Death of a Salesman

Theme: Believing in dreams without investing anything doesn't lead to achieving them.
Willy's never achieves his dream because he puts all of his faith into one dream, and depends on his popularity to help him, which doesn't work. Biff was popular and still failed at becoming a salesman. People with skills and money in the play did become sucessful.

Author: Arthur Miller

Setting: Although the play was written in the late 1940s, the lack of jobs available for Willy and his sons makes it seem as if the play is set in the Great Depression still. Since it isn't very clear when exactly the play is set, Death of a Salesman can still be related to in the present day. The play is located in New York City, mostly in the Loman home, which is surrounded by newer apartment buildings. This urban, eastern setting is significant to the play, because both the city and the east were partially responsible for Willy's failure. The West, where Biff wants to get a job, is an analogy for new opportunities, while the East represents the old and corrupt. In the play, nature is often associated with the successful times in the past, while in the present Willy can't succeed with anything when the apartment buildings have replaced the trees.

Plot: The play takes place over only 24 hours, but much of the play is influenced by things that happened in Willy's past. The play opens with Willy coming home after a long day on the road, and Linda worrying about how much he works. Willy has been having problems driving, is upset about Biff, his son who is home right now without a job, and keeps ranting about how the city traps them in. Meanwhile, Biff and Happy, his brother, are talking about Willy. Biff is upset that Willy is angry with him for not settling down, and talks about how he loves working out West, but then in the spring he feels like he isn't doing anything with his life. This is because Willy's expectations still weigh down on Biff. Hap, on the other hand, is in the path Willy wants, yet he feels lonely. He sometimes just wants to leave. Biff has a wild dream to go out West with Hap, but Hap feels to insecure to do that and just wants to show his bosses he can make it big. Hap also explains how he takes his boss' girls, since he wants to take something from them if he can't take their job.

Willy is in the kitchen after the boys go to bed, and he is starting to have an episode from the past. He remembers a time when the boys were in high school cleaning up the red chevy. Biff was a football star, and Willy got a punching bag for him to practice with. Even after Biff tells Willy he stole a football, Willy clearly favors Biff over Hap. Willy then proceeds to brag about his success with sales and all of the places he traveled, even though it is all a lie. Bernard enters, and tries to get Biff to study for his math test, because he won't graduate if he doesn't pass the test. They all ignore him, and think that being well liked will make up for not studying. Biff has a bunch of friends waiting for him downstairs, all excited about the upcoming game, and he commands them to do his chores. He is extremely popular. Willy then talks to Linda about the bills, which can barely be paid for. They both are confidant that things will pick up again, because Willy is just so great at sales. Willy does have worries and sees how he is getting old. 

Willy slips into a vision within his vision (inception!) of a time where he was with his girl, and she is laughing and thanking Willy for the stockings he paid her with. Once he pulls himself out of that vision, Willy gets angry at Linda for stitching up the stockings. Then  Bernard shows up to beg Biff to study math. Willy just wants Bernard to give him all the answers but Bernard replies that he can't do so during a state exam. Linda says that some mothers fear that Biff is “too rough” with their daughters. Willy is angered by the truth he fails to accept and is pulled out of the vision.

Willy then plays cards with Charley, who came when her heard yelling, and turns down his offer for a job, insulted. He then calls him immasculine when Charley doesn't know how to fix ceilings. Then, as Willy is talking to Charley about Ben, his older brother who struck rich in Africa, he also sees and hears Ben in the doorway. Charley is alarmed by Willy talking to nothing, and leaves as Willy slips into the vision completly. We learn that Willy's father left for Alaska early in Willy's life, and Ben followed to find him, but never did. He then fights with Biff for fun, but fights dirty with his umbrella pointed in Biff's face. Willy longs for Ben to stay longer, but that was the only time Ben had, and he never visited again.

Willy wakes up the house, and Linda discusses with the boys how she knows he borrows money and that the boys are ungratful for all of the work Willy does for them. Biff feels guilty, and offers to help, but she can't stand them fighting cosntantly. She also tells them about his "accidents" aren't accidental at all, and how there is a rubber pipe downstairs by the heater. Willy barges in, hearing them talking, and misunderstand's Biff's joking tone and thinks that Biff thinks he is crazy. Willy is angry, and insists that he is still the best salesman around.

