Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller was born in New York (1915--2005), experienced several bad marriages including one with Marilyn Monroe, and studied at the University of Michigan. His family was pretty wealthy until the Wall Street crash of 1929, then they had to live more modestly. (www.biography.com/people/arthurmiller)

The play is set in Brooklyn, at Willy's apartment and at some other places around the area of New York.

Key Plot points: Willy has been struggling with his job as a salesman, Linda wants him to stop traveling, and he is troubled by how Biff hasn't accomplished anything. Linda warns her sons that Willy is suicidal.Willy is frequently lost in daydreams of past memories of happier times, searching for the moment that changed everything. Which is, of course, when Biff caught him having an affair after he went to tell his father that he flunked math and would have to make it up in summer school. Biff is so disheartened that he gives up on his dreams, and the family is torn apart. Willy also sees visions of his deified older brother, Ben, who was a father figure for him. Further proof of family dysfunction. Willy goes to talk to his boss about not traveling anymore, and he gets fired. This is the moment that the salesman dies, as he must confront reality. He goes to see his friend Charley and sees how successful Charley's son Bernard has become. Meanwhile, Biff had promised to try for a business deal (really just to appease his dad) and he fails at that, too. The boys went out to dinner to celebrate, but instead have to admit their failures, and the sons leave Willy alone there. Later that night, Biff and Willy get into a fight and Biff cries, which makes Willy feel loved (so strange) and everything starts to seem better, but then Willy kills himself. But his insurance was all good, so Linda paid off the house and will get by.

Characters:
Willy Loman: A delusional salesman, he has convinced himself that he is a great and accomplished man, but really he's just a compulsive liar (or extremely deluded).

Linda Loman: Willy's wife. She is very supportive of him and takes his side over her sons'. She supports him more than he realizes, and manages the household affairs and money.

Biff Loman: *Biff can mean mistake, like if you trip and totally wipe out.* Biff is the older son, and he was always the superstar growing up. He's athletic and had a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, but threw it away after learning about his dad's deceitfulness and lack of character. Willy is disappointed that Biff never became all that he had expected out of him.

Happy Loman: Biff's younger brother, the forgotten one, living in Biff's shadow. He uses women as he pleases and presents himself inaccurately a lot like his dad does.

Ben: Willy's older brother who became very wealthy. He's very masculine and epic-seeming and represents everything that Willy desires to be.

Charley: Willy's only friend. Charley gives him money a lot and he is very successful, causing a  bit of tension between he and Willy.

Miller's Style adds some interesting elements to the play. He added the gaps in the walls as a visual aid for the audience, to distinguish dreams from reality when it's kind of ambiguous. The point of view in this play switches between the members of the family, highlighting that this is not only about Willy's struggle, but how it affects the entire family dynamic.

Symbols:
Stockings are symbols of guilt for Willy. They're what he offered his mistress and so it really freaks him out to see his wife mending her old stockings, as it makes him feel so guilty.

Howard's Voice Recorder is a symbol for reality. A machine that records the past accurately and in a way that Willy can't lie about later.

Seeds are a symbol for Willy's disappointment in his children. They are like failed seeds to him, because they didn't grow up like he wanted them to. I also found on SparkNotes the theory that they represent a desire to feed his family, since he struggles financially.

Quotes:
 From Act 2
WILLY:  I don’t think that was funny, Charley. This is the greatest day of his life.

CHARLEY: Willy, when are you going to grow up?

WILLY: Yeah, heh? When this game is over, you’ll be laughing out of the other side of your face. They’ll be calling him another Red Grange. Twenty-five thousand a year.

This quote shows how delusional Willy is. It's just a football game, and he is way too proud of it. He's shooting too high, and it's unrealistic.

From Act 1
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!

This quote shows how Willy thinks wealth and success just fall into your lap. He thinks it's as simple as "walking into a jungle..." and emerging wealthy. This is why he doesn't work hard.


Theme
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman suggests that valuing words instead of actions leads to a delusional perception of one's success; this delusion leads to a deterioration of relationships as well as one's own rational thinking.

This is evident by how Willy is always lying about himself and his accomplishments, telling his boss that he used to make much more than he truly did, or saying that he never relies on others for help, despite the known fact that Charley lends him money frequently. Willy always talked himself up, and Biff too. Willy bragged about his whole family, but never actually worked at achieving those goals of his. He makes fun of Bernard for studying, because he doesn't actually see the need for working towards his dreams. He expects them to just come to him. This inflated view of himself makes Willy quite delusional, and he spends many years denying his failure. He is failing as a businessman but tells the family that he is famous along his work routes. He lies so much that he warps his own perception of reality. This makes his family lose trust and faith in Willy.

Even the title of the play, Death of a Salesman, refers to the moment that Willy is faced with reality. When he is fired and has to accept his failure, that is the death of the salesman in him. The realization of how deluded he has been acting leads to him finally committing suicide.

The symbol of the voice recorder also carries this theme. It kicks on after Willy is fired, startling him. Suddenly he realizes he can't just keep lying. He will be held accountable for his actions and his failures, and how badly he has distorted his life is made clear to him. (Well, clearer--he's still a bit deluded).