DEATH OF A SALESMAN Arthur Miller THEME OF VISIONS OF AMERICA While characters such as Willy, Linda, and Happy believe the U.S. to be a wellspring of easy opportunity and imminent success, the 1940s America of Death of a Salesman is crowded, competitive and mundane. This contrast sets up an important gap between reality and characters’ aspirations in the play. In the end, Willy’s belief that his selfworth is determined by material success destroys him. Quote #1 WILLY: Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such —personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff — he’s not lazy. LINDA: Never. WILLY: [with pity and resolve]: I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time. (Act 1) Willy's reflections suggest complete faith in the notion that in America, anyone who works hard and is personally compelling is destined to succeed. Beyond that, they have a right to succeed. By the end of the play, however, it becomes apparent that that isn't necessarily true. Quote #2 WILLY: There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! The competition is maddening! Smell the stink from that apartment house! And the one on the other side… How can they whip cheese? (Act 1) Willy insists that his family's lack of success is due to population growth and not his faulty vision of the American Dream. Do you think this is true? How much has increased competition made the American Dream harder to accomplish? Quote #3 BIFF: Well, I spent six or seven years after high school trying to work myself up. Shipping clerk, salesman, business of one kind or another. And it’s a measly manner of existence. To get on that subway on the hot mornings in summer. To devote your whole life to keeping stock, or making phone calls, or selling or buying. To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors with your shirt off. And always to have to get ahead of the next fella. And still—that’s how you build a future. (Act 1)
Biff struggles with the competition inherent in the American way, but still holds it as a truth that he must take a path unpleasant for him in order to succeed. It seems that he longs for a life that's more simple – a working class lifestyle that his father sees as beneath him. Interestingly, though, throughout the play Willy seems to long for simpler things as well, like growing things. THEME OF DREAMS, HOPES, AND PLANS Willy Loman is a dreamer of epic proportions. His dreams of material success and freedom ultimately dwarf the other aspects of his mentality to the point that he becomes completely unable to distinguish his wild hopes from rational realities in the present. Happy and Linda also are extremely optimistic, but they maintain their ability to distinguish hopes from reality. Biff more than any other character struggles against the force of Willy’s dreams and expectations. Quote #1 LINDA: He’ll find his way. WILLY: Sure. Certain men just don’t get started till later in life. Like Thomas Edison, I think. Or B.F. Goodrich. One of them was deaf. [He starts for the bedroom doorway.] I’ll put my money on Biff. (Act 1) Willy clings to his hope that Biff will settle down and become a major business success despite the unlikelihood of such an event. This desperate hope is what eventually leads him to commit suicide by the end of the play. He goes to his death with the delusional idea that Biff will one day be a famous businessman. Quote #2 WILLY: Don’t say? Tell you a secret, boys. Don’t breathe it to a soul. Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home any more. HAPPY: Like Uncle Charley, heh? WILLY: Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked. He’s liked, but he’s not — well liked. (Act 1. p. 18) Amidst his preoccupation with financial survival, Willy insists he will make it big some day and have the home life that he wants. Almost more important to him than actual successful business deals is being liked. Over the course of the play, however, we learn that Willy isn't particularly well liked at all. This is just another one of his delusions. Quote #3 LINDA: I’m just wondering if Oliver will remember him. You think he might? WILLY: [coming out of the bathroom in his pajamas]: Remember him? What’s the matter with you, you crazy? If he’d stayed with Oliver he’d be on top by now! Wait’ll
