Death of a Salesman Characters: · Willy Loman – a 60 year old salesman who is not very successful, despite his continuous efforts. He often has hallucinations, and imagines events from the past. Also, he has a false perception of his success in life and has a ‘tricky’ personality. · Linda Loman – Willy’s wife. She is a typical mother figure and is extremely devoted to her husband, despite how he treats her and his mentally instability. She supports Willy as if she is trying to protect him. · Biff Loman – Willy’s elder son. Biff was ‘well-liked’ in high school and Willy saw lots of potential in him. He once respected his father. However, after seeing what he did in Boston, he flunked maths and relinquished his hopes of going into college. He is oppressed by his father’s dreams, and unlike him, sees the reality of his family’s situation. · Happy Loman – Willy’s younger son. Throughout the play, it as if he was living in Biff’s shadows and constantly tries to gain his father’s attention. The play begins when Willy returns exhausted from a business trip, and nearly crashing his car. Linda attempts to comfort him and persuade him to ask his boss for a local job as she perceives that he may be no longer able to travel as much as before. Biff and Happy are also coming home. Willy contemplates Biff’s materialistic progress in his life, as we learn that he was previously working at a farm. We also learn Willy’s high expectations for Biff. At the same time, Biff and Happy are talking about their own dreams and hopes for the future and also about Willy.
Later that same night, Willy starts to have flashbacks of events in his life. From here, we learn of the hitches in his character, few of which, were his exaggeration of success and near impossible expectations. Some of his hallucinations include his conversation with Ben, his successful brother, and the time when his sons were still teenagers. Throughout the play, he often drifted in and out of his flashbacks and hallucinations. He starts talking to himself (which he thinks is talking to the people in his hallucinations), which wakes everyone up.
Then many revelations are clear: they are struggling financially; Willy has been attempting suicide, which causes Linda to chastise Biff as the cause. Thus occurs the argument between Willy and Biff, which results in the decision of Biff going to find a job from his old employer. Then everyone goes to sleep thinking that their dreams will be fulfilled.
On the contrary, the next day, Willy is fired. Devastated, he goes to a restaurant to meet his sons, with hallucinations in between. Things were not much better for Biff, his business proposition was turned down, and he also stole his employer’s fountain pen. Willy also ran into Charley, his neighbour, who offered him a job. But his pride caused him to reject it.
At the restaurant, Willy refuses to hear any bad news from Biff as he couldn’t handle any disappointment and tries to pretend it wasn’t true, despite Biff attempting to tell his father what happened. Biff and Happy then leaves with two girls, leaving Willy drifting into another flashback to the time when Biff saw his father cheating with another woman.
When Biff and Happy return, Linda was furious that they left Willy at the restaurant. A huge argument ensues. Biff’s true feelings about the failure of their life and his father ‘s expectations are revealed. Afterwards, Willy interprets what happened as Biff still loves him, and realises the greatest support he can give to Biff, is his life insurance money.
Within a few minutes, Willy exits the room and kills himself, through a car crash. In the final scene, we see everyone’s reactions. Biff does not want to follow in his father’s footsteps, while Happy does. And Linda realises that they have made the final payment for their house (which no one except her will live in), and that they are free, finally. |
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