death of a salesman

Willy Loman

63 year old salesman, covers sales region in New England, has delusions of grandeur, blends the lines of past and present and illusion and reality, experiences extreme mood changes

Linda Loman

Willy’s wife, helps uphold the illusion of the American Dream in the house, confined to the role of a typical 50’s housewife, frustrated at Biff and Happy for not helping their father more, she is ADORED by the boys

Biff Loman

Willy’s eldest son- he was the typical All-American in high school, but after high school he realizes he is not everything his family made him think he was. he discovers willy’s affair which stops his idolization of willy. wants to be a rancher. tells willy that ppl like the lomans are a dime a dozen and states that he group up in a house of lies.

Happy Loman

Biff’s younger brother- “happy” to keep up the illusion of the American Dream. has visions of starting a sporting goods business w/ Biff. known womanizer but tells his parents “he’ll get married soon”. though he has his own apartment, he’s the “assistant to the assistant buyer”

Howard Wagner

Willy’s boss —> lives a life of success, has all the latest technology. shows us that willy is not a succesful salesman. fires him after willy has an outburst in his office while asking him for a job in New York City.

Bernard

The Loman’s neighbor —> he was friends with Biff when they were in high school. Bernard tried to convince Biff to study for math, and ends up the more successful of the two (argues a case in front of the Supreme Court!)

Charley

Willy’s longtime neighbor- he secretly gives Willy money to supplement his lack of a salary. Offers him a job but Willy refuses multiple times out of pride. Bernard’s father.

Ben

Willy’s older brother who became successful b/c of diamonds he found in Africa. tried to convince Willy to come with him but he refused. serves as a voice for Willy’s inner thoughts and a representation of Willy’s past regrets.

“The Woman”

Willy’s ex-lover. After Biff discovers the two of them in a hotel room, he refuses to go to summer school and loses his spot at UVA. Willy gives her new pantyhose and b/c of this yells at Linda when she mends her pantyhose.

Bill Oliver

Biff’s old employer—> does not recognize Biff when he goes to ask for a loan and after this Biff steals his fountain pen.

Dave Singleman

The salesman Willy idealizes- he was known and loved by all, there were many of his old clients at his funeral. willy desperately wants to be him.

Diamonds (symbol)

represent tangible wealth and, hence, both validation of one’s labor (and life) and the ability to pass material goods on to one’s offspring, two things that Willy desperately craves. Correlatively, diamonds, the discovery of which made Ben a fortune, symbolize Willy’s failure as a salesman (https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/salesman/symbols/)

The Rubber Hose (symbol)

a stage prop that reminds the audience of Willy’s desperate attempts at suicide. He has apparently attempted to kill himself by inhaling gas, which is, ironically, the very substance essential to one of the most basic elements with which he must equip his home for his family’s health and comfort—heat. Literal death by inhaling gas parallels the metaphorical death that Willy feels in his struggle to afford such a basic necessity. (https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/salesman/symbols/

The Women’s Stockings (symbol)

assume a metaphorical weight as the symbol of betrayal and sexual infidelity. New stockings are important for both Willy’s pride in being financially successful and thus able to provide for his family and for Willy’s ability to ease his guilt about, and suppress the memory of, his betrayal of Linda and Biff. (https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/salesman/symbols/)

Seeds (symbol)

represent for Willy the opportunity to prove the worth of his labor, both as a salesman and a father (https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/salesman/symbols/)

Flute Music

drifts through the play and represents the single faint link Willy has with his father and with the natural world. (https://www.litcharts.com/lit/death-of-a-salesman/symbols)

Arthur Miller

wrote The Death of a Salesman

The Start of the Play

Willy returns home because he cannot pay attention while driving. Linda thinks he has crashed the car again and tells him that Happy and Biff are home.

The Climax of the Play

Willy has a mental breakdown, Biff tells him he doesn’t want to live his life in the hope of the American Dream, Willy then drives off.

End of the Play

Biff Loman, Happy Loman, Linda Loman, and Charley surround Willy’s grave. BIff reflects on how Willy should have been a carpenter — >”there’s more of him in the front stoop then all the sales he ever made”. Linda questions why he couldn’t be happy, they had just about sold off the house - Charley reflects Willy’s whole life was sales and he could never be happy on a little salary.

Setting of The Death of a Salesman

1940s Brooklyn—> Brooklyn is becoming increasingly urban, Willy hates this and wants green spaces