Oliver gets a look at him. You don’t know the average caliber any more. The average young man today —[he’s getting into bed]— is got a caliber of zero. Greatest thing in the world for him was to bum around. (Act 1) Willy's comments cross the line from hopefulness about the future to the suggestion that his aspirations are already reality. He clings to the delusional idea that Biff is somehow superior to the average young man. THEME OF LIES AND DECEIT The Lomans are all extremely selfdeceptive, and in their respective delusions and blindness to reality, they fuel and feed off of one another. Willy convinces himself that he is successful, well liked, and that his sons are destined for greatness. Unable to cope with reality, he entirely abandons it through his vivid fantasies and ultimately through suicide. Linda and Happy similarly believe that the Lomans are about to make it big. Unlike the other members of his family, Biff grows to recognize that he and his family members consistently deceive themselves, and he fights to escape the cycle of lying. Quote #1 WILLY: That’s just what I mean, Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. "Willy Loman is here!" That’s all they have to know and I go right through. […] WILLY: A hundred and twenty dollars! My God, if business doesn’t pick up I don’t know what I’m gonna do! (Act 1) While Willy continues see himself as successful and well liked, reality occasionally forces him to acknowledge his financial problems. It's hard to ignore it when you just don't have enough money to pay for what you need. Quote #2 LINDA: How’d the Chevy run? WILLY: Chevrolet, Linda, is the greatest car ever built. […] LINDA: No, they did a wonderful job. Then you owe Frank for the carburetor. WILLY: I’m not going to pay that man! That goddamn Chevrolet, they ought to prohibit
the manufacture of that car! (Act 1) Stepping out of the myths he's created about himself and realizing his true financial situation, Willy immediately expresses a complete change of opinion about his car. This helps to show just how flimsy Willy's idea and assertions can be. Quote #3 WILLY: Oh, I’ll knock ‘em dead next week. I’ll go to Hartford. I’m very well liked in Hartford. You know, the trouble is, Linda, people don’t seem to take to me. [They move onto the forestage] LINDA: Oh, don’t be foolish. WILLY: I know it when I walk in. They seem to laugh at me. LINDA: Why? Why would they laugh at you? Don’t talk that way, Willy. [Willy moves to the edge of the stage. Linda goes into the kitchen and starts to darn stockings.] WILLY: I don’t know the reason for it, but they just pass me by. I’m not noticed. (Act 1) Willy contradicts himself by saying that he is both well liked and ignored, suggesting that he frequently deceives himself about his success. However, the truth seems to always be just under the surface. This tortures him and eventually drives him insane – literally. THEME OF SUCCESS Throughout Death of a Salesman, Willy pursues concrete evidence of his worth and success. He is entranced by the very physical, tangible results of Ben’s diamond mining efforts and strives to validate his own life by claiming concrete success. Willy projects his own obsession with material achievement onto his sons, who struggle with a conflict between their intangible needs and the pressure to succeed materially. Quote #1 BIFF: Why? You’re making money, aren’t you? HAPPY [moving about with energy, expressiveness]: All I can do now is wait for the merchandise manager to die. And suppose I get to be merchandise manager? He’s a good friend of mine, and he just built a terrific estate on Long Island. And he lived there about two months and sold it, and now he’s building another one. He can’t enjoy it once it’s finished. And I know that’s just what I’d do. I don’t know what the hell I’m workin’ for. Sometimes I sit in my apartment—all alone. And I think of the rent I’m paying. And it’s crazy. But then, it’s what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car, plenty of women,
and still, goddamnit, I’m lonely. (Act 1) Although he has amassed concrete wealth, it is the intangible aspects of life that Happy craves. Material things and lots of hook ups with random girls just don't seem to be the kind of success that Happy truly wants. Quote #2 BEN: Principally diamond mines. LINDA: Diamond mines! BEN: Yes, my dear. But I‘ve only a few minutes— WILLY: No! Boys! Boys! [Young Biff and Happy appear]: Listen to this. This is your Uncle Ben, a great man! Tell my boys, Ben! BEN: Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into jungle and when I was twentyone I walked out. [He laughs] and by God I was rich! WILLY [To the boys]: You see what I been talking about? The greatest things can happen! (Act 1) Willy clings to Ben's material success as tangible evidence of his family's worth. He longs to measure up to the financial success of his brother. In many ways, Ben's success fuels Willy's misguided notion that riches are just around the corner. Quote #3 WILLY: … was rich! That’s just the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right! I was right! I was right! (Act 1) Willy interprets Ben's tangible wealth as proof of the worth of his family and himself. He wants his son to be like his brother – unafraid