Death of a Salesman
(Arthur Miller)

Willy Loman

Willy Loman is a travelling salesman who believes whole-heartedly in the American Dream. Willy is self-delusional and very insecure, despite his attempts at arrogance. He raises his sons to believe that a man can be successful if he is attractive and well-liked but really he raises his sons to be too arrogant to hold down jobs at all. As Willy’s lies get the better of him and his life begins to go downhill, so does his mental health and he begins having daydreams that he brings into reality by talking to himself. Willy is in constant turmoil with his son Biff and realizes, in his mind, that the only way to help Biff is to kill himself.

Biff Loman

Biff is thirty-four years old and Willy’s oldest son. He is a farm-hand though he has a hard time holding down jobs because his arrogance, instilled in him by Willy from a young age, makes it difficult for him to accept the authority of an employer; also, Biff has a problem with kleptomania that has caused him to steal from everyone he has ever worked for. Biff has no desire to become a businessman as his father wishes and realizes that he is a failure in Willy’s eyes because he failed math and could not graduate high school to play football in college. Biff is the only member of the Loman family who seems to realize that they have been spinning and living in webs of lies forever.

Linda Loman

Linda is Willy’s wife and the mother to Biff and Happy. Linda is very loyal to Willy despite his many shortcomings and his obviously failing mental health; she also seems to have no idea that Willy had an affair or she does not wish to acknowledge it. Linda seems to get caught up in Willy’s delusions at times, believing that her family is okay and even wondering why no one came to Willy’s funeral because he was so well-liked. She is supportive of Willy right up until his death, and even after it, despite feeling certain that things are direr than he let on.

Happy Loman

Happy is Willy’s younger son. Happy is more like Willy than Biff is which means that he does not cause friction in his father’s life. Happy embraces his father’s American Dream, and desire to be well-liked and attractive to propel his life forward. Happy is a bit of a womanizer and likes to hook up with as many girls as possible, especially the girlfriends of his friends and superiors at work. Happy works in a department store as an assistant’s assistant, but he still presents himself as a person of extreme importance, much like Willy does. Happy has a poor business sense though he has deluded himself into thinking that he is superior.

Charley

Charley is the neighbor of the Loman family and tries to be a friend to Willy. He allows Willy to borrow money from him on a weekly basis because he knows that the Loman’s financial situation is poor. Charley offers Willy a job, but Willy’s pride does not allow him to take it, despite the fact that he has just been fired from his job as a salesman. Charley is the successful businessman that Willy wishes he could be and tries to delude others into believing that he is. Despite Willy’s jealousy of Charley and his refusal to accept the job offer, Willy realizes that Charley is his only friend.

Bernard

Bernard is the son of Charley and is around the same age as Biff and Happy. When the boys were all in high school, Bernard was a bit of a nark and would tell Linda about Biff’s difficulties in his math class and even told her when Biff failed. Bernard was very fond of Biff and Happy; especially Biff whom he regarded as a hero. Willy used to pick on Bernard for how hard he studied, but Bernard ended up being a very successful lawyer who presented a case before the Supreme Court. Willy has a hard time accepting Bernard’s success because he got it by studying, rather than being attractive and well-liked as he taught his sons to be.

Ben

Ben is Willy’s brother who died some time before the play takes place. Willy’s delusions most commonly involve Ben as Ben has been very successful in his life and serves as a sort of idol for Willy. When their father took off Ben went to Alaska to find him and somehow found himself in Africa where he made money on diamonds. Willy constantly tries to prove to Ben, in his daydreams, how amazing his sons are but then will break down and ask Ben’s advice in raising them to be successful men. Willy sees Ben as proof that his desire to make it big is not unfounded.

Howard Wagner

Howard is Willy’s boss who inherited the company from his father, Willy’s former boss. Willy has known Howard his entire life and even held him as a baby, which made it even more difficult for Willy to accept when Howard fired him. Howard is an arrogant man who likes to brag about his possessions and his family. Willy thinks that Howard is nothing like his father, who was “a prince” in Willy’s mind; Howard speaks down to Willy and is very condescending, despite the fact that he is much younger than Willy is.

The Woman

The Woman is someone who Willy had an affair with when Happy and Biff were teenagers. Willy often has flashbacks about the woman whom he once gave stockings to and even has a hard time watching Linda mend her own stockings because of it. The only family member who seems to know of Willy’s affair is Biff as he caught them one day. Biff showed up at the hotel where his father was staying, distraught about failing math, and saw The Woman there with his father. It is perhaps because of this revelation that Biff is the only Loman who understands that their family is based on lies.

Miss Forsythe and Letta

Miss Forsythe is a woman who is at Frank’s Chop House when Happy is there waiting for Biff and Willy. Happy and the waiter, Stanley, whom he is acquainted with ogle Miss Forsythe and joke about her being “on call”, alluding to the idea that she is a prostitute. Eventually Happy flirts with her and asks if she has a friend for his brother whom he describes as an NFL player. Miss Forsythe leaves to get Letta and the two women return later to hang out with Biff and Happy who leave Willy at the restaurant talking to himself.