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During his affair with The Woman, Willy gives her the intimate gift of stockings. Biff's outburst at discovering Willy with The Woman—"You gave her Mama's stockings!"—fixes the stockings in Willy's mind as a symbol of his betrayal. He has let his wife down emotionally, and he is siphoning the family's already strained financial resources toward his ego-stroking affair.
Stockings Quotes in Death of a Salesman
The Death of a Salesman quotes below all refer to the symbol of Stockings. 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 2
Quotes
She's nothing to me, Biff. I was lonely, I was terribly lonely.
You - you gave her Mama's stockings!
You - you gave her Mama's stockings!
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Stockings Symbol Timeline in Death of a Salesman
The timeline below shows where the symbol Stockings appears in Death of a Salesman. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
...him out from all the salesmen. He is extremely flattered. She thanks him for the stockings he has given her as a gift, and promises that when he returns she will...
(full context)
Act 2
...Chop House, a steak restaurant in Manhattan. Willy is elated, but just then notices a stocking in Linda's hand. He tells her not to mend stockings, at least not while he's...
(full context)
...so she had to take a shower in his. The Woman demands a box of stockings before she leaves. Biff begins to cry. Willy makes a host of excuses before admitting...
(full context)