to go out and make their own success. THEME OF RESPECT AND REPUTATION Reputation is one of Willy’s primary concerns. He thinks that all you need to succeed is to be attractive and well liked. He celebrates his son’s popularity in high school, asserting that it is vastly more important to be fawned over than to be honest or talented. Much of the time, Willy considers himself a well liked man. He aspires to be just like a salesman whose death was mourned far and wide. Despite his fixation on reputation, Willy and his family members are neither well known nor well liked, and Willy’s funeral is sparsely attended. Quote #1 WILLY: Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such —personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff
—he’s not lazy." LINDA: Never. WILLY: [with pity and resolve]: I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time. My God! Remember how they used to follow him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them their faces lit up. When he walked down the street… [He loses himself in reminiscences.] (Act 1) Willy's reflections suggest complete faith in the notion that popularity and personal attractiveness bring success. The fact that Biff's life hasn't amounted to much, despite the fact that he was so popular in high school, is truly hard for Willy to understand. It just doesn't fit into his idea of the world. Quote #2 HAPPY: I bet he’d back you. ‘Cause he thought highly of you, Biff. I mean, they all do. You’re well liked, Biff. That’s why I say to come back here, and we both have the apartment. And I’m tellin’ you, Biff, any babe you want… (Act 1) Happy really is like Willy Jr. Just like his dad, Happy draws a direct link between popularity and success. Also like his dad, Happy is a little loose with the ladies. Quote #3 WILLY: [stopping the incipient argument, to Happy]: Sure, he’s gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn’t he? [To Biff] Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative! BIFF: Oh, he keeps congratulating my initiative all the time, pop. WILLY: That’s because he likes you. If somebody else took that ball there’d be an uproar. So what’s the report, boys, what’s the report? (Act 1) Willy elevates being well liked over all virtues when he suggests that Biff can get away with stealing because of his popularity. In the end, Biff's tendency to steal constantly stands in the way of his path to success. THEME OF APPEARANCES The entire Loman family places heavy value on appearances and good looks. Many of Willy's fondest memories of Biff involve his son dwarfing others with his personal attractiveness. In addition, when Willy gives in to feelings of selfdoubt, he worries that it's his appearance that's holding him back in business. Death of a Salesman may be making a larger statement, by showing the Lomans' fixation on attractiveness over real substance. Could the play be trying to get across the idea that all of America falls prey to
the very same mistake? What do you think? Is America itself way too obsessed with image and appearance? Quote #1 WILLY: [with pity and resolve]: I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time. My God! Remember how they used to follow him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them their faces lit up. When he walked down the street… [He loses himself in reminiscences.] (Act 1) Willy attributes Biff's former popularity and success to his smile. Now, however, it seems that Biff's smile and good looks just haven't been enough to get him to a stable place in life. Yes, it seems that Biff's attractiveness just hasn't gotten him that far. Quote #2 HAPPY [enthralled]: That’s what I dream about Biff. Sometimes I wanna just rip my clothes off in the middle of the store and outbox that goddamned merchandise manager. I mean I can outbox, outlift and outrun anybody in that store, and I have to take orders from those petty, common sons of bitches till I can’t stand it anymore. (Act 1) Happy's compulsion to tear off his clothes and attack his coworkers in the office may reflect his frustration with the importance of appearances. Though Happy is pretty obsessed with looking good himself, it seems that sometimes he wants to rip it all away and act like an animal. Quote #3 WILLY: I’m fat. I’m very—foolish to look at, Linda. I didn’t tell you, but Christmas time I happened to be calling on F.H. Stewarts, and a salesman I know, as I was going in to see the buyer I hear him say something about—walrus. And I—I cracked him right across the face. I won’t take that. I simply will not take that. But they do laugh at me. I know that. LINDA: Darling… WILLY: I gotta overcome it. I know I gotta overcome it. I’m not dressing to advantage, maybe. (Act 1) Willy assumes his business problems have to do primarily with his appearance. It doesn't seem to occur to him that his real problem may be that people see right through his flimsy, imageobsessed personality. The play may be pointing out that people of real substance are the ones who get real respect. THEME OF PRIDE Pride in Death of a Salesman functions as a means of selfdeception and as a coping mechanism. The Lomans, and particularly Willy, are extremely proud even though the basis for their pride is not at all founded in reality. Willy celebrates his own "astounding
