sents the impersonal and ruthless nature of capitalistic enterprise. When Willy goes in to ask Howard if he can be transferred to a job in New York, Howard refuses to help him even though Willy hasbeen working for the company for several decades and was good friends with his father. When Willy asks why he cannot be reassigned, Howard replies, "it's a business, kid, and everybody's gotta pull his own weight," thus demonstrating Howard's cold indifference to Willy's situation.Style In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses a very realistic style of speech. Because the story is carried almost completely by the dialog, this is vital to the play's success. Miller also uses repetition of significant phrases throughout the play. Phrases suchas "He is not just liked, but well-liked" and "Isn't that a remarkable thing" acquire greater meaning over the course of the play. One example of this is how the phrase "Isn't that a remarkable thing" comes to signify Willy's occasional disillusionment. The first time we hear this phrase is when Willy says that he can't roll down the windshield on his car and Linda reminds him that he said he rolled it down on his trip to Boston. The phrase doesn't really acquire significance, however, until the scene in which Willy borrows money from Charley. Willy has always thought of Charley as representing the worst qualities in humanity. He is neither well-liked nor personally attractive. For this reason, Willy has never considered Charley to be his friend. After Willy is fired, however, he discovers that the only person he can borrow money from is Charley. Thus he comes to realize that Charley is his only friend, and he says "Isn't that remarkable." Willy also uses the phrase near the end of the play after Biff has broken down and cried while trying to explain his life. Willy has always though that Biff was destroying his own life just to spite him, but now he realizes that Biff actually loves him. Another te...