In an attempt to cheer Willy up, Happy says that Biff is going to talk to Bill Oliver for a loan. As expected, Willy's mood soars when he thinks about Biff being a salesman. Happy says they will have a family business selling sports equipment and use their natural talent to lead publicity displays of sports. Willy is pumped and spits out unhelpful advice that he thinks is the key to doing well in business. He is contradictory in his advice too, by telling him to be serious and also tell funny stories. None of this helps Biff know what to say about what skills he actually has. Linda also wants to talk about the upcoming meeting, but Willy shuts her down multiple times. Biff is upset about his father's treatment of her. Once in bed,, Linda asks Willy to ask for a New York job, and he agrees. Biff removes the rubber tube from the basement.

Willy wakes up the next morning with high hopes for his boys at their meeting with Oliver, and wants to buy seeds to plant a garden. Linda says there isn't enough sun for them to grow, but Willy only says that they need a country house. There is only one payment left on the house, and the boys wanted to go out to dinner with Willy after the eventful day. He is excited as he leaves, but gets angry again at Linda for mending stockings. He arrives at Howard's office, where he is playing with a recorder that has his daughter whistling and his son reciting the aphabet, and his wife talking about how silly the recorder was. Willy then asks for a New York job with only a little pay, but Howard says that there are no openings. Willy lowers his pay request more, but Howard only calls him "kid" and fires him, even after Willy literally begs for a job with stories. He tells how he basically named Howard, and tells the story of Dave Singleman, the 84 year old who was "well-liked" for his sales from his own house. Singleman had a huge funeral, the death of a salesman. However, Howard, and most sensible people don't really care about personal connections like that if they aren't performing up to par. Willy ensures his lost job after he messes around with the recorder and can't turn it off. His commotion shows just how embarrassing he is for the company. Willy is in shock from this.

He sinks back into a memory of Ben's visit, when Ben asked Willy to go to Alaska with him, but Linda says he has a fine job here. Willy wants to be praised by Ben, and recites the Dave Singleman tale. Bernard arrives to go with the Lomans to the football game, and is allowed to carry Biff's shoulder pads after Happy insists on carrying the helmet. Charley teases Willy about things going wrong at the game, since he is so wound up about the game. Willy is enraged.

Present day, Bernard is sitting at his father's office, and mentions he has to go soon to argue a case in DC, while Willy exaggerates the degree of work Biff has been doing in sales. Upset over his dreams starting to collapse, he asks Bernard why Biff's last successful day was the football game. Bernard says Biff went to see him in Boston after he failed math for advice, and after that, Biff seemed to give up on life. He asks what happened in Boston, and Willy gets offended, thinking Bernard is blaming him for Biff's downfall. Charley comes out, saying goodbye to Bernard and tells Willy he is arguing a case for the supreme court. Willy is shocked he didn't mention it at all, since he is the opposite. Charley gives Willy 50 dollars, and he asks for 100 this time to cover the insurance. Insulted, Charley says he has offered Willy a good job, but he refuses it again, even after he admits to Charley he was fired. Charley tells him that only things that can be sold will help him. Willy takes the money and storms out.

At the restauraunt, Happy is first, flirting with a girl and chatting with the waiter, until Biff comes in. Happy tells the girl Biff is a famous football player, and is in a lighthearted mood. Biff is upset, since he waited hours to see Oliver, who didn't even remember him when they finally met. He also stole the fountain pen on his desk. Biff is feeling dissalusioned, wondering who ever said he was a salesman for Oliver, he was only a shipping-clerk in real life. Willy's lies had inflated Biff too much.

Happy thinks they should just tell Willy that Oliver is thinking over the deal, since Willy will probably forget about the whole thing. Willy comes in and tells the boys he was fired. Biff still tries to tell the truth despite this news, but Willy is confused and yells at Biff for failing math, which isn't his fault. Biff tries again to talk about what happened, but Willy refuses to listen to the truth closing on him. In a dream like state, Willy is remembering what happened in Boston. Biff tries to console him and talk about the meeting more, but Willy only screams about Biff's spite. He goes to the restroom, and Biff screams at Happy for not caring or helping at all. Happy has been chatting with the girls and trying to lie about the situation the whole time. Happy, embarrased, flees the scene with the girls, and Biff leaves too in guilt and anger. 

Willy is now completly immersed in the vision of when Biff showed up in Boston when he was with the woman. She says how now she will pass him off to the buyers right away. Someone knocks, and Willy asks her to hide out of fear. Biff is at the door and says how he failed math, Willy tries to get him to leave and agrees to talk to the teacher about it. Biff makes a joke about the teacher, and the woman laughs and comes out of the bathroom. Willy makes excuses and pushes her into the hall, while Biff starts to cry. He doesn't think the teacher will listen to a liar like his father. He screams about Willy giving the stockings to the mistress, and leaves the room. The waiter, Stanley, helps Willy out of the vision, and says the sons left. Willy tries to tip him, but he gives the money back. Willy asks for the way to a seed store, insisting he needs to have something in the ground.