success" in business and the accomplishments of his sons while the Lomans struggle financially. He is too proud to accept a job from Charley, a man who he considers to be his inferior, yet accepts loans that he's unable to repay. Throughout the play, we're shown that Willy and his family are incredibly proud people with nothing real to be proud of. LINDA: Willy, dear. Talk to them again. There’s no reason why you can’t work in New York. WILLY: They don’t need me in New York. I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England. (Act 1) Willy falsely insists that he is a critical player in his business in order to bolster his sense of self worth. Even though his sales haven't been good for a while, he argues that he is a really important man. Quote #2 WILLY: You and Hap and I, and I’ll show you all the towns. America is full of beautiful towns and fine, upstanding people. And they know me, boys, they know me up and down New England. The finest people. And when I bring you fellas up, there’ll be open sesame for all of us, ‘cause one thing, boys: I have friends. I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own. This summer, heh? (Act 1) Despite evidence that Willy has few friends and is unsuccessful, his inflated sense of pride leads him to insist he is well liked. Biff and Happy are completely enamored with their father when they are young; they totally buy into Willy's B.S. Later on, however, his failures become all too clear. Quote #3 WILLY: That’s just what I mean, Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. "Willy Loman is here!" That’s all they have to know and I go right through. (Act 1) Willy's exaggerated sense of pride suggests his underlying insecurity and desperate concern over meeting his own inflated expectations. It's highly likely that this unfortunate but annoying personality trait is the very reason why everybody makes fun of him. Ironically, it may just stand in the way of him achieving anything to be proud of. THEME OF ABANDONMENT Abandoned by his father and brother when he was extremely young, Willy is left materially and emotionally ungrounded. However much he fears abandonment himself, he made his son Biff feel emotionally abandoned when Biff discovered Willy's secret
affair. Willy's powerful fear of abandonment drives him to form unrealistic expectations for and obsess over his sons. When Biff found out about Willy's affair, he did in fact abandon his father and pretty much disappeared for many years. Willy permanently abandons his son and family at the end of Death of a Salesman by committing suicide. Ironically, this final decision on Willy's part was a final attempt to connect and give something to his son. Quote #1 WILLY [pulling Ben away from her impatiently]: Where is Dad? Didn’t you follow him? How did you get started? BEN: Well, I don’t know how much you remember. WILLY: Well, I was just a baby, of course, only three or four years old— BEN: Three years and eleven months. WILLY: What a memory, Ben! BEN: I have many enterprises, William, and I have never kept books. WILLY: I remember I was sitting under the wagon in—was it Nebraska? BEN: It was South Dakota, and I gave you a bunch of wildflowers. WILLY: I remember you walking away down some open road. BEN [laughing]: I was going to find Father in Alaska. WILLY: Where is he? BEN: At that age I had a very faulty view of geography, William. I discovered after a few days that I was heading due south, so instead of Alaska, I ended up in Africa. (Act 1) Willy's abandonment by his father and brother at a young age leaves him with many unanswered questions and concerns. This secret fear corrodes his character, making him kind of a desperate person. Ironically, this desperation eventually leads to both Biff abandoning him and Willy abandoning his family through suicide. Quote #2 WILLY: No, Ben! Please tell about Dad. I want my boys to hear. I want them to know the kind of stock they spring from. All I remember is a man with a big beard, and I was in Mamma’s lap, sitting around a fire, and some kind of high music. (Act 1) Willy's desperation for memories is suggestive of his feelings of abandonment. He is
