Willy's adventurous brother, who has just died in Africa when the play begins. At moments of great stress or doubt, Willy converses with Ben's ghost. Ben is the embodiment of the most old-fashioned aspect of the American Dream, the idea that a man can set out into the wilderness by himself and come back wealthy. Willy regrets not following Ben's path and testing himself against rugged natural settings. Yet he barely knew Ben, and Ben showed contempt for him on his few visits to Willy's home.
Ben Loman Quotes in Death of a Salesman
The Death of a Salesman quotes below are all either spoken by Ben Loman or refer to Ben Loman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1
Quotes
The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he's rich! The world is an oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress!
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You'll never get out of the jungle that way.
Act 2
Quotes
The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.
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Ben Loman Quotes in Death of a Salesman
The Death of a Salesman quotes below are all either spoken by Ben Loman or refer to Ben Loman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1
Quotes
The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he's rich! The world is an oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress!
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You'll never get out of the jungle that way.
Act 2
Quotes
The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.