Death of a Salesman

Author:  Arthur Miller

Type of Theater: Tragic/Tragedy

Time/Setting: Unknown time period, various places in New York and Boston

Significant Characters: Willy, Biff, Linda, Happy, The Woman, Charlie and others

• Willy: Husband of Linda and father to Happy and Biff. He has been a salesman his whole life making money for the family to pay off their house and is so close to owning it completely. He is mentally unstable yet devoted to his work and family, most of  the time. He has constant flashbacks to the past and because of this is stuck in an ongoing downward spiral throughout the entire drama

• Biff: The younger son of Willy and Linda. He would rather work on a farm or out in the open with nature than become a salesman or work in a city where he is confined. Biff is very uncertain, undecided and lost about himself and what he wants in this life, while Willy constantly tries to make him a respected man in the business world. As a result of this, Biff doesn't know how to stand up for himself in many situations, and it is not until the end of the drama that he has the guts and the realization to do so.  

• Linda: Wife of Willy. She is trying to hold the family together with Happy and Biff unemployed and Willy away on trips constantly. She takes care of Willy when he is home and constantly worries that one day he will not come home to her. She is a very motherly figure, devoting all her time to her sons and husband, mending stockings and keeping her wits about her.

• Happy: The brother of Biff. Like his brother, Happy is misguided but also very selfish. He doesn't understand why Biff would want to work with nature and not in the city where he could make loads more money every hour. Because of this view, Happy only seems to care about sleeping with women and making as much money as possible.

• The Woman: The one who Willy is caught having an affair with. She is the one who ultimately tears the Loeman family apart because of her alluring youth and beauty. These are things that Linda no longer has, which is what draws Willy in and makes his decision to sleep with her perhaps the worst decision of his life. 

• Charlie: Willy's closest friend who becomes very concerned with his work and overall well-being. Charlie seems to be Willy's only voice of reason until Biff joins in at the end, right before Willy takes his life. 

Synopsis/Important Plot Points:

• Willy is mentally unstable and Linda often worries that one day he will not come home
• Willy is often gone from home - supporting the family by being a salesman 

Willy is a salesman so he can make money to pay off the house and appliances in it - they are one payment away from completely owning the house

• Happy is only concerned with women and money while Biff is more concerned with finding out what he is meant to do and find what his purpose is
• Linda is seen in many scenes mending or knitting stockings
• Willy often "sees" and "talks" with his brother, who was also a salesman and recently passed away  
• There are many flashbacks to Willy's more happier days; Biff is the high schools football star and while he is not doing well in some of his classes, Willy tells him that none of that matters. 
• Willy gets fired by the Company he has been working with for most of his business career 
• Biff goes to see a big time salesman to tell him an idea he has had; he waits for hours and only gets one minute to talk with him. Biff becomes so angry that he steals his fountain pen 
• When Biff tries to tell his father what happened, Willy cannot accept and comprehend that his son has failed as a Salesman and businessman   
• Willy has a flashback to his last night with The Woman - They are alone in a hotel when Biff unexpectedly shows up. Willy shoves The Woman into the bathroom and pretends that he is on any other business trip. Biff discovers The Woman and sees as she rushes out that Willy has given her a pair of his mothers stockings. Biff breaks down and Willy is unable to control him. When Biff leaves, Willy realizes that this woman has ruined his family and there is nothing he can do but be angry 
• Willy returns home and is questioned by Biff about the car hose he found in the basement; Willy denies trying to commit suicide by crashing or sabotaging the car
• When Biff and Happy have gone to bed, Willy tells Linda that he will stay up for a little while longer and "sees" his brother one more time
• Willy leaves the house and crashes the car that night 
• The family attends the funeral, where one of Willy's good friends Charlie explains the life of being a Salesman
• Linda says her good-byes and tells Willy that she made the last house payment and they are free 

 Tone:

• This dramas tone is very serious and realistic. Like real life, these characters face a wide variety of situations and must deal with problems the best way they can. Miller's own voice and opinions on society (at the time) come especially through with Biff and Willy's feelings and actions. They are both a bit disoriented and are just trying to be the best men they can, while holding the family together.

Significant Quotes:

• "He's a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back - that's an earthquake" - Charlie

• This is part of a speech Charlie gives at Willy's funeral, where he attempts to explain Willy's life and actions. While he considered himself one of Willy's closest friends, he admits he was unaware of how serious Willy's situation was, but still attempts to justify his work and existence in the world. He tells the others that Willy was like every other man who only wanted to be successful and well respected in the world, but became lost when the world did not take kindly to him.  

• "Pop! I'm a dime a dozen, and so are you!" - Biff 

• This is one of the most important lines in Miller's entire drama. Once Biff says this to Willy, he finally seems to listen and understand how he is just like everyone else. 

• "I've always made a point of not wasting my life, and every time I come back here I know that all I've done is to waste my life" - Biff 

• Equivalent1 to Willy's realization, this is where Biff realizes that he has wasted his entire life thus far by trying to become something he's not. By spending a day out in the city and trying to becomes a salesman like his father, Biff finally sees that this kind of life is not for him, and he will not be held down by his father in the future.     

Theme:

• Every mans work has a cost - not only to himself, but to his family, closest friends and all those who are near and dear to him