again trying to cling to the past to avoid the present. The "high music" mentioned here is the flute which his father played. Miller threads flute music throughout the play to highlight the way that his father's abandonment haunts Willy. Quote #3 WILLY [longingly]: Can’t you stay a few days? You’re just what I need, Ben, because I —I have a fine position here, but I—well, 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. BEN: I’ll be late for my train. [They are at opposite ends of the stage]. WILLY: Ben, my boys—can’t we talk? They’d go into the jaws of hell for me, see, but I — (Act 1) Willy's desire for affirmation and guidance indicates his neediness and the lack of grounding in his life. The fact that he's been abandoned by both his father and his older brother (a father figure) makes it hard for Willy to be a good father in his own right. THEME OF FREEDOM AND CONFINEMENT The theme of freedom and confinement is closely tied to economic security in Death of a Salesman. Linda and Willy long to escape both the physical confinement of their home and the economic confinement of their limited income, home mortgage, and bills. They idolize faraway lands such as Alaska and Africa as places of literal and figurative escape. Similarly, Biff finds New York to utterly confine him and can only imagine happiness and freedom working with his hands in the wide open West. Ultimately, the play seems to paint America's incredibly competitive version of capitalism as a thing that traps its citizens. This depiction is pretty ironic since America is supposed to be "the land of the free" – a place where if you work hard you're free to make your dreams come true. Quote #1 LINDA: We should’ve bought the land next door. WILLY: The street is lined with cars. There’s not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood. The grass don’t grow anymore, you can’t raise a carrot in the backyard. They should’ve had a law against apartment houses. Remember those two beautiful elm trees out there? When I and Biff hung the swing between them? LINDA: Yeah, like being a million miles from the city. (Act 1) Linda and Willy's reflections reveal their craving for escape from their urban neighborhood. They long for the days when the neighborhood was more green. Throughout the play, urbanization and commercialism are linked to ideas of confinement.
Quote #2 WILLY: There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! The competition is maddening! Smell the stink from that apartment house! And the one on the other side… (Act 1) Willy feels trapped and confined even in his own home. He feels stifled by the fact that there are so many people right on top of him. Quote #3 BIFF [with enthusiasm]: Listen, why don’t you come out West with me? HAPPY: You and I, heh? BIFF: Sure, maybe we could buy a ranch. Raise cattle, use our muscles. Men built like we are should be working out in the open. (Act 1) Happy and Biff fantasize about escape from the city and their lives in the business world. The world of manual labor is a welcome change to the rat race of city life. In the big scheme of things, though, is the life of the working class really any more free? THEME OF BETRAYAL Death of a Salesman is full of betrayal. Willy betrays Linda’s love and Biff’s trust with his affair. As the chief betrayer himself, Willy is preoccupied by the fear of betrayal. His frequent accusations that Biff is spiteful reflect his understanding that Biff’s failure in business is a rejection of Willy’s own dreams of success, and that Biff’s inability to keep a job is related to Willy’s love affair. Even outside of his family, Willy feels that his boss is betraying him by firing him, but Howard says that there’s no room for feelings of betrayal in the business world. Quote #1 WILLY: How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand? In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirtyfive dollars a week! LINDA: He’s finding himself, Willy. WILLY: Not finding yourself at the age of thirtyfour is a disgrace! (Act 1) Willy considers Biff's failure in business as a betrayal of his expectations. It is ironic, however, that, throughout the play, Willy seems to long for just the sort of simpler lifestyle that his son has created for himself. Could it be that Willy's feelings of betrayal are some ways linked to feelings of jealousy toward his son? Quote #2
