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In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, what quotes show Willy's fear of abandonment?

Most of Willy's fear of abandonment comes through in the scenes where he has imaginary conversations with his brother, Ben, who is a father figure but who also abandoned him when he was young. In Act I, Willy says, "Ben! I've been waiting for you so long! What's the answer? How did you do it?" Willy repeatedly tries to get from Ben what he didn't get from his father. Willy states, "I remember you walking...

Most of Willy's fear of abandonment comes through in the scenes where he has imaginary conversations with his brother, Ben, who is a father figure but who also abandoned him when he was young. In Act I, Willy says, "Ben! I've been waiting for you so long! What's the answer? How did you do it?" Willy repeatedly tries to get from Ben what he didn't get from his father. Willy states, "I remember you walking away down some open road." Willy doesn't want Ben to leave again. He says, "Can't you stay a few days? You're just what I need, Ben, because... Dad left when I was such a baby and I never had a chance to talk to him and I still feel—kind of temporary about myself." 


Willy also seems to fear his sons will abandon him, telling Linda, "Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there's nobody to live in it." The statement is ironic, however, since the audience finds out later that Willy was the one who threw Biff out of the house.


In Act II, Willy tells Howard about the 84-year-old salesman who made a living without ever leaving his room—someone who was "loved and helped by so many different people." This is the opposite of abandonment—garnering loyalty to the very end. This is Willy's dream and why he decided to keep being a salesman. Still, Willy complains about his customers, saying, "They don't know me anymore." Sadly, Howard ends the conversation by abandoning Willy, telling him, "I don't want you to represent us." Willy tells Charley later, "I'm strapped, I'm strapped. I don't know what to do. I was just fired." He then hints to Charley about his plans to commit suicide.


In his confrontation with Biff near the end of the play, Willy becomes very angry when Biff says he's leaving. He shouts, "May you rot in hell if you leave this house!"


Willy's fear of abandonment goes back to when his father and older brother abandoned him as a child. These experiences drive Willy to do and say things that have negative consequences for him.

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