Death of a Salesman
(Arthur Miller)
Act One
Flutes play and Willy Loman enters his home carrying luggage and talking to himself. His wife, Linda, wonders why Willy is home because he was supposed to have been gone on a sales trip. Willy explains to his wife that he kept forgetting that he was driving and could not keep his mind on the road, or subsequently, his car and so he decided that he should just come home.
Linda tells Willy that he should ask his boss, Howard, to transfer him to the local New York office, so he would not have to travel anymore. Willy tells Linda that he is a valuable employee and a good travelling salesman, so it would beneficial for the company to have him travel though he agrees it may be smarter to stay close to home and thinks that Howard will have no problem doing him the favor.
Willy and Linda begin to talk about their sons, Biff and Happy, who are grown, but both are visiting and sleeping upstairs. Willy is upset with Biff because he feels that Biff is doing nothing with his life and is a bit of a failure. Biff is a farmhand but Willy does not think that is a proper profession; he believes that Biff should have a job where he has to wear a suit.
Willy thinks that although Biff is hard-working his manual labor he is still lazy and refuses to get a real job just to spite Willy. Willy begins to daydream about Biff’s high school days and what a hot-shot he was back then. Biff and Happy are now awake and can hear Willy muttering incoherently to himself, which worries them. Biff and Happy reminisce about the past and Biff tells Happy that he is upset that he and his father no longer get along with one another.
Happy, wanting to help sort out the problem, asks what Biff has been doing with his time. Biff tells him that he likes his work as a farmhand and hates the dog-eat-dog business world, though he has trouble holding down a steady job. The brothers imagine what life would be like if they moved out west together and started their own ranch.
Happy enjoys imagining that life though he is not willing to veer away from his constant pursuit of wealth. Neither Happy nor Biff has a steady woman in his life, especially not Happy who fancies himself a bit of a player who likes to chase after the girlfriends of his friends. Biff decides that he will go see a man named Bill Oliver whom he used to work for as a salesman and ask him for a loan to start his own business; Happy finds this idea to be amazing. The boys, content with their talk, go back to sleep.
Back in the kitchen Willy is still daydreaming about the past. He remembers his sons when they were in high school and always worked hard to impress their father. Willy, Happy, and Biff sit around and talk about how well-liked they are by everyone and Biff reveals that he stole a football so he could practice, though Willy does not seem to care about the thieving. As Linda does laundry with the help of the boys, Willy continues speaking about how amazing he is as a salesman, telling his family that he made $212 on his last trip, when really he only made $70. Linda realizes that even if he did make the delusional $212, which he did not, it still would not cover their debts. Willy breaks down and admits that people do not really like him at all because he is fat and ugly, but Linda tells him that everything will be just fine.
Willy begins imaging a woman who is not Linda, who is redressing herself and making some suggestive conversation. He recalls that he gave her stockings as a gift. Willy flashes back to Linda doing the laundry and reassures her that he will make everything alright with her. Linda does not seem to have any idea about the other woman. Willy watches Linda mend her own stockings, claiming that they are too expensive to buy a new pair, and Willy snaps at her to not mend her stockings in his presence.
Will again remembers when Biff was in high school, and Bernard, the son of Willy’s neighbor Charley, announces that Biff is going to fail his math class. Willy tells Bernard to give Biff the answers to the test and to get lost. Linda is concerned that Biff may fail, but Willy reassures her that Biff’s charm will take him places in life.
Back in the present, Willy starts a conversation with happy about how he regrets not going to Alaska with his brother Ben when he was younger, as Ben has made a lot of money. Happy feels helpless witnesses his father’s hallucinations. As it is still late at night, Charley comes over because he is concerned at the loud noises he has been hearing. He feels bad for Willy and offers him a job, but Willy refuses, maintaining that he already has a job.
Willy, already annoyed with Charley for getting into his business, gets even madder when Charley tells Willy to go easy on Biff. Willy begins to hallucinate that he is seeing his brother, Ben, and begins to speak to him which alarms Charley because he does not know what is going on. Willy starts to talk to Ben and Charley both and tells Charley that Ben has died recently. Willy imagines that Ben is insisting that they go to Alaska together; Charley leaves the Loman home very confused.
Willy’s father left he and Ben when they were young. When Ben left for Alaska, he was in search of his father, though he somehow ended up in Africa instead and made loads of money in diamonds. An imaginary Biff and Happy enter the scene as well, and their father tells them that their Uncle Ben is proof in the idea that dreams come true. Ben has to leave to catch a train but shares a parting story about how his father used to take him and Willy around the country with him while he sold his inventions. Willy tells Ben that he has done a great job raising his sons and tells Biff to challenge Ben to a fistfight.