WILLY: [noticing her mending] What’s that? LINDA: Just mending my stockings. They’re so expensive! WILLY: [angrily, taking them from her]: I won’t have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out! [Linda puts the stockings in her pocket] (Act 1) Willy lashes out at Linda about her mending stockings because it reminds him of his affair and betrayal of her. We wonder if Linda ever suspected Willy's betrayal. What do you think? Are there any clues in the play that hint at this? Quote #3 BIFF: Because I know he’s a fake and he doesn’t like anybody around who knows! LINDA: Why a fake? In what way? What do you mean? BIFF: Just don’t lay it all at my feet. It’s between me and him—that’s all I have to say. (Act 1) Biff feels betrayed by his father's affair, but refuses to tell Linda. Does he do this out of loyalty to his father, or is he just trying to protect Linda from the truth? Is he, in a way, betraying his mother by not telling her the truth of his father's infidelity? ALASKA, AFRICA, AMERICAN WEST Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory Death of a Salesman takes place primarily within the confined landscape of the Lomans’ home. This narrow, and increasingly narrowing setting is contrasted with the vastness of the American West, Alaska, and Africa. If the Lomans’ home symbolizes restriction, both physical and mental, distant locations symbolize escape, freedom, and the possibility of something better. While Willy insists New York is a land of opportunity and abundant success, his idolization of his brother Ben’s adventures and forays into faraway lands shows that he is really not so convinced. Furthermore, Biff, Happy, and Ben repeatedly suggest that the Lomans are better suited to physical, handson kinds of work, an assertion supported by their failure as salesmen. Willy’s obsession with distant lands further proves that he might prefer a very different livelihood than the one he has. SEEDS Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory The seeds that Willy insists on buying and planting are an important symbol in the play. Willy is frequently troubled by feelings of confusion and inadequacy. He’s uncertain about how to raise his sons and worries that, like his own father, he will be unable to provide for them. When Willy says, "Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground" we have a feeling he’s really talking about his sons and their future. Willy is
additionally preoccupied with being well known and leaving a legacy when he dies. All of these feelings come to a head in Willy’s seed planting. Through planting seeds, Willy wants grow something that will thrive, provide for others and remain after his own death. The MOST interesting part is that he chooses planting to make up for being a failed salesman – he’s actually better suited to working with his hands, to agriculture, to labor, just like his son Biff. STOCKINGS Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory Stockings appear in a number of contexts in Death of a Salesman. Willy gives stockings to the woman he has an affair with, and repeatedly yells at Linda for mending her stockings in front of him (they seem to be a reminder of his affair and how he’s not providing for his family). Biff’s anger at his father’s affair gets similarly channeled into the stockings; ostensibly, they are the reason for his anger. TENNIS RACKET Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory The tennis racket Willy observes when he chats with Bernard in Charley’s office is a symbol of Bernard’s success and Biff’s failure. While athletic Biff and Happy hoped to make a fortune selling sports equipment, it is Bernard, who in high school stood on the sidelines while Biff played sports, that now owns the tennis racket. DIAMONDS AND THE JUNGLE Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory The diamonds that made Ben rich are a symbol of concrete wealth in Death of a Salesman. Unlike sales in which Willy has nothing tangible to show for his work, the diamonds represent pure, unadulterated material achievement. The diamonds are also seen as a "getrichquick" scheme that is the solution to all troubles. When Willy is considering killing himself, he hears Ben telling him that, "the jungle is dark but full of diamonds." The jungle here is a risk (physically and, more interestingly, morally), which has the potential to yield wealth. In deciding to commit suicide, Willy perceives himself going into the dark jungle to get diamonds for his son. SETTING Where It All Goes Down Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Boston; Willy's Head; the Late 1940s Most of the action is set in Willy Loman's home and yard in Brooklyn, NYC. Because of recent population growth, the Lomans' house is boxed in by apartment buildings. Throughout the play, the big encroaching buildings are shown to choke the more natural beauty that once surrounded the Lomans' home. Once there were trees, and once there was enough sunlight to grow a garden. The looming buildings, which have separated the characters from nature, add to their feelings of confinement and desire to escape. There are a few scenes that don't take place at the Lomans' Brooklyn home. We see Willy get fired in an office in Manhattan, and he also meets his sons at a Manhattan restaurant.