Biff and Happy come home with flowers to an enraged Linda. Happy claims Willy ahd a great time, but Linda insults them for abandoning their sick father. Happy denies everything, but Biff accepts his judgement. He hears Willy planting seeds outside and talking to Ben. Willy is talking about a $20,000 plan, and Ben warns him the insurance company might not respect the deal, but Willy paid the premium aready, and he knows Biff will understand when he sees the funeral. Ben thinks it is cowardice.

Willy comes inside, where Biff tells him that he is leaving for good and for Willy just to forget about him. Willy says he his throwing away his potential because of spite. Biff shows Willy the hose, and tells how he steals all of the time. He is angry at Willy for putting him on a pedestal all of his life only to come crashing down now when he realizes the truth. He reveals how Happy isn't as great as he says, and that Willy needs to realize they are just common people not destined for greatness. Frustrated and tired, Biff cries and heads up to bed. Willy suddenly is happy, thinking that Biffs tears were shed because he likes his father after all, which must mean he still is wanting to be in sales. Willy's distorted view causes him to remain hopeful about his $20,000 insurance and go out and kill himself in a car wreck, following a vision of Ben. 

At Willy's funeral, only the Loman family, Charley and Bernard show up. Linda is shocked by the whole thing. Why did he do this so close to their payments, and where were all of his business friends? Biff thinks about how Willy was more successful working on the house than being a salesman. He had the wrong dreams and didn't know who he was. Charley disagrees, saying that salesmen have to have dreams and be very optimistic. Happy is angered by Biff, swearing to continue his father's salesman dream. Linda is left alone with Willy, and tells him she paid for the house at last, right when he wasn't there to enjoy the fruits of his labor. 

Characters:
    Willy: He is the main character of the play, who is the father of Biff and Happy, and the husband of Linda. He is a salesman with big dreams for both himself and for his son Biff. Willy believes that he and his son will become great salesmen just for being well liked, instead of actually working on skills to become something. He ends up putting all of his hopes and dreams into expectations for Biff, even after Biff explains to him that he isn't good in business, and will never be a great salesman. Willy however, continues to believe in crazy dreams, which eventually leads to his downfall.
      Biff: Willy's son, who was a football star when he was in high school, and praise by his father. He loved him very much and believed everything Willy told him. After he saw him with the woman, Biff felt betrayed and started to loose faith in him. He stole things in order to feel like he was better off in life when he actually wasn't, he only had something they didn't have for a second. Biff finally realizes that his father lied to him about what the world was really like, and being popular doesn't help out at all in real life, only skills do.
      Happy: He is another son of Willy, who was never liked nearly as well by Willy. He always tried to impress him. Happy is a compulsive liar who lies to impress, just like Willy does. He also takes his boss's women in order to steal something of theirs to feel sucessful.
      Linda: Willy's wife, but she often acts like his mother. She cares for him and goes along with his dillusions either to make him feel better or to fool herself too into believing that things were going better than they really were.
      Charley: Willy's foil. He isn't as charming, but he has a job based on merit, and tries to help Willy out, despite Willy always insulting him.
      Bernard: Biff's foil. He was not popular in school, but he always tried hard with his schoolwork, and became a great lawyer based on skill.

Voice and Style:
       The overall tone of this play is rather bleak, since it seems like Willy is believing in hope when there really is no hope at all. However, the ending is somewhat optimistic for the remaining family members, since they finally own the house and Biff has enough money from his father to achieve something. Even though his play used fairly plain language, there are lots of of hidden meanings for things in this play. In order to understand the depth, the reader must observe the tiny details given about the characters interactions and analyze the meaning for Willy's visions.

Quotes:

1. And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. ’Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?

This quote sums up Willy's dream very nicely. He always wanted to be well-liked by everyone for a long time through sales. Willy put in all of his efforts to achieve this dream for both him and Biff, and never doubted it, even in the worst times up to his death and even when Biff rejected his dream.

2. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and the time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and I thought, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be . . . when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am.

Biff has a realization here when he sees that he is grabbing for a dream that isn't the right dream for him. He doesn't want to be the man that his father wants him to be, he wants to be someone who works in the outdoors instead of chasing a pipe dream.