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Death of a Salesman
Study Guide
Act I
1. Why is Willy home? Why is Linda alarmed that he's home?
2. What lie does Willy tell his wife?
3. Why doesn’t she chastise him?
4. Why is Willy annoyed at Biff?
5. How does he describe Biff?
6. What does this description tell us about Willy?
7. How has the neighborhood changed?
8. How does Linda treat Willy?
9. How do the boys feel about him?
10. Why does Biff come home in the spring?
11. Why won't Happy go out West with Biff, and why won't Biff stay?
12. Why doesn't either son get married and settle down?
13. How does Willy act toward the boys when they are young?
14. How do they act toward him?
15. He says the boys look like Adonises (Greek God). What other clues show that Willy believes in
appearances?
16. What does Willy's reaction to Biff's theft of the football tell us about Willy?
17. Willy praises and then curses the Chevrolet; he tells Linda that he's very well liked, and then says
that people don't seem to take to him. What do these inconsistencies tell us about Willy?
18. "Five hundred gross in Providence" becomes "roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip." 19.
19. How does Linda take Willy's stories? What does this reveal about her?
20. Why does Willy make a fuss about Linda's mending stockings?
21. Why does Charley visit?
22. How does he feel about Willy? How and why do they insult each other?
23. Who is Ben?
24. Why does Ben appear?
25. What does Willy think about the future? About the past?
26. What does Ben teach Biff?
27. Why does Willy feel "kind of temporary" about himself and want Ben to stay?
28. What does Linda think is the trouble with Willy's life?
29. Why is she angry at her sons?
30. Why does she put the rubber hose back after she had taken it?
31. What does this tell about her?
32. Why is Willy interested when Biff mentions Bill Oliver?
33. Why do they argue?
34. How does Happy try to capture attention?
35. Why might Willy be thinking of suicide?
Act II:
1. Why is Willy's mood upbeat at the start of Act Two? What does he expect to happen?
2. Why does Willy tell Howard about Dave Singleman?
3. Describe the dramatic effect when Howard listens to the voices of his family while Willy tries to
talk business.
4. Why does Howard tell Willy to drop off his samples and forbid him to go to Boston?
5. Why is this so difficult on Willy?
6. What is Willy's philosophy?
7. How does Biff as a football hero embody his father's dreams?
8. Why does Charley say Willy hasn't grown up?
9. What is Willy's impression of Bernard when he sees him in his father's office?
10. Why does Willy exaggerate Biff's importance?
11. Why does Bernard ask what happened after the game at Ebbets Field?
12. Why won't Willy work for Charley?
13. Why is Willy able to ask Charley for money?
14. How is Charley's view of what a salesman needs different from Willy's view?
15. In the restaurant, how does Happy reflect Willy's values?
16. What happens when the girls come into the restaurant?
17. How does Biff's realization that his life is a lie underline the theme of the play?
18. Why does Biff take Bill Oliver's fountain pen?
19. Why can't he tell his father what happened with Bill Oliver?
20. Why do Biff and Happy leave Willy at the restaurant?
21. Why did Biff go to Boston?
22. What does he discover when he sees the Woman?
23. Why is it that Biff never went to summer school?
24. Why can't he believe in his father?
25. Why does Linda tell the boys, "Get out of here, both of you, and don't come back!"?
26. Why does Willy keep planting seeds when they've never grown before?
27. Why does Willy think Biff will be impressed with his funeral?
28. Why does Ben say that Biff will call Willy a fool?
29. Why doesn't Willy want to see Linda? Why does he think Biff is spiting him?
30. Why does Biff show him the rubber hose?
31. Why does Biff confront Willy and Happy?
32. What does Biff do that makes Willy happy?
33. How does Happy try to attract Willy's attention? How does Ben influence Willy at this point?
Requiem
1. What is a requiem?
2. What is the purpose of this final act?
3. To what extent is it successful?
4. Charley says: "No man only needs a little salary." To what is he referring?
5. What else does a man need?
6. Explain the irony of Linda's last speech.
Critical Questions about the play: Answer FULLY
1. What are Willy Loman’s strengths?
2. How can these “strengths” also be weaknesses?
3. Biff and Happy are both older than you would initially think. What are their weaknesses?
4.
5. A tragedy must have a tragic hero, a man who is greater than his fellow man, but has one flaw.
How is Willy greater than other men?
6. Linda, his wife, is described in an odd way. She "more than loves him" but represses her
disapproval because she "shares the turbulent longings within him." What does this say about their
marriage? Explain.
Discuss the following:
(Where they appear, possible meanings, how they contribute to the play, where else we’ve seen it,
etc…)
Themes:
Appearance vs. Reality The American Dream –
Family –
Motifs:
(ideas or elements that reoccur in the play (dialogue, symbols, situations, etc…)
The Jungle/Woods
Diamonds
Stockings
Stealing
Brand Names
The Garden
The Automobile