There's also the scene where Biff learns of Willy's affair, which happens in a hotel room in Boston. The Loman house, however, totally dominates the set, perhaps highlighting Willy's longing to provide for his family, and showing that no matter how misguided he is, everything he does in some way revolves around his family. We should also point out that the play, or at least a good portion of it, is set inside Willy's mind. The audience experiences many of the events through Willy's subjective viewpoint. All the flashbacks and blurred realities are from Willy's point of view. For more on this, check out discussion of realism and expressionism in our "Writing Style" section. The time period also has a big effect on the action of the play. It's the late 1940s, meaning that we've just come out of WWII. The country is all gungho about rebuilding itself and getting everyone – yes, you've got it – the American Dream. Basically, the nation is just revving up for the economic boom of the 1950s. So, American commercialism as we know it is just about to take off in a really major way. This, of course, ties into many of the play's themes. GENRE Drama, Family Drama, Tragedy Well, the play is definitely a drama, because, you know… it's a play, a piece of literature meant to be spoken by actors in front of a live audience. This particular drama centers on the trials and tribulations of the Loman family, making it a family drama. Death of a Salesman is also in many ways a tragedy. You've got the basic ingredients here. A misguided person sets out to accomplish something that he thinks is the right thing, but ironically it is that very thing that causes pain and anguish to himself and everyone around him. Just add wide sweeping themes, which show just what's wrong with all of society, and voila… you've got a nice steaming dish of tragedy. Of course, Death of a Salesman has a lot of differences from the ancient Greek version of the genre. There are no choruses in this play, and the protagonist, Willy Loman, differs in several ways a traditional tragic hero. The main difference is that he's not a king or mighty warrior of some kind – he's just a salesman. And an unsuccessful one at that. With Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller set out to create what he called a "tragedy of the common man." He wanted to show that the sorrows of your average everyday guy are just as worthy of dramatization as those of kings. TONE Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful? Sympathetic, Candid, Mocking The tone is apparent primarily through the play’s stage directions. The directions are sensitive to the very real pain suffered by the characters. However, in its frankness, the tone is also mocking of Willy’s blind acceptance of a very hollow, materialistic version of the American Dream. WHAT’S UP WITH THE TITLE? The title has several layers of meaning. The most blatantly obvious one is that it refers to Willy Loman's actual physical death – unfortunately by suicide. So, yeah, Willy is a salesman, and he dies. That one is pretty clear.
