Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller . It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play . The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances, and has been revived on Broadway four times, [1] winning three Tony Awards for Best Revival . Plot Willy Loman returns home exhausted after a cancelled business trip. Worried over Willys state of mind and recent car accident, his wife Linda suggests that he ask his boss Howard Wagner to allow him to work in his home city so he will not have to travel. Willy complains to Linda that their son, Biff, has yet to make good on his life. Despite Biffs promise as an athlete in high school, he flunked senior-year math and never went to college. Biff and his brother Happy, who are temporarily staying with Willy and Linda after Biffs unexpected return from the West, reminisce about their childhood together. They discuss their fathers mental degeneration, which they have witnessed in the form of his constant vacillations and instances in which they have observed him talking to himself. Willy walks in, angry that the two boys have never amounted to anything. In an effort to pacify their father, Biff and Happy tell Willy that Biff plans to make a business proposition the next day. The next day, Willy goes to ask his boss, Howard, for a job in town while Biff goes to make a business proposition, but neither is successful. Willy gets angry and ends up getting fired when the boss tells him he needs a rest and can no longer represent the company. Biff waits hours to see a former employer who does not remember him and turns him down. Biff impulsively steals a fountain pen. Willy then goes to the office of his neighbor Charley, where he runs into Charleys son Bernard (now a successful lawyer); Bernard tells him that Biff originally wanted to do well in summer school, but something happened in Boston when Biff went to visit Willy that changed his mind. Happy, Biff, and Willy meet for dinner at a restaurant, but Willy refuses to hear bad news from Biff. Happy tries to get Biff to lie to their father. Biff tries to tell him what happened as Willy gets angry and slips into a flashback of what happened in Boston the day Biff came to see him. Willy had been having an affair with a receptionist on one of his sales trips when Biff unexpectedly arrived at Willys hotel room. A shocked Biff angrily confronted his father, calling him a liar and a fraud. From that moment, Biffs views of his father changed and set Biff adrift. Biff leaves the restaurant in frustration, followed by Happy and two girls that Happy has picked up. They leave a confused and upset Willy behind in the restaurant. When they later return home, their mother angrily confronts them for abandoning their father while Willy remains outside, talking to himself. Biff tries to reconcile with Willy, but the discussion quickly escalates into another argument, with Biff conveying to his father that he is not meant for anything great, insisting that both of them are simply ordinary men meant to lead ordinary lives. The feud culminates with Biff hugging Willy and crying as he tries to get Willy to let go of the unrealistic expectations that he still has for him and to accept him for who he really is. He tells his father he loves him. Rather than listen to what Biff actually says, Willy thinks his son has forgiven him and thinks Biff will now pursue a career as a businessman. Willy kills himself, intentionally crashing his car so that Biff can use the life insurance money to start his business. However, at the funeral Biff retains his belief that he does not want to become a businessman. Happy, on the other hand, chooses to follow in his fathers footsteps. Characters William Willy Loman : The salesman. He is 63 years old and very unstable, tending to imagine events from the past as if they are real. He vacillates between different perceptions of his life. Willy seems childlike and relies on others for support. His first name, Willy, reflects this childlike aspect as well as sounding like the question Will he? His last name gives the feel of Willys being a low man, someone low on the social ladder and unlikely to succeed; however, this popular interpretation of his last name has been dismissed by Miller. [2] Linda Loman : Willys wife. Linda is passively supportive and docile when Willy talks unrealistically about hopes for the future, although she seems to have a good knowledge of what is really going on. She chides her sons, particularly Biff, for not helping Willy more, and supports Willy lovingly despite the fact that Willy sometimes treats her poorly, ignoring her opinions over those of others. She is the first to realize that Willy is contemplating suicide at the beginning of the play, and urges Biff to make something of himself, while expecting Happy to help Biff do so. Biff Loman : Willys older son. Biff was a football star with lots of potential in high school, but failed math his senior year and dropped out of summer school when he saw Willy with another woman while visiting him in Boston. He wavers between going