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Why can't Willy work in New York in Death of a Salesman?
Quick answer:
Willy can't work in New York because he is considered "the New England man" and believes he is vital there. His age, 60, makes traveling difficult, and his recent exhaustion led to a dangerous incident. His wife, Linda, suggests that if Willy were more assertive, he might secure a local position. However, Willy feels underappreciated since the new boss, Howard, took over, unlike his supportive predecessor, old man Wagner.
At the beginning of the play Willy tells his wife that he can't work in New York because he's "the New England man."
They don't need me in New York. I'm the New England man. I'm vital in New England.
His wife says that the problem is that he is now sixty years old. Traveling to far-off states is beginning to wear him down. He was so tired on his most recent trip to Florida that he says he fell into a trance and drove off the road. Linda tells him that the problem is that Willy is just "too accommodating." If he really pushed the issue with the company, she is sure they would move him to a position closer to home. In some ways Willy agrees, but states that since his ex boss's son had taken over the company, his work has gone underappreciated.
If old man Wagner was alive I'd a been in charge of New York now! That man was a prince, he was a masterful man. But that boy of his, that Howard, he didn't appreciate. When I went north for the first time, the Wagner Company didn't know where New England was!
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