Ben wins the fight because he cheated, saying that cheating is fair and necessary in fights with strangers. Willy tells Ben that just because he wears a suit to work does not mean he is not manly and sends Biff and Happy off to steal some lumber to prove how manly they are. Imaginary Charley enters the scene and tells Willy that he will have the boys arrested for stealing if they go through with it; Willy starts screaming at Charley for not being manly. Everyone leaves Willy and Ben alone together, and Willy confesses that he fears he is doing a poor job raising his son. He wants Ben to stay and tell more stories about their father but Ben leaves.
Back in reality Linda wonders what is going on because Willy has been talking to himself all night long, but Willy insists that he just needs to take a walk. Happy and Biff come into the room after their father goes outside and Linda tells them that Willy is worse when Biff is around, and perhaps Biff should show his father a bit more respect. Linda and Biff begin to argue, and Linda tells Biff to stay away from Willy, which prompts Biff to tell Linda that Willy treats her like garbage and is crazy. Linda insists that Willy is just stressed out because they are not doing well financially and he has to borrow money from Charley every week to make ends meet.
Biff tries to tell his mother than Willy is not what he seems, but does not elaborate on it, and Linda thinks that Biff is just being ungrateful. Biff decides to pacify his mother by telling her that he plans to get a job and will give them part of his paycheck to help out. Linda tells Biff and Happy that Willy has been attempting suicide via car crashes, and she even found some tubing in his car that he was using in an attempt to gas himself. Linda places the blame and Biff and tells him that Willy’s life is in his hands; Biff agrees to straighten his life out but feels as though he is not meant to work in the business world no matter how much Willy would like him to.
Willy enters the room and immediately begins arguing with Biff. Happy interrupts his father’s rant and tells him that Biff is going to ask Bill Oliver for a loan the next day, so he can start his own sporting goods business. Willy is excited about this prospect and tries to coach Biff on how to speak to Bill Oliver at their meeting. Willy becomes angry again for no discernible reason and storms off to bed, lecturing the boys about their potential in life. As Biff leaves and heads downstairs by himself, he hears his mother trying to sing Willy to sleep.
Act Two
It is the next morning and Linda, and Willy are eating breakfast alone as Biff and Happy have already left the house. Linda, who is clearly delusional about Willy’s work situation, tells Willy that while he is asking Howard for a transfer to the New York office he should also ask for an advance payment. Linda also informs Willy that when he gets out of work that evening Biff and Happy would like to take him out to dinner, so they can celebrate their successes their career successes.
Willy goes to his meeting with Howard and attempts to start a conversation with him about switching his job location and getting an advance, but Howard insists on talking about the wire recorder he has just purchased and his family. Rather than telling Howard that he wants a transfer he asks if there is a spot for him in the New York office but Howard tells Willy that not only is there no job for him in New York but there is no job for him at all.
Willy tries to beg Howard for his job, telling him that he has known him since he was a newborn and Howard’s father was the boss. Willy tells Howard about a man named Dave Singleton who was such a good salesman that his customers, and coworkers mourned his death for months after he passed, and Willy wants nothing more than to be just like Dave Singleton, though he cannot seem to get people to like him. Willy begs Howard for another chance, but Howard refuses to give Willy the job in New York, or even his old job as a travelling salesman despite Willy’s offers to work for less and less money.
Willy hallucinates that he is speaking to Ben again, asking Ben how he made his fortune. Ben asks Willy to go to Alaska with him, but Willy cannot because Linda thinks that Willy’s job is just as good as any scheme that Ben has cooked up. Imaginary high-school aged versions of Biff and Happy enter, and Willy brags to Ben that the boys are so well-liked and attractive, that they will succeed on those factors alone. Willy breaks down and asks Ben to stay and help him raise Biff and Happy. Bernard runs into the imaginary scene and asks Biff if he can carry his football pads to the stadium for him. Willy is very excited about Biff’s football prowess, and Charley teases Willy for his enthusiasm, which Willy gets defensive about.
Back in reality Willy is standing outside of Charley’s office and talking to himself animatedly. Charley’s secretary is alarmed by the state of Willy and asks Bernard, who is now a grown man, to deal with him. Bernard chats with Willy a bit, telling him that he is on his way to Washington D.C. for a case, but when Willy expresses interest in the case Bernard ignores him and instead asks about Biff.
Willy briefly lies and says that Biff is doing great things with his life, but he soon recants his statement and asks Bernard what the secret to his success is because Biff has not accomplished anything. Bernard remembers that Biff failed math his senior year and was going to attend summer school, so he could go to college and play football, but, before summer school, he went to Boston to see Willy and returned extremely angry. Willy pretends, defensively, that nothing happened between him and Biff and speaks no more about it. Charley interrupts the conversation to tell Bernard that he needs to catch his train. Willy learns from Charley that Bernard is heading to present a case in front of the Supreme Court, which Willy finds to be quite the accomplishment, and he cannot understand why Bernard did not brag about it.