home to try to fulfill Willys dream for him as a businessman or ignoring his father by going out West to be a farmhand where he is happiest. He likes being outdoors and working with his hands, yet wants to do something worthwhile so Willy will be proud. Biff steals because he wants evidence of success, even if it is false evidence, but overall Biff remains a realist and informs Willy that he is just a normal guy and will not be a great man. Harold Happy Loman : Willys younger son. Hes lived in the shadow of his older brother Biff most of his life and seems to be almost ignored, but he still tries to be supportive towards his family. He has a very restless lifestyle as a womanizer and dreams of moving beyond his current job as an assistant to the assistant buyer at the local store, but is unfortunately willing to cheat a little in order to do so, by taking bribes. He is always looking for approval from his parents, but rarely gets any, and he even goes as far as to make things up just for attention, such as telling his parents he is going to get married. He tries often to keep his familys perceptions of each other positive or happy by defending each of them during their many arguments, but still has the most turbulent relationship with Linda, who looks down on him for his lifestyle and apparent cheapness, despite his giving them money. Charley : Willys wisecracking yet understanding neighbor. He pities Willy and frequently lends him money and comes over to play cards with Willy, although Willy often treats him poorly. Willy is jealous of him because his son is more successful than Willys. Charley offers Willy a job many times during visits to his office, yet Willy declines every time, even after he loses his job as a salesman. Bernard : Charleys son. In Willys flashbacks, he is a nerd, and Willy forces him to give Biff test answers. He worships Biff and does anything for him. Later, he is a very successful lawyer, married, and expecting a second son ‒ the same successes that Willy wants for his sons, in particular Biff. Bernard makes Willy contemplate where he has gone wrong as a father. Uncle Ben: Willys older brother who became a diamond tycoon after a detour to Africa. He is dead, but Willy frequently speaks to him in his hallucinations of the past. Ben frequently boasts, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich. He is Willys role model, although he is much older and has no real relationship with Willy, preferring to assert his superiority over his younger brother. He represents Willys idea of the American Dream success story, and is shown coming by the Lomans house while on business trips to share stories. Miss Francis : A woman with whom Willy cheated on Linda. Howard Wagner : Willys boss. He was named by Willy, but sees Willy as a liability for the company and fires him, ignoring all the years that Willy has given to the company. Howard is extremely proud of his wealth, which is manifested in his new wire recorder, and of his family. Jenny: Charleys secretary. Stanley: A waiter at the restaurant who seems to be friends or acquainted with Happy. Miss Forsythe : A girl whom Happy picks up at the restaurant. She is very pretty and claims she was on several magazine covers. Happy lies to her, making himself and Biff look like they are important and successful. (Happy claims that he attended West Point and that Biff is a star football player.) Letta : Miss Forsythes friend. Theme Reality and Illusion Death of a Salesman use flashbacks to present Willy’s memory during the reality. The illusion not only “suggests the past, but also presents the lost pastoral life.” Willy dreams of success in his whole life and makes lies about his and Biff’s success. The more he indulged in the illusion, the harder he can face the reality. Biff is the only one who realizes that the whole family lived in the lies and tries to face the truth. [3] The American Dream The American Dream is the theme of the play, but everyone in the play has their own way to describe their own American Dreams. Willy Loman Willy Loman dreamed to be a successful salesman like Dave Singleman who has both material and freedom success. His way to achieve the success is to be well-liked, which is also the way he teaches his sons. His dream cannot be achieved in that way at that society which is the reason to push him to death. [4] Uncle Ben Ben represents the ideal of American Dream. He thinks American Dream is to catch opportunity, to conquer the nature and to gain a fortune. Just like what he says “Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. (He laughs.) And by God I was rich” Ben symbolizes another kind of successful American Dreams for Willy. [4] Biff After seeing his father’s real identity, Biff does not follow his father’s “dream”. Biff has a dream to get outside, to farm and work hard with his own hands. His father prevents him from pursuing his dream. Biff realized his father’s dream is “wrong” during his fathers funeral. [4]
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 15:03:43 +0000
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