, it starts off as a new morning where
Linda is making her husband, Willy eggs. It starts off as Willy stating a
simile, “I slept like a dead one,”
meaning that he had a good, sound sleep. Shortly after, Linda states that Biff
had told her, “...We want to blow him to a big meal!” This
is an idiom meaning that they want to treat their dad to a big dinner in
celebration of their success. Also, in Linda’s sorrow, she states, “He’s
only a little boat looking for a harbor,” which is a metaphor for Willy looking for a purpose in his own life as he criticizes his son, Biff of not doing so. On page 1815, Howard tells Willy, “I
can’t take blood from a stone,” which is a metaphor for, he can’t make up a job
for Willy out of thin air. Howard cannot simply give Willy a job that doesn’t
exist. During the end of the play, Biff says, “You
hit it on the nose!” Which is an idiom for Linda that she finally realized everything that her sons
were doing to their father. As Biff talks to his father outside, he states,
“You don’t want them calling you yellow, do you?”
Which is an idiom for his father being called a coward. Biff also says that him
and his father are, “A dime a dozen,” which
is an idiom for just ordinary people who are just like everyone else.
This playwright relies heavily on figurative language due to the various usages of metonymy, synecdoche, personification, metaphors, similes, hyperboles, and especially idioms. The slang used in the time period the play was written and the cues it gives to what really went on in the salesman’s life plays a contributing factor in the reason why figurative language is use throughout the entire playwright. This being said, the play does rely heavily on the devices stated above.
Act I
In “Death of a Salesman” there are various methods of figurative language
used. In the beginning of this play, the first figurative language present
before the play’s dialogue even begins with the sound of the flute being
personified, as it “tells of grass and trees and the horizon.” Also,
before the play’s dialogue begins as the setting is being told to us, there is
also a house being personified as “fragile-seeming.”
This causes imagery for the audience perspective of the play (at least in
written form) due to the author personifying the house. As soon as we get into
the dialogue of Act I, we immediately see that Willy uses a hyperbole, or an
exaggerated sentence, “I am tired to the death.” Obviously,
Willy is not so tired that he is dead, but he feels as if he could be, because
of being tired. It is followed by Willy saying, “...The
car kept going onto the shoulder,” a form of metonymy. “Onto
the shoulder” means that Willy’s car drifted close to the lanes that shouldn’t be crossed on a
freeway. A few more lines later and a synecdoche is used in the play,
“...to show the line,” This
is obviously a part of a whole that is used, for example, for a line of
clothing, newspapers,etc. A metonymy is also used in the same line when Willy
refers to the Wagner Company as
“old man Wagner.” An idiom in the play quoted by Willy, yet again, is “The
way they boxed us in here.”
It doesn’t literally mean they’re boxed, but the different meaning is that Willy
feels as if he’s enclosed in his own home. On page 1782, Willy states
“They massacred the neighborhood.” This
is a hyperbole due to the exaggeration of what was massacred. He is referring to
the trees and nature being cut down, calling it a “massacre.” Another hyperbole
in response to Willy, is Linda’s statement of, “...like
being a million miles from the city.” This
doesn’t mean they are that far from the city, but it feels as if they are. When
Willy states, “Population is getting out of control,”This
can be both viewed as personification and a metonymy. Population is referred to
the American population and it is personified by stating it is “getting
out of control.” A little later on in the playwright, Linda states, “You
make mountains out of molehills.”
This quote is an idiom, meaning that Willy is over-reacting to situations that
shouldn’t be all that bothersome.
As the setting shifts over to the conversation between Biff and Happy, there are
various examples of figurative language between their conversation. The first
one that’s noticeable is Biff saying, “His
eyes are going.” This is an idiom meaning that Willy’s vision is deteriorating. With that being
said, Happy states that his father, “Just
doesn’t keep his mind on it,” meaning that his father doesn’t pay attention to the road or how he’s driving. On page 1784, Happy states, “...You’re
still kind of up in the air,”
an idiom not literally meaning that Biff is flying up in the air, but that his
ideas and what he’s going to do with his life is still in questioning not only
by Biff himself, but by his father. When Happy states,
“I just keep knocking them over,”
It is another idiom meaning that he goes through girls one after another and
doesn’t think anything of it. On page 1790, Willy is in the past, talking to
younger Biff and Happy about them being, “...both
built like Adonises.” This is a simile, comparing the boy’s build to Adonises, which Adonis is the god of beauty and desire. Later on, Biff and Happy both make idioms in their
sentences, “...knock them dead, Pop?”
and “Knocked ‘em cold in Providence, slaughtered ‘em in Boston!”
These mean that their father did very well in the business world and possibility
made a breakthrough or new deal in his business. “Hanging
up the wash!” is stated by Biff, a metonymy, that “the
wash” is referring to the laundry freshly washed.
Act II
In the beginning of this act of the play, it starts off as a new morning where
Linda is making her husband, Willy eggs. It starts off as Willy stating a
simile, “I slept like a dead one,”
meaning that he had a good, sound sleep. Shortly after, Linda states that Biff
had told her, “...We want to blow him to a big meal!” This
is an idiom meaning that they want to treat their dad to a big dinner in
celebration of their success. Also, in Linda’s sorrow, she states, “He’s
only a little boat looking for a harbor,” which is a metaphor for Willy looking for a purpose in his own life as he criticizes his son, Biff of not doing so. On page 1815, Howard tells Willy, “I
can’t take blood from a stone,” which is a metaphor for, he can’t make up a job
for Willy out of thin air. Howard cannot simply give Willy a job that doesn’t
exist. During the end of the play, Biff says, “You
hit it on the nose!” Which is an idiom for Linda that she finally realized everything that her sons
were doing to their father. As Biff talks to his father outside, he states,
“You don’t want them calling you yellow, do you?”
Which is an idiom for his father being called a coward. Biff also says that him
and his father are, “A dime a dozen,” which
is an idiom for just ordinary people who are just like everyone else.
This playwright relies heavily on figurative language due to the various usages of metonymy, synecdoche, personification, metaphors, similes, hyperboles, and especially idioms. The slang used in the time period the play was written and the cues it gives to what really went on in the salesman’s life plays a contributing factor in the reason why figurative language is use throughout the entire playwright. This being said, the play does rely heavily on the devices stated above.