Charley gives Willy $50, which he is thankful for, but still he asks for more money. Again Charley offers Willy a job, but Willy tells Charley that he already has a job, despite the fact that he was just fired. Willy feels insulted by the job offer and Charley feels insulted that Willy will not take the job. Eventually Willy loses it and Charley gives him more money.
Happy, Biff, and Willy are meeting at Frank’s Chop House for their “celebratory” dinner that night, though Willy has nothing to celebrate. While waiting for Willy and Biff, Happy makes conversation with a waiter named Stanley and flirts with a cute girl, telling her that he goes to West Point Academy and that Biff plays football for the NFL. When Biff arrives, he wants to talk to Happy, but Happy is distracted by the girl and is asking her to bring a friend for Biff, which she agrees to. When Biff finally gets Happy’s attention he tells him about his visit with Bill Oliver; he waited six hours to see him only to find out that Mr. Oliver had no clue who he was.
Biff realizes that he was never a salesman for Mr. Oliver, his father had made him think he was through the fantasy world he lives in, he was only a shipping clerk so of course Mr. Oliver did not remember him. Biff was so upset and humiliated about the meeting that he stole one of Bill Oliver’s fancy pens on his way out. Biff wants to tell Willy the truth, but Happy thinks that is a bad idea.
When Willy appears at the restaurant, he seems exciting at the good news he is sure that he will hear from his boys. Biff tries to tell the truth to his father, but Happy and Willy both keep butting in insisting that the meeting went perfectly. Soon Willy goes off into one of his daydreams again, remembering when Bernard came over to tell Linda that Biff had failed his math class. Back in reality Willy hears about Biff stealing the pen and starts yelling “I’m not here”, imagining that a phone operator is trying to get ahold of him. Biff tries to smooth things over, horrified at his father’s behavior, and Happy insists that everything went well with Mr. Oliver, though Biff still tries to maintain the truth. At this time, the girl Happy had been speaking to comes back with her friend.
Willy loses himself in a flashback where he is with the unnamed woman again, getting dressed. She speaks to him like she thinks that he is wonderful and really pumps up his ego. There is a knock at the door and Willy is alarmed so he makes the woman hide in the bathroom while he answers it. It is Biff, begging his father to speak to his teacher because he failed his math class. Willy tries to push Biff out of the room, but he is too late because the woman comes out of the bathroom. Willy tries to make excuses, but Biff realizes that his father is having an affair and screams at him for giving the woman stockings that belong to Linda.
When Willy comes to, he realizes that his sons have left him in the restaurant and left with the girls. Willy asks Stanley, the waiter, where he can find the nearest seed store as he decided earlier that he wanted to plant some seeds. When Biff and Happy return to the house later that night, Linda is furious with them for leaving Willy alone in the restaurant, and refuses to allow Biff to see his father. Biff goes out to the backyard and sees Willy planting seeds and talking to himself. In Willy’s mind, he is speaking to Ben about killing himself, so Biff can have his life insurance money to start his own business. Ben tells Willy that killing himself would be cowardly, but Willy thinks that it would be beneficial for his sons to see all of the mourners at his funeral to prove how well-liked he is.
Back in reality, Biff tells his father that he is leaving for good now, and he knows it is his own fault that he is not making anything of his life. He and his father go back into the kitchen, and Linda refuses to acknowledge Biff’s goodbyes. Willy keeps asking about Mr. Oliver and he and Biff get into a fight that results in Willy telling Biff he is spiteful and Biff confronting his father about his suicide attempts. Willy denies everything and Biff snaps, finally exposing the family’s lies and refusal to accept reality.
Biff blames Willy for making him so arrogant that he has never been able to accept the authority of an employer and finally tells his father he does not want to be a salesman. Willy is shocked by Biff’s outburst and his subsequent tears and realizes that Biff really does love him. Willy hears Ben’s voice telling him about the diamonds and Willy refuses to go up to bed, instead staying downstairs to listen to the voices in his head. Willy cannot shake his desire for Biff to become successful, and suddenly runs from the house. Linda and Biff realize that Willy has left in the car and soon they hear a crash, and they know that Willy has killed himself.
Requiem
Linda is bewildered that the family, along with Charley and Bernard, are the only people who show up for Willy’s funeral. She thought that he had been well-liked as he had always told her and cannot believe that he killed himself when she believed that they were close to being out of debt. Biff thinks that Willy had the wrong dreams because he always seemed happier working on the house than he did in business.
Charley believes that living in dreams is the only way for a salesman to live because it keeps them holding on to something. Happy is distraught over Biff’s feelings because he wants to live out his father’s dream and become a salesman. Linda speaks to Willy alone, telling him she made the final house payment and cannot cry for him because she feels he is just on another business trip. Finally, Linda says “we’re free”.