The Death of Salesman

ACT ONE

The story begins one day evening at the Loman family in Brooklyn. Willy Loman, a sixty years old travelling salesman, returns home early from a trip, exhausted. His wife Linda welcomes him in worries, since he had an accident several times ago. But nothing happened, he just so exhausted to drive so far. Then her wife suggests him to ask for non-travelling job in New York City.

Their two adult sons, Biff and Happy, are visiting. Actually Willy adores Biff and so biff, he declares that Biff is anything but lazy. And so Willy thinks that his thirty-four-year-old son is a lazy bum. Willy criticized Biff for working at manual labor on farms and horse ranches in the West. Then this couple is stuck in an argument. 

Upstairs, the two brothers are on a conversation. Downstairs, Willy’s makes a loud talking.  Biff and Happy think that he had another accident. Linda returns to bed while Willy goes to the kitchen for cheese. Happy and Biff are remembering about the good old days when they were young. Although Happy, thirty-two, is younger than Biff, he is more confident and more successful. Biff seems unstable, confuse. Happy is worried about their father’s habit of talking to himself. Happy observes that their father focus on Biff failure for job. Willy feel failed raising him to be a success man. Differs with his brother, Happy has a steady job in New York, but the rat race does not satisfy him. Biff fantasize briefly about going out west together. However, Happy still try to become an important executive.

Biff plans to ask Bill Oliver, an old employer, for a loan to buy a ranch. He remembers that Oliver thought highly of him and offered to help him anytime. He wonders if Oliver still thinks that he stole a carton of basketballs while he was working at his store. Happy encourages his brother, commenting that Biff is “well liked”—a sure predictor of success in the Loman household. The boys are disgusted to hear Willy talking to himself downstairs. He’s back to the memories of the past when the boys were still teens. And it’s so obvious that Willy is so proud of Biff, Happy tries to get his father’s attention, but Willy’s preference for Biff is obvious. He also underestimates Bernard, Biff’s friend and also their neighbour. Willy whispers that he will soon open a bigger business than his successful neighbour, because Charley is not as “well liked” as he is. Charley is Bernard’s father. Bernard asked Biff to study together so that he would pass the exam. But he refused it by showing him that he printed the insignia of the University of Virginia on his sneakers, impressing Willy. Bernard states that the sneakers do not mean Biff will graduate. Willy tells them that Bernard may make good grades, but Happy and Biff will be more successful in business because they are “well liked.”

Still in his daydream of fifteen years ago, Willy brags to Linda that he made $1200 in sales that week and Linda quickly figures his commission Willy moans that he cannot move ahead because people do not seem to like him. Linda tells him that he is successful enough. Willy complains that he talks and jokes too much. He compare himself with Charley that Charley earns respect because he is a man of few words. His jealousy of his neighbor becomes painfully clear.

Still in daydream, Willy figured his mistress and they sat in a hotel room, cuddling The Woman fades into the darkness as Willy returns to the present, he is on a conversation with Linda. He notices Linda old stockings and angrily with proud asks to throw them out. Back  to the past, Bernard returned to the Loman house to beg Biff to study math, but Willy asked him to give Biff the answers. Bernard replied that he cannot do so during a state exam. Linda asked Willy to do something with Biff, but Willy thought that he is a fine boy.

Back to present, Willy comes inside the house, continue drinking milk. Happy goes downstairs, and looks that his father talking with himself. Then Willy stops talking when he figures Happy, staring at him. Happy asks his father to come up. Then Willy continues scolded about the floor that being waxed. He regrets that he didn’t go to Alaska with his brother, Ben, to be a successful man. The conversation begin worst, Willy yells again. Suddenly, Charley, the neighbour come, checks whether everything is fine. Again, Happy asks his father to come upstairs, but Willy refuses it. Then there is a conversation between this two neighbours. They play card. Concerned about Willy, he offers him a job, but Willy is insulted by the offer. The conversation between them become worst and Charley left the house in anger.

Again, Willy take his memory to the past. Ben appears, he asked Willy when did mother dead. . Willy was so excited seeing Ben. Their father abandoned the family when Willy was three or four years old and Ben was seventeen. Ben left home to look for their father in Alaska but never found him, because instead of being in Alaska, Ben landed in Africa. Willy got more excited, called his sons and introduced their Uncle Ben. Willy asked him to say something to his sons, then Ben replied about his success. The Willy asked him to tell a story about the grandfather of Biff and Happy. After a little story about the grandfather, Ben asked Biff to punch him. Actually it was a joke, so Biff didn’t really punched him. Smiling, Ben asked for shake hand and he push Biff to the earth and give a lesson “not to fight fair with strangers, cause you’ll never get out from the jungle with that way”. Willy begs Ben to stay longer, but Ben hurries to catch his train.

Back to the present, Willy’s shouts wake Linda and she asks Willy to sleep, but Willy refuses and chooses to take a walk in his slippers. Biff and Happy goes down, and Biff asks his mother how long he has been like this, talking to himself. Biff regrets that his mother never told about this with him. Linda explains that Willy’s mental is not balance because their father lost his salary (only works on commission). Linda also knows that Willy borrows fifty dollars a week from Charley and pretends it is his salary. Linda claims that Biff and Happy are ungrateful. She calls Happy a “philandering bum.” Angry and feels quilt, Biff offers to stay home and get a job to help with expenses. Linda says that he cannot fight with Willy all the time. Then she explains that his father attempt to do a suicide in a car accident. Willy comes inside the house, overhears Biff, Happy, and Linda arguing about him. When Biff jokes with his father to snap him out of his trance, Willy misunderstands and thinks that Biff is calling him crazy. Willy thinks that he is a great salesman that everyone honors him that he is a “big shot” in the sales world.

Happy takes the speech, he mentions that Biff plans to ask Bill Oliver for a business loan. Willy is so happy to hear that. They are going to sell sporting goods and they will do the business together. Everyone likes the idea of Happy and Biff going into business together. Willy begins to say unhelpful advice for Biff’s loan interview. Linda shows her excitement, but Willy tells her several times to be quiet. Seeing this scene, Biff asks his father not to yell to his mother. Then another argument among them. Linda asks Biff to be nice to their father, and start it with a good night speech. Again, before they fall asleep, Linda begs Willy to ask his boss for a non-traveling job.

ACT TWO

The next morning, when Willy awakes the next morning, Biff and Happy have already left. So exciting with the situation, Willy mentions that he would like to get some seeds and plant a small garden in the yard. Linda, pleased with her husband’s hopeful mood, points out that there is not enough sun. Willy replies that they will have to get a house in the country. Linda reminds Willy to ask his boss, Howard, for a non-traveling job as well as an advance to pay the insurance premium. They have one last payment on both the refrigerator and the house, and they have just finished paying for the car. Linda informs Willy that Biff and Happy want to take him to dinner at Frank’s Chop House at six o’clock. As Willy departs, moved and excited by his sons’ dinner invitation, he notices a stocking that Linda is mending and, guilt-ridden with the latent memory of his adultery with The Woman, admonishes her to throw the stocking away.

Entering Howard’s office, Willy tries to tell him that he likes to have a non-traveling job. But Howard’s doesn’t recognize it, because he is excited with his new recorder. He shows Willy how it works. Then they start the talking. Willy then asks Howard to give him a non-travelling job and that he’s willing to accept a modest salary. The end of this conversation goes worst, Willy get fired. He reminds him that he is the one who gave his name “Howard” and how kind his father to him. But Howard stays with his decision and he asked Willy to tell it to his sons about it, so that they have to take the responsibility. Willy cries and then begins to hallucinate and back to the past, talking to himself, yelling while walking towards Charley’s office.

He meets Bernard at Charley’s office. He is a successful young man. They have a conversation about Biff. Bernard is so concern about Biff, how he wasted his time and chance at school. He wonders why he dismissed it. He asks about what happened in New England, because after that, it’s so obvious Biff is ruining himself. Then Charley come out, he meets them, calm down Willy and tells Bernard that he might be missed the train if he isn’t hurried. And then, Charley offers him a job, but Willy refuses it then he gives Willy some money to support him.

Meanwhile, Biff, who has agreed to ask Bill Oliver for a job, fails even to get an interview with Oliver. He already waited Oliver for hours and he didn’t even recognize him. Desperately, Biff comes to the bar to have dinner with Happy and their father. But he cannot hide miserable face. Happy asks Biff to keep it away from their father, but Biff insists to tell the truth. Finally, Happy agree but he asks Biff to say it softly so it won’t hurt him. Again, meet another failure, Willy enters hallucinating. Before that, Willy tells their son that he was fired. It was a bad surprise. Again, Willy starts to talk with himself, entered the rest room. Being rude, those two sons just left their father at the bar and went with two young beautiful women for a date.

Inside the rest room, Willy was on the past, dreams about his mistress, and how Biff caught him with a women inside a hotel room. Biff was so upset, he was cried. But Willy was convinced him that the woman just a buyer, nothing more, Biff didn’t belief it. The scene back to the bar and Willy backs to present by knocking on the door from the bar guy.

When Biff and Hap arrive home, Happy gives his mother flowers and tells her that he and Biff were out with two girls. She angrily puts away the flowers to the floor, upset because her sons seems don’t care whether their father lives or dies. She tells them to leave the house. But Biff insists on seeing his father. Willy is in the back yard planting seeds. Biff goes out towards his father and he tells him that he is leaving never to return. He is realizes that all the problems are because of him, he is a bum so he decides to leave. He asks for Willy’s bless. They go inside and Biff asks to shake his father’s hand. Willy refuses, he doesn’t want his son leave the house. They argue violently. However, still holding out hopes for Biff, Willy says, “The door of your life is wide open!”

Biff breaks down and hugs his father, and Willy so glad and say to Linda that Biff is loves him and that is remarkable. Linda and Happy assure Willy that his observation is true. Everyone goes to bed except Willy, he begins to hallucinate, talk to himself actually he thinks he talks to Ben and tells Linda that he will come upstairs in two minutes. Moments later, there is the sound of a car starting up and driving off. There is a crash. Willy dies.

Requiem

At the funeral, there are no one else beside Willy’s family, Charley, and Bernard. They are the only mourners who attend Willy’s funeral. She wonders why anybody didn’t come. Where are they, the people he knew? Where are all his friends, his buyers? Happy is almost attacks Biff when he said that his father had a wrong dream. But Charley stop him. Charley replies that a salesman has to dream or he is lost. Happy becomes increasingly angry with Biff’s observations. He resolves to stay in the city and carry out his father’s dream by becoming a top businessman, convinced he can still “beat this racket.” Linda requests some privacy. She reports to Willy that she made the last payment on the house. She apologizes for her inability to cry and she still doesn’t understand the reason. She begins to sob, repeating, “We’re free and clear” Biff helps her up.

CHARACTERS

.Willy Loman: a sixty years old salesman haunted by a feeling that his life has been a failure. He loves his son, Biff very much. He adores him and he feels that he is failed to raise him become a man. He often hallucinates, enters the past events. He often talks to himself, speaks to unseen figure that only him could see the figure. He enters his previous happy times.  He often says that he is a great salesman that everybody knows him, but at the end of his life, at his funeral, no one comes except his family and his neighbour, Charley and Bernard.

Linda: adorable wife who loves his husband very much. She accepts her role as a devoted and subservient housewife.

Biff: Willy’s older son, who can’t be a man. Always meet the failure of life since he was at school. At first he is quite nice, but after he saw his father’s mistress, he begin to ruin his life. He is trouble getting along with his father.

Hap: Willy’s younger son, who has a steady job. Their parents seems take to much focus on his brother than him, but he never seems to be jealous. He always try to calm his brother, or father or mother whenever they are upset. At the funeral, he promises to make his father dreams come true.

Charley: Willy’s neighbour who is a successful businessman. He cares about Willy, even though Willy, for several times, underestimates him. Nevertheless, Charley is the one who helps him when Willy’s boss fired him by lending Willy money and even offers him a job.

Bernard: Charley’s son. Intelligent, hard-working, and successful young man, everything that Biff Loman is not. But he cares enough to Biff.

Ben: Willy’s deceased older brother, who appears only in Willy’s hallucinations. He struck it rich at an early age in South African diamond mines.

Howard Wagner: Willy’s boss, the son of his previous boss whom Willy admired. He fires Willy because of his inability to perform satisfactorily.

Stanley: A waiter at a bar/restaurant where they about to have a dinner.

The Woman: The mistress of Willy. An employee of a Boston company. She is one of the subjects of his hallucinations. And she is the one of the reason why Biff ruins his life.

Miss Forsythe and Letta:  Attractive young women whom Hap and Biff meet in the bar/restaurant

Jenny Charley's secretary

Settings

The action takes placein New York City area, The Loman’s house, Howard Wagner’s office, Charley’s office, a hotel room.