Death of a Salesman

Act One

Setting: New York, the late 1940s

"Death of a Salesman" begins in the evening. Willy Loman, a salesman in his sixties,
returns home from a failed business trip. He explains to his wife, Linda, that he was too
distracted to drive and therefore headed home in defeat. (This won't earn him any
brownie points with his boss.)

Willy's thirty-something sons, Happy and Biff, are staying in their old rooms. Happy
works as an assistant to the assistant buyer at a retail store, but he dreams of bigger
things. Biff was once a high school football star, but he could never embrace Willy's
concept of success. So he has just been drifting from one manual labor job to the next.

Downstairs, Willy talks to himself. He hallucinates; he visualizes happier times from his
past. During one of the memories, he recalls an encounter with his long-lost older
brother, Ben. An adventurous entrepreneur, Ben declares: "When I walked into the
jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And by God, I was rich."
Needless to say, Willy is envious of his brother's achievements.

Later, when Biff confronts his mother about Willy's unstable behavior, Linda explains
that Willy has been secretly (and perhaps subconsciously) attempting suicide.

Act One ends with the brothers cheering up their father by promising to meet with a "big
shot" businessman, Bill Oliver. They plan to pitch a marketing idea -- a concept that fills
Willy with hope for the future.

Act Two

Willy Loman asks his boss, 36-year-old Howard Wagner, for $40 a week. (Recently,
Willy has not been making zero dollars on his commission-only salary). Somewhat
gently (or, depending on the actor's interpretation, perhaps disrespectfully), Howard
fires him:

Howard: I don't want you to represent us. I've been meaning to tell you for a long time
now.

Willy: Howard, are you firing me?

Howard: I think you need a good long rest, Willy.

Willy: Howard -
Howard: And when you feel better, come back, and we'll see if we can work something
out.

Willy tells his troubles to his neighbor and friendly rival, Charley. Out of sympathy, he
offers Willy a job, but the salesman turns Charley down. Despite this, he still "borrows"
money from Charley -- and has been doing so for quite some time.

Meanwhile, Happy and Biff meet at a restaurant, waiting to treat their dad to a steak
dinner. Unfortunately, Biff has bad news. Not only did he fail to meet with Bill Oliver,
but Biff swiped the man's fountain pen. Apparently, Biff has become a kleptomaniac as a
way of rebelling against the cold, corporate world.

Willy doesn't want to hear Biff's bad news. His memory drifts back to a tumultuous day:
When Biff was a teenager, he discovered that his father was having an affair. Ever since
that day, there has been a rift between father and son. Willy wants to find a way for his
son to stop hating him. (And he's been considering killing himself just so Biff could do
something great with the insurance money.)

At home, Biff and Willy shout, shove, and argue. Finally, Biff bursts into tears and kisses
his father. Willy is deeply touched, realizing that his son still loves him. Yet, after
everyone goes to bed, Willy speeds away in the family car.

The playwright explains that the "music crashes down in a frenzy of sound" symbolizing
the car crash and Willy's successful suicide.

The Requiem

This short scene in "Death of a Salesman" takes place at Willy Loman's grave. Linda
wonders why more people didn't attend his funeral. Biff decides that his father had the
wrong dream. Happy is still intent on pursuing Willy's quest: "He had a good dream. It's
the only dream you can have -- to come out number-one man."

Linda sits on the ground and laments the loss of her husband. She says: "Why did you
do it? I search and search and search, and I can't understand it, Willy. I made the last
payment on the house today. Today, dear. And they'll be nobody home."

Biff helps her to her feet, and they leave the grave of Willy Loman.