The Death of a Salesman
Act I: the Lowman Family &
their American/Capitalist
Dreams
Outline







Starting Questions
Social Conditions & Stage
Directions
Plot Summary
Willy Lowman –his Present
Linda’s Role
Biff vs. Happy – their Dreams
and Efforts
Willy Loman’s Dream, its
Sources and Influence



Other Examples of
Success in Capitalism
Willy/Biff vs.
Charley/Bernard
End of Act I: High
Hope and Inherent
Problems
Act I: Discussion Questions –
The Characters’ Dreams and Efforts
A.
The Characters’ Dreams, Efforts
and Frustrations
1.
2.
3.
4.
Where does Willy get his dream?
How is Willy’s dream different from
and similar to Ben’s? How is he
supported by Linda?
How about Happy’s and Biff’s dreams?
How are they educated?
How do Charley and Bernard serve as
a foil to Willy and Biff?
What social conditions do the
characters exist in?
Act I: Discussion Questions –
Stage Directions—Memories and Dreams

What troubles Willy? What is he preoccupied with?
1.
2.
What the lines does Willy repeat? What
moments does he re-visit frequently?
What’s the significance of the woman? The
flute, the car and the rubber tube?
Relevance to you…
1.
2.
Do you have relatives who hold an American
dream?
Do you have a parent or relative like Willy—
 who is old, fatigued and nostalgic,
 who seeks to fulfill him/herself through one
of his/her own kids, or
 who has a hard time adjusting to changes
in society?
Social Conditions



Settings: New York City and Boston in the
late 1940s
The places mentioned: New England (the
East) -- the West, the South (Texas,
Florida), Alaska, Africa – borders of the US
expansionism
Major Issues:
 American Dream –
-- of expansion westwards, to Alaska and
then Africa
-- of materialist success
Social Conditions:
Capitalism (Industrialization & Installment Plan)


Cars and salesman
buying things on credit (installment plan
or mortgage) e.g. cars and houses



p. 1658/35 (they owe 120 dollars by the
15th—fridge, carburetor, washing machine,
roof)
p. 1676/72 (fridge broken all the time,
insurance premium, car, house mortgage)
 Willy's only relief is that after twenty-five
years he has finally paid off his home
mortgage
Expressionism & Stage Direction


Miller once said that "Any dramatic
form is an artifice, a way of
transforming a subjective feeling
into something that can be
comprehended through public
symbols." (Introduction to
Collected Plays from the Viking
version p. 156)
Pay attention to
 the expressions of subjective
feelings

Thru’ public symbols
Stage – apartment houses in the
back, and a fragile house at the front
(source and more images)
Stage: curtain, kitchen table

Stage: the invisible walls & spaces of
memories
Photos by Mark Parrott and UNI
Theatre Staff Photographer
Theatrical performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q
tA-BIQm-hs
Stage Direction –Symbolic of their
dream and social conditions






the house with "one-dimensional" roof-line vs.
the angular shapes behind it – apartment
buildings & skyscrapers representing overpopulation and power
Kitchen, refrigerator and 3 chairs – the center of
life for this family
Elements of dream –silver trophy
Willy and the flute  “small and fine, telling of
grass and trees and the horizon“  [1646, 1647,
1650/18, 1665/48] p. 1649 Willy’s complaints
about “this country.”
The apron as backyard with or without wall-lines
the colors –blue sky (suggests desire for
freedom), angry orange (of constraint and
competition)
Act I: Plot Summary



Willy Loman returns to his New York home,
expressing fatigue and worries over Biff;
1650/19 Biff and Happy talk about the past and
their present problems, which ends Biff’s decision
to visit Bill Oliver, and ask the latter for a job.
Flashbacks:


1) 1654/27 Willy talks to Biff and Happy when they
were in high school; Biff was popular then, but
Bernard warned him that he may fail his math.
Strong father-son bond.
2) 1658/34 Willy and Linda discussed their financial
problems, which was followed by Willy’s
expressions of diffidence, Linda’s confirmation, the
appearance of a woman, and then Bernard’s
searching for Biff.
Act I: Plot Summary (2)



1661/41 The present: Happy tries to comfort Willy
first (“retires him for life”), and then Charley appears
and plays cards with Willy
  flashback: 3) 1663/44 Willy imagines talking
to Ben.
1667/52 Ben gone; Willy is gone in his slippers; Linda
reveals W’s problems with Biff, their financial
difficulties to her sons; Linda suspects that Willy uses
a tube to asphyxiate himself with gas.
Biff promises to stay and try again to work; as they
talk, Willy comes in and the four of them talk about
their plans, argue with each other while showing their
love.
Willy –What’s bothering him? (1)

Exhausted, he drives a long way to do business.

Outdated –
 Not well-treated by the young boss (Howard;
1648/14)
 Refuses changes: cannot take American whipped
cheese (1649/17) "How can they whip cheese?"
 Not well-known anymore: business now is "all cut
and dried, and there's no chance for bringing
friendship to bear--or personality. […] They don’t
know me anymore” (Act 2 1681/81)
Willy –What’s bothering him?


Contradictory views on Biff:

Upset by Biff’s being a farmhand, his not “finding
[himself] at the sage of 34.”

Thinks that Biff is lost, not lazy – “In the greatest
country in the world a young man with such personal attractiveness, gets lost.”
Nostalgic about the past (flashbacks and more later)
and his father (Act 2 1681/81)  His mind wanders
off (1650-54/19-27; 1663-64/45/46), talks to
himself –or to Biff.

e.g. 1204 “What a simonizing job”
Linda –Supportive, perceptive and
blind




Linda: “admires” Willy (1646/12);
“iron repression of her exceptions to
Willy’s behavior”
Serves Willy, normalizes the
situations while she is actually
worried about him (pp. 1647; 1650)
Gives suggestions – rest, work in
New York;
speaks for Biff to Willy (1648-50/1517); for her children and tries to
improve the father-son
relationships.(1667-71/53-)
Linda –(2) blind and perceptive

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Her speech(1667-71):
sees Willy’s emotional changes re.
Biff without knowing why (68);
Well respected and loved by the
two boys;
Defends Willy (1668)—love him or
don’t come back.
Demands attention to and
sympathy for Willy
Reveals his suicidal tendencies,
finds it a shame
“a woman” –seems to suspect
something without knowing it.
(1670)
Biff and Happy-(1650--)
& Their Dreams & Efforts





Similarities: lost, confused
Nostalgic – old beds,
“dreams and plans”
Attractive to women when
young;
Still keeps empty dreams of
success –about having a
ranch; about getting
married to a girl; about
running a company “The
Lowman Brothers” 1652
without knowing how to do
it.
“Bill Oliver” as a possible
rescuer  think big; The
Lowman Line 1672;




Happy – self-deceiving 
seemingly more content;
controls his bashfulness
now.
 seek revenge against his
superiors by taking their
women out. 1653
Biff – (now) wears a worn
air; less successful;
unhappy about being a
clerk or a cowboy * 1652
(past) introduces Happy to
women.
Interested in handiwork or
farm work (1670) “we don't
belong in this nuthouse of a
city!”
Willy vs. Biff/Happy p. 1207


Simultaneity (120407) –Willy missing the
past and Biff/Happy
talking about the past.
Biff: we don’t belong
here.


Happy defends Willy,
ask Biff to talk to
him, while Biff
criticizes him 1651;
1654
Defending Linda
1673
"There are no flashbacks in this
play but only a mobile
concurrency of past and
present.. ." Arthur Miller
Willy Loman’s Dream, its
Sources and Influences
Dream – in His Son & Salesmanship
Source: Ben and the Flute
Influences: Biff and Happy
Dream (1): His Salesmanship—What is
he proud of?



1.
2.
House – his craftsmanship: adding a hammock,
work on the ceiling and the front stoop
His car and salesmanship – “well-liked”
(popularity) 1656 –
Self-deceptive –
actually he is not making enough money (1658)
His sense of diffidence and guilt – 1658-59

talks and jokes too much; like a walrus; has an affair.
Dream (1): His Son—
What is he proud of?
Biff –
 polishes the car carefully;
 Adores and is close to his father;
 good at playing football (1656-57);
 adored by many boys and girls
p. 1675/68 –”Like a young god. Hercules -- something
like that. […] God Almighty, he'll be great yet. A
star like that, magnificent, can never really fade
away!”

Self-deceptive –Biff getting anywhere (1661).
Willy Loman’s Dream (2): Source –Ben
(& Their Father)

Willy Ben: 1663
"There was a man started with the clothes on his
back and ended up with diamond mines”
Ben --"Why, boys, when I walked into the jungle, I
was seventeen. When I walked out I was twentyone. And, by God, I was rich“
"Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You'll never get
out of the jungle that way”
Ben’s – imperialist capitalist (plundering in a foreign
land)


Loman--"It's Brooklyn, I know, but we hunt
too“ (1666)
Their Father  next slide
Willy Loman’s Dream (3) The Flute


"It is small and fine, telling of grass and trees
and the horizon" 
Willy’s father 1665





"great inventor" who would "stop in the towns and
sell the flutes he'd made on the way."
"With one gadget," Ben tells Willy, "he made more
in a week than a man like you could make in a
lifetime"
Willy’s Father’s – in the age of mercantile
capitalism: an untamed natural man and the
westward-bound pioneer; the artisan, a great
inventor, and a successful traveling merchant; he
sold what he made.
Willy does not remember him except as an image.
Willy – industrial capitalism, where the role of
traveling salesman gets less important.
-Ben, how should I teach
them?
Willy as a Father
Willy Loman’s Teaching (1) Jungle Spirit


His gift (1655) : a punching bag with Gene
Tunney’s signature
Believes in names and reputation:



Biff expresses his hatred of the business world because
"They've laughed at Dad for years (1671)... “. Willy
responds in a characteristic manner: "Go to Filene's, go
to the Hub, go to Slattery's, Boston. Call out the name
Willy Loman and see what happens! Big shot!" (1672)
"That's just the spirit I want to embue them with!
To walk into the jungle!" (1667)
Competitiveness


"Knocked 'em cold in Providence, slaughtered 'em in
Boston"
His advice to Biff in asking Bill Oliver for a loan, Willy's
advice is "Knock him dead, boy" (1674)
Willy Loman’s Teaching (2)

Permissive and not teaching them
practical skills or the spirit of hard work:




congratulates Biff on his initiative for
borrowing a regulation football to practice with
(1636)
encourages the boys to steal sand from the
apartment house so that he can rebuild the
front stoop (1666)
advises his sons to be well liked and make a
good appearance in order to get ahead in the
world
Expects Bernard to give answers to Biff in
exams; refuses to face Biff’s failures and
problems. (1660  more later)
Willy’s Ways to Success (1) –


Human Connections --What he tells his son:
“Be liked and you will never want.”
proper language and dress -- What is
revealed in his talk to Linda about his
weaknesses:
 Words: A man oughta come in with a few
words. (But not too many words—Willy
himself talks too much.)
 Appearance: I gotta overcome it. I know I
gotta overcome it. I'm not dressing to
advantage, maybe.
Willy’s Ways to Success –


Proper manners -- Act I, talking about how Biff
should behaves in front of B. Oliver:
 Be quiet, fine, and serious. Everybody likes a
kidder, but nobody lends him money.
 But remember, start big and you'll end up big.
Ask for 15. (1673)
 Start off with a couple of your good stories to
lighten things up. It's not what you say, it's
how you say it--because personality always
wins the day.
success results from "who you know and the
smile on your face! It's contacts ... being
liked“ (Act 2)
Other examples of American Dream
and its acquisitiveness

Happy: “[His] own apartment, a car and plenty of
women”

Happy about his friend:


He's a good friend of mine, and he just built a terrific
estate on Long Island. And he lived there about two
months and sold it, and now he's building another one.
He can't enjoy it once it's finished. And I know that's
just what I would do. I don't know what the hell I'm
workin' for.
I tell you ... I'm gonna take my camera, and my
bandsaw, and all my hobbies, and out they go.
This is the most fascinating relaxation I've ever
found (Howard Act 2)
Willy/Biff vs. Charles/Bernard

Charles and Bernard -- Less athletic.





Bernard – Willy “What an anemic”
“Between him and his son Bernard they can’t hammer a
nail!”
Charley—cannot handle tools
 “disgusting” to Willy.
Charley—more practical (matter-of-fact),
slow and clumsy in words



says “Don’t get insulted” three times (more later)
“There’s no bone in heartburns.” ( Willy’s suggestions
of vitamin is useless.)
“When a deposit bottle is broken, you don’t get the
nickels back.” (referring to Biff)
Willy/Biff vs. Charley/Bernard


Bernard and Charley –
Both law-abiding:






Charley: Listen, if that watchman . . .
Willy: I gave them[the watchmen] hell, understand. But
I got a couple of fearless characters there.
Charley: Willy, the jails are full of fearless characters.
Barnard: The watchman’s chasing Biff!
Shut up! He’s not stealing anything!
both loyal to their friends



“Pity” in whatever he says;
Charley –plays cards with Willy to help him relax; (Act 2)
lends money to Willy
Bernard – keeps asking Biff to study math with him;
helps Biff pass the exams by cheating.
End of Act I: High Hope and Inherent
Problems


1.
2.
3.
Hope – Willy is going to Howard, and Biff, to
Ben Oliver, in order to change their lives.
Inherent Problems:
In Biff – he steals
In Willy– his malfunctioned mind, his high hope
for Biff and reality (the rubber tube and a job
without salary)
between Biff and Willy



Biff defends his mother (Your hair got so gray);
(Don’t yell at her, will ya)
Against Willy “I know he’s a fake and he doesn’t like
anybody around who knows”
Something Linda is not aware of (“Willy dear, what has
he got against you?” )
Willy’s Preoccupations --Summary

Past family life:




Past possession:


Remember those two beautiful elm trees out
there?
What a simonizing job!
eighty thousand miles
Red Chevvy
Present Changes:

How can they whip cheese?
Willy’s Preoccupations --Summary

Lessons:



Just be careful with those girls, Biff.
Be liked and you’ll never want.
Sense of Incompetence

How Ben did it.