Summary of Death of a Salesman

Author:

Arthur Miller is an extremely accomplished playwright who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Prince of Austrias Award. He was once married to Marilyn Monroe, which did not last very long. He was also tried in the House of Um-American Activities Committee for his association with the Communist Party.

Setting:

Most scenes are in Willy Loman’s house in New York City. Flashbacks occur in Boston.

Characters:

Willy Loman: A salesman who is obsessed with being “well liked” and only cares about looking good in the eyes of others. He is delusional in that he thinks that he was much more successful at his job than he ever was and believes that the “American Dream” never fails. He cheats on his wife in order to get a client, essentially selling himself for wealth.

Biff Loman: One of Willy Loman’s sons, Biff is an example of the failed American Dream. He led a charmed life in high school, where everyone liked him and was able to get by on what ever he did. However after failing math and learning his dad is cheating on his mother, he turns into a man that steals for nothing and cannot secure a job. Biff represents Willy’s vulnerable, sad side.

Happy Loman: One of Happy Loman’s sons, Happy has been in his brother’s shadow for most is his life. He satisfies his needs by having sex and talking highly of himself. He represents Willy’s side of the need to be important.

Charley: Willy’s only friends and next-door neighbor, Charley is an extremely successful businessman. Throughout the play it is evident that Willy is jealous of Charley, which is evident when he refuses to work for him even though Willy has no job.  

Bernard: Charley's extremely successful son who is a lawyer and is said to have argues cases in front of the Supreme Court. He is often chastised by Willy at the beginning of the play for not being "well liked" by others. 

Ben: Willy’s deceased brother. According to Willy, Ben was an extremely powerful businessman who is what Willy wanted fro himself and his sons.

Narrative Voice: N/A because it is a play

Plot: 
ACT 1
- The play begins with Willy Loman walking into his house after a failed sales trip. Willy's wife, Linda, tells him that he must go to his boss, Howard Wagner, to ask for a job closer to home so that he will not have to travel as much. Willy agrees and says that he will go the next morning. 
-Time passes and Willy begins to complain about Biff because he has not yet "made himself." Linda scolds him and says to stop being so critical. 
-The reader learns that WIlly talks to himself quite frequently when he is looking for something to eat. During this time Biff and Happy are upstairs in their bed and are talking about the times that they were in high school. Happy goes on to say that Willy is becoming an embarrassment because he has been talking to himself lately. This scene on the two son's closes as they talk about a ranch out West to start a new life. 
- We are taken into one of Willy's day dreams. His sons are washing his car and he is extremely satisfied with them. Biff is  a football star who is extremely "well liked" and Happy is just happy. Willy tells his sons that he is one day going to open up his own business which will be bigger than Charley's. This is when the reader begins to realize that Willy is extremely jealous of Charley and his success. Bernard enters and says that Biff must study math or he is not going to be able to graduate. Willy chastises Bernard in that he says that Bernard may be smart but is not "well liked" and therefore will not go far in life. A young Linda appears and Willy says that his sales trop was a success. LInda crushes his confidence and says that it was not that much of a success causing Willy to start complaining about not being well liked by others. 
-As this occurs Willy is submerged into another daydream(in his daydream) about the mistress that he had. She thanks him for the stockings that he gave her. 
-Willy goes back into his first daydream and see's Linda mending her stockings. He gets furious and immediately throws them away. During this Bernard comes in looking for Biff. Linda says that Biff has stile a football and must return it and that he become to ruff with the girls. Wily becomes furious and yells at both of them. The daydream ends. 
-Happy comes down and tries to quiet Willy. Willy says that he wishes that he had gone to Alaska with Ben, his brother, who has 

instantaneously become rich. Charley enters after hearing that there was a commotion. Willy and him begin to play cards and soon end because of an argument over Willy taking a job from Charley. Charley knows that Willy has always been jealous of him. Willy thinks that Ben enters the kitchen but in reality it just a delusion. 

-Back into the present, Linda and her two sons discuss Willy's condition. Biff seems extremely intolerant with Willy and Linda scolds him for that. Linda says that Willy has become suicidal and Happy begins to scold Biff for not doing well in life. Willy enters and begins to do the same. Acting as a moderator, Happy says that him and Biff are going into the sporting goods business. Willy immediately cheers up. 
ACT 2
-Willy quickly has breakfast and then leaves to make Howard, his boss, give a job in New York. He leaves and soon after Biff and Linda chat. She reminds him to be nice to Willy while they are at dinner. 
-Willy walks into Howard's office and sees him playing with a wire recorder. Willy keeps on getting interrupted by Howard as he tries to ask for a job. Howard finally listens and says that there are no jobs available. Then Willy proceeds to tell a long story on how Dave Singleman has inspired him to be a great salesman. Howard finally tells Willy to take some time off. 
-After this Willy goes into a flashback of Ben telling him to come to Alaska. In the next flashback,Biff, Bernard, and Happy are all discussing Biff's big football game.Charley then enters and almost teases Willy about the game and how "well-liked" Biff is. 
-Willy comes out of the flashback. The reader sees Charley's office and his secretary immediately tells Bernard to tell Willy to quiet down. WIlly begins to brag about Biff once again and then goes on to say that he is working on a very big deal. Bernard asks why Biff did not go to summer school and Willy gets extremely defensive. Bernard leaves. Willy asks for money as usual, then Charley offers him a job which he refuses. He then tells CHarley that he was fired and Charley begins to scold him. WIlly leaves. 
-The scene opens up to Happy at Frank's Chop House. Ms. Forsythe walks in and Happy begins to chat with her. Biff walks in extremely upset because Bill Oliver does not even remember who he is an does not want to make a deal with him. He then goes on to say that he stole Bill Oliver's pen. Happy wants Biff to act like  everything if fine in front of Willy. Willy arrives and Biff tries to gently tell him what happened at Bill Oliver's office. Willy then sadly says that he was fired. Happy tries to cover up what happened to Biff at Bill Oliver's office but Biff explodes and says that says that Willy is always unwilling to listen.
-Willy jumps into another flashback. Bernard runs in and tells Linda that Biff has failed math. Willy begins to fight with Biff. 

-Willy comes out of his flashback and begins to scold Biff for failing math. Willy begins to have delusions of when he was in the hotel room in Boston. Biff tries to calm Willy down and tells him that he will go talk to Bill Oliver again about the money to start the business. Willy continues to have delusions. 
-Ms. Forsythe and her friend enter. Biff takes Willy to the bathroom. Biff and Happy leave with the girls. 
-Willy has another flashback where he and a woman are in a hotel room flirting with each other. Someone knocks on the door, Willy hides the woman in the bathroom, and Willy sees that it is Biff. He tells Willy that he has failed math and begins to make fun of the teacher. Willy and THE WOMAN laugh and this is when Biff realizes that Willy is cheating on Linda. 
-Willy comes out of the flashback and asks the waiter, Stanley, where the nearest seed store is. He rushes there after. 
-The scene changes to the kitchen Willy's house. Happy and Biff enter, Linda scolds them for treating Willy so poorly. Happy tries to justify why he left his father while Biff goes and looks for Willy. Willy is seen planting in the garden. The reader sees that he is in a delusion while doing this. He is talking to Ben and a $20,000 deal that is going to occur. 
-Biff brings Willy in an begins to console him. Everyone is happy and all go to bed except for Willy. The last scene is of Willy's car speeding away, implying that he has committed suicide. 
REQUIEM
The scene opens with Willy's funeral. Biff says that Willy always had the wrong dreams and this is why he committed suicide. Charley defends Willy and says that this happened because of his profession. As the two leave, Biff asks Happy if he wants to go out west. Happy says that he wants to stay in New York. The scene closes with Linda apologizing to Willy for not crying. 

Important Quotes
1. Willy--"Isn't that remarkable--isn't that remarkable? Biff--he likes me?"
This quote is key in understanding Willy's thought process before he committed suicide. Willy at the point thought or even knew that this would be the peak of his life. His kids loved him, his wife adored him, and he believed that Biff would become "something." Because of this Willy knew that committing suicide at the point would be the best before things would take a turn for the worse. 
2. Linda--"Forgive me dear, I can't cry. I don't know what it is, but I can't cry."
This quote is important in that it gives insight into Linda's feelings for Willy. She didn't not necessarily have love for him and did not respect him but instead that it was her moral obligation to care for him, much like a mother who has grown tires of her kids. This is evident in her telling Willy what to eat at the beginning of the play and her consoling him when he does not get what he wants. She is not as sad as one should be when he dies because now she does not have to care for him and also will not be "suppressed" by his controlling nature. 
3. Linda--"We're free...We're free...We're free..."
This quote can be interpreted in many ways. This first is that Linda, Biff, and Happy have been freed from Willy's obsession of being "well-liked" and putting on a show to seem like the family is wealthy. The second is that Willy could be freed from these obsessions and that he will rest in peace when he in heaven. 
4. "He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong."
This quote shows that Biff has learned that it is not importnat to just be well-liked but one must also work hard. He has also realized that Willy was not as well respected as he let on and that he though looking good on the outside was all that was needed to be successful. 

Themes
1. A replaced, incorrect version of the American Dream: The traditional American Dream values hard work and getting successful on one's own. However, Willy has misplaced this and thinks that being well-liked and looking good is the most important aspect of being successful. This is evident when he praises Biff for being well-liked at school and chastising Bernard for being a nerd and looking like one in a flashback. He then goes on to say that Bernard may be smart but he not will liked so he will not get far in life. Willy's dream is proven wrong when the reader learns of Bernard's court case that he will argue in front of the Supreme Court. 
2. Obsession of money can lead to degradation of the human being: Willy is so concerned with making the most as a salesman which eventually lead to his death. He "sold himself" by having an affair with a secretary just so he could get in with the buyer. 
3. Abandonment: Willy was abandoned by his father at a young age and therefore never had anyone to look up to. He was never able to be a father to Biff and Happy because of this.