The Ideal Funeral Of course, this is Arthur Miller we're talking about here, so we're pretty sure the title goes deeper. It also refers to Willy's idealized way of dying; he wants a massive funeral with everyone weeping and beating their chests and so forth. Willy models this dream funeral on the service held for an old salesman named Dave Singleman. Singleman's funeral is in fact part of what inspired Willy to become a salesman in the first place. Willy says that it was huge and well attended, making it totally obvious to all that Singleman was successful and well liked. In some ways, Willy seems to measure the worth of a man by size of his… umm… funeral. Unfortunately for Willy, his funeral is nothing like the way he describes Singleman's. Hardly anybody comes at all. We hope the ghost of Willy wasn't around to watch it, because he would be totally bummed out. By Willy's own standards, his funeral shows that he wasn't very successful and wasn't particularly liked. The gap (or massive chasm) between how Willy dreams that his death will be received and how it actually goes down makes this title sadly ironic. The Death of Willy's Dream The title also refers to the death of Willy's salesman dream – the dream to be financially successful and a father to hotshot sons. By the end of the play, Willy is flat broke and without a job. It's pretty clear that his dream of being a bigtime salesman is already dead. Willy hopes, though, that by killing himself he can leave some legacy to his son Biff in the form of life insurance money. This would give Biff a chance to succeed in the business world. Perhaps, with Willy's death a new salesman will be born. Actually, nope, that doesn't happen at all. In the funeral scene, it's more than clear that all Willy's dreams are deader than dead. Biff has no interest in following in his father's footsteps. Also, it's painfully obvious to everybody that Willy committed suicide, meaning that there will be no life insurance money coming to his family. In the end, Willy's salesman dream is dead, dead, dead. Capitalism and the American Dream On a larger level, the title could be taking yet another swipe at capitalism and the American Dream. Willy, being a salesman, in many ways represents American commercialism. The fact that he gets chewed up and spit out by the system may be a comment on the soullessness of the system itself. Instead of calling the play Death of a Salesman, you could call it Death of Capitalism, or Death of the American Dream. Hmm, those titles aren't quite as subtle and cool as Miller's are they? We guess we'll leave the whole writing great works of literature thing to him. PLOT ANALYSIS Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice. Initial Situation Willy and Biff are both home again. Willy comes home early from his work trip because he is not longer able to drive and he can’t do his job. Biff is home after working as a farm hand for many years in the West.
But with the contrasting seeds of conflict buried here, this initial situation isn’t bound to last long. Conflict Willy is deteriorating and suicidal; Biff is told to get serious. Here comes the conflict, right on schedule. Willy’s mental wanderings are getting worse; he is preoccupied with Biff’s aimlessness and inability to find success in business. Linda informs her sons that Willy has been trying to commit suicide and tells Biff that his father’s life is in his hands. Biff needs to get a job and get serious – or take the blame for his father’s actions. Complication Willy gets fired and Biff doesn’t even get close enough to a job to get fired. On the same day, both Willy and Biff’s high expectations are dashed to the ground. Willy goes to his boss, Howard, to try to get a nontraveling job but ends up getting completely fired. Meanwhile, Biff waits for six hours to see Oliver, only to be reminded that he is a nobody in the man’s eyes. As if that were not complicated enough, Biff steals Oliver’s fountain pen. Climax Biff gets honest and destroys Willy’s dream; Willy finally realizes that Biff loves him. This climax earns it’s stripes in two different ways. The first is psychological: Biff realizes he and his entire family have been living a lie. The second is more of an action based climax, and takes the form of the huge blowout argument between Biff and his father. This is followed by much shouting and crying, and at last Willy finds out that Biff really does love him. That would be great and we’d probably have a happy ending if it weren’t for the small fact that we hadn’t gotten to the suspense stage yet. Suspense Willy starts chatting with the imaginary figure of his brother and considers killing himself. Now that Willy has realized that Biff loves him, he wants to do anything he possibly can to make his son successful. In his mind, Willy hears Ben saying that "the jungle is dark but full of diamonds," but sadly ignores the "dark" bit while he shoots for the "diamonds" part. The suspense, of course, is that we’ve heard this suicide song and dance before, so we’re not sure if he’ll actually go through with it. This suspense is heightened by the fact that Willy’s family is in bed thinking everything’s fine, which we all know in any movie, play, or work of literature means horrible things are coming soon. Denouement Willy commits suicide. And now for the horrible things. Willy’s death was actually a foregone conclusion. The play’s title and Linda both predict it. What was unsure earlier in the play was why Willy would commit suicide. And the why, as we’ve discussed, is the real kicker.
Conclusion Biff rejects his father’s misguided dream, but Happy runs with it. At the conclusion of the play, it is totally clear that Willy was wrong about himself. Not that we ever thought otherwise, but practically no one comes to his funeral. Biff now realizes that his father didn’t know himself and picked the wrong path. He will certainly not follow in his father’s footsteps. Happy, on the other hand, defends his father’s misguided dreams and decides to take them on himself.