Death of a Salesman: Willy Loman's Tragic Downfall

Willy Loman's Descent: A Salesman's Tragedy

Willy Loman, a 63-year-old salesman, lives in New York City in the late 1940s with his wife, Linda. For twenty-five years, they have resided in the same house, which once stood apart but is now surrounded by apartment buildings, making Willy feel increasingly closed in. Willy has worked for the same company for thirty-six years, but his life is falling apart around him, and he struggles to cope with the changes he must endure.

The Burden of a Fading Dream

Willy's Troubled Mind and Driving Woes

Willy is having trouble concentrating on driving and often makes mistakes, such as crossing the white line, driving off the road, and running red lights while stopping for green lights. He has begun to talk to himself more and more, causing concern for Linda. At the beginning of the play, he has come home from a business trip due to his driving difficulties. The stress of constant driving to places like Boston and Portland, combined with his age, is becoming too much for him to bear.

Financial Strain and Hallucinations

Willy has been demoted from a salaried employee to a commission-only employee, significantly reducing his income. This financial strain, coupled with lackluster sales, causes Willy so much stress that he begins to hallucinate. He often believes he is living in an earlier time in his life, speaking to people who aren't there. During a card game with his friend, Charley, Willy imagines his deceased brother, Ben, is in the room with them. He talks to Ben and Charley simultaneously, leading to a disagreement about the card game. Charley leaves, but Willy continues talking to Ben, asking how he made his fortune. Ben, who left home at seventeen, walked into the African jungle and emerged rich at twenty-one, having worked in diamond mines. Willy desperately needs Ben to tell him he is proud of him and his sons. During these hallucinations, his sons, Biff and Happy, appear as teenagers. Willy envisions a very bright future for Biff, who is a sports star at his school, recruited by three colleges, though his poor grades threaten his graduation. Willy is less proud of Happy, who constantly tries to garner attention from his father by mentioning his weight loss, only for Willy to suggest more ways to lose weight.

Sons' Struggles and Family Revelations

Biff and Happy's Disappointments

Willy is also concerned because his sons are not progressing in the business world as he had hoped. His son, Happy, 32, has a job and his own apartment in New York but does not see his parents as often as he should. He tries to live the life his father wants for him, even though he is not content, unwilling to give up trying to impress his father. Biff, 34, rambles from job to job, often as a farmhand, never making much money. He has been wandering the American West, working on farms and with his hands, recently returning from a cattle ranch in Texas. Biff does not know about his father's problems and is stunned when he witnesses Willy talking to himself about past events, like Biff and Happy cleaning the car. He is also surprised to see how gray his mother's hair has become, realizing his parents are growing older, and he, at 34, should be settled in a job with a family, which causes his father to lash out at him.

Linda's Desperate Plea and Suicide Attempts

Biff and Happy are surprised by the turn their father's mental state has taken. Happy knew his father often talked to himself but was unaware of the frequency and volume of these episodes. Biff, meanwhile, had no idea his father was behaving in this manner. Their mother, Linda, now reveals that Willy's car accidents are, in fact, attempts at suicide. A woman witnessed one accident, seeing Willy drive into a bridge on purpose. Linda has also found a rubber hose attached to the gas pipe in the basement, which she believes Willy put there with the intent to kill himself. Stunned by the news, the boys agree to try to garner funding from various sources to start a business. This would serve to make Willy happy and allow them to stay close to home to help their parents. Linda always tries to support Willy, truly believing he is a wonderful salesman and a good man, but she is incapable of talking to him about his suicidal thoughts because she will not let him feel like a failure.

False Hopes and Crushing Realities

Willy's Firing and Biff's Failed Venture

At the beginning of Act Two, Willy and Linda are full of hope for their family's future. Willy plans to talk to his boss, Howard, to change his job from a traveling salesman to a floor salesman in the store. They are also hopeful about Biff and Happy's future business venture, believing that if Biff can receive the loan from his former employer, it will mean a bright future for the boys.

Willy tries to talk to Howard about the job change, but Howard informs him there isn't an open position in the store, insisting Willy continue selling to clients in the New England area. Willy becomes angry and starts to yell at Howard, who, after trying to calm Willy down, eventually fires him.

Meanwhile, Biff waits in his former boss, Bill Oliver's, office for six hours, only seeing Bill as he leaves for the day. It becomes clear that Bill either doesn't remember Biff or doesn't want to speak to him, especially since Biff had stolen some basketballs from Bill's business in the past. In a pique of anger, Biff enters Bill's office and steals his pen. As he escapes Bill's office, he realizes that he and Bill never had a real relationship, and he has made a mess of his life.

The Restaurant Confrontation and Betrayal

Biff and Happy plan to meet their father in a restaurant to celebrate the anticipated good news from the day. Instead, it is all bad news, and Willy is unwilling to accept the truth from Biff. The two boys meet some girls and abandon Willy in the restaurant, which triggers another hallucination about a woman with whom he had an affair, further highlighting his internal turmoil.

The Tragic Climax and Lasting Impact

Willy's Final Act and Linda's Grief

At home, Linda is furious with the boys for abandoning their father at the restaurant. She tells them it would be better if they left and never returned, as they cause so much stress for their father. Willy and Biff finally express their true feelings to each other, leading Willy to understand that his son loves him. Willy decides the twenty-five thousand dollars in insurance money would benefit his family. He talks to Ben and resolves to kill himself.

Afterward, Linda struggles to cope with Willy's death. She cannot bring herself to cry, as she keeps waiting for him to return from another business trip. She is sad because the house is finally paid for, but she no longer has a husband to share it with.

Enduring Themes of Illusion and Truth

This play powerfully illustrates how false perceptions of ourselves and others can lead to a person's ruin. Willy Loman is a man caught between the real world and the world of his imagination, deeply disappointed by his life and the lives his sons are living. If a life is based on a lie, eventually the truth can become too much to endure.