Less is More: Line Analysis

     Sometimes, one needs to deviate from their usual gambit to refresh their brain. In this case, I am the “one” that I am referring to. My brain feels cluttered and cloudy so I’m going to
refresh it with the leisurely activity of line analysis, which is something that I unironically enjoy doing. Today’s lucky winner of “works I’m going to tarnish with my vile touch” is Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. This play is an excellent tragedy of the common man, and the issues and themes it tackles are still very much relevant in our present day. The particular line I want to analyze is spoken by Biff: “What woman?”

    Two words and a punctuation mark. That’s it. Somehow, these two words find a way to contain more layers than a pothead’s Chipotle order. Let’s contextualize it first. The line comes amidst a dispute between Biff Loman and his mother, Linda Loman. Their dispute is the result of strained familial bonds, mostly prompted by Biff’s father, Willy. In this scene, Linda mentions a woman, revealed to be someone who saw Willy drive his car off a bridge, but as soon as Biff hears mention of a woman, his response is cautious but sharp. Let’s unpack it. This line contains a myriad of rhetorical devices. First, it is used to set up Willy’s suicidal tendencies due to his extreme discontent with his life. However, Biff’s response alludes to something more. At this point, we as readers know that Willy had a past affair that he kept hidden from his family. The woman in his affair was used as a symbol of Willy’s superficial dreams that were an attempt at supplementing a purpose in life. She symbolized his unhappiness with life and how he attempted to quell his loneliness, which became his downfall. This creates dramatic irony, as we as readers are aware of the fact that Willy had an affair, but Linda is not. Also, Biff’s response contains foreshadowing. We can infer from it that Biff is aware of Willy’s affair, and that’s what had caused his sudden change in character after he graduated highschool. He once idolized his father. He saw him as a great among men, and wanted to make him proud. After visiting him in Boston, this abruptly changes. He goes to resent his father and his life up to that point, symbolized by him burning his shoes. Not only does this foreshadow Biff’s knowledge of the affair and how it may affect the plot of the story, but it also reveals a great deal about Biff’s past and how he came to be. This one line consisting of two words contains so many layers and so much meaning. This just goes to show that sometimes, less really IS more.