Death of a Salesman

1. Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller

2. Agenda Today Nov. 7 • Prayer • Work 10 minutes silently on your booklets for Death of a Salesman • Review discussions from yesterday • Read Act 2 together

3. Act 2 • A shift has taken place overnight. • Willy is more optimistic here then at any other time during the play. • Biff is pursuing gainful employment! This is a big deal for Willy. He can see the potential in Biff but ignores the reality that Biff has been “out of the business world” for far too long (we’ll find out later that he wasn’t in it at all). • He does not exaggerate anything or settle into memories. • He is cordial and almost kind to Linda and agrees to go meet with Howard.

4. Linda is relieved that he is acting like his old self again. • Linda starts talking about the things that need fixing in the house (the refrigerator) and that he needs to ask Howard for an advance on his pay because the insurance money and the car problems • Willy’s mood changes abruptly and he becomes frustrated. This stems from his inability to establish order in his life, even when the going gets good.

5. He feels that he is racing the clock with material items. He does not see the problem with needing things and being a salesman. He does not make the connection between supply and demand and his line of work. (a Salesman needs to sell things) • Holds out on doing what he tries to convince his customers to do which is buy more. Contradiction • Marvels over house and joyful memories of working on it. • Negates his own sense of satisfaction by saying it is all for nothing. • Acceptance and rejection cycle congratulates himself for his success and deflates himself in the same breath.

6. Linda’s phone conversation with Biff • Denial – Linda hopes that everything will be okay with him and is remaining optimistic. She refers to Willy as a little boat looking for a harbor. • She refuses to acknowledge his vulnerability and the imminent threat of suicide.

7. Act 2 Scene 2 All the optimism comes crashing down around him. • Willy does not like to deal with his boss because he feels that he disrespects him. He’s got confidence because of Linda’s encouragement and Biff’s “imminent” success. • Howard sees Willy as a tired old salesman. He does not want him in New York for 2 reasons: • 1. NY means Willy would have a base salary again. On commission means that he is not a great salesman. • 2. Doesn’t want Willy in NY tires of him quickly. Sees him as a nuisance. • Howard is sympathetic and emphasizes the fact the he’s the road man. When things head south, Willy resorts to his safety mechanism “when the present is not tolerable resort to the past.” • Reminds Howard that he named him. Memories have backfired. Left him without a job, financial security and his identity – a salesman.

8. Scenes 3 & 4 • After being fired Willy shifts into the past. He asks Ben for advice. Ben gives him the same offer as before. • He can no longer separate the past from the present and does not understand that the opportunity no longer exists. Denies it anyway. • Overwhelmed by feelings of regret for not accepting the offer in the past. He is ashamed of being fired and feels a sense of hopelessness for devoting his life to a company that got rid of him at the drop of a hat. • Scene 4 • Willy goes directly from one memory to the next. Attempting to create order from his disordered life here. Forced to admit failure • Imminent greatness creates an ideal fantasy and can keep it if he remains in this moment in time.

9. Charley’s office • Scene 5 • Charley’s office. • Bernard – successful. You don’t need to be “well-liked” to be successful • Not easy to see Bernard successful. Failure of Willy’s predictions. Well liked didn’t matter. Past to create order. Edits out unhappy memories. • Willy begins to consider the fact that he is responsible for Biff’s failure. Something else is behind it. Bernard hints the Boston visit. Becomes defensive towards Bernard to deny culpability refuses to admit anything to Bernard and suspects he has ruined his sons life as well. •  Desperation – difficult to borrow money from Charley. Charley is a his best friend. *(only friend)

10. Charley’s offer • Willy’s last chance to put his life back together. Charley offers Willy the opportunity to start over. Proposition similar to Ben’s. Pride causes Willy to lose both opportunities. • I can be a great salesman I don’t need Alaskan riches • Pride – jealous of Charley’s own business. Working for Charley would be a humiliation does not want to be associated with charley as an employee. However its okay to borrow money from him. Contradiction and denial of reality of his situation.

11. Restaurant scene • Scene 7 Insight into Happy’s character. Defined by sexuality and need for power.. Commanding women she knows he will do it. Seduction ruined women engaged to men he works for. Despises himself because he doesn’t want to but does it anyway. • Scene 8 Purpose of scene is to build tension. Willy joins them in the restaurant. Significant realization for Biff. For the first time in Biff’s life he attempts to look at life how it really is. He wasn’t a salesman for Oliver he was a shipping clerk . He’s been living a lie. Biff is his father’ son just like Happy, turning point for Biff. He chooses reality over fantasy. Biff would rather deal with facts then reinvent events to serve purpose. Willy cannot allow Biff to fail – interrupts Biff to interpret events as he wants them to be and so that he does not have to acknowledge his sons failure. Order to biff = truth; Order to Happy and Willy = concealing the Truth

12. Scene 9 • Scene 9  Willy is mentally collapsing. No possibility of things getting better. Both His job and Son’s chance of success. Resorts to the past to escape the present.  Responsible for Biff’s actions. “I didn’t steal it” Willy is partially to blame for the actions by not making him face the consequences because Willy didn’t make them follow rules in HS his behavior is a reflection of this conditioning. • Once Biff realizes that Willy is hallucinating he is compelled to lie to Willy in order to restore him to his senses. The only way he can effectively regain order for Willy is to deny his own need to accept reality. • Contradicting his own principles or watch his father fall apart before his eyes.

13. Scene 10 • Key to the play. Confronts the point of disorder in his life. The Affair. He is no longer selecting specific memories because of the disorder. • He can no longer deny failures because there are too many. Solution=Suicide • Up until the affair, Willy had not sacrificed principles or his family to be well liked. • Willy blames it on Loneliness but really it was a need for attention. Betrayal of Linda and boys. Does not randomly choose memories. (Defensive in scene 5 Bernard and triggers memories of affair)  Cannot selectively forget the affair. • Willy went through memories of Biff’s childhood trying to understand why he failed with Oliver. He cannot understand Biff let success pass him by. • Willy is to blame for failure in both past and present. • Biff looses all respect. Affair negates all tales of greatness. Why should he go to summer school or hold a steady job? Need for father’s approval no longer guides actions. No faith in Father or himself and is unable to obtain success.

14. Scene 11 • When Willy is not present Linda is outspoken – especially when defending Willy. Linda realizes that all is lost. He is defeated because he lost his job and there is no possibility of reconciliation with Biff. • Confrontation between Biff and Willy . Harsh to Biff for three reasons:, 1. Defensively to protect willy, 2. betrayed by her own sons, 3. disturbed because mental faculties are messed up. 4. Desperate all is lost.

15. Scene 12 • Openly discusses plan to commit suicide. Confers with Ben because Ben will not reveal intentions. Last opportunity to acquire a substantial amount of money and gain respect of his older brother. • He wants to make amends with Linda and leaving her financially stable will alleviate the guilt of the affair. Financial stability and honor. • Suicide means he can establish order by Denying the past, establish order and financial stability for his wife and respect from his idol. • Hesitates -what Biff will think. Chooses to believe that Biff will respect him for sacrificing his life. Chooses to believe that Biff will finally forgive him for the affair. But Willy does not take into account that Biff does not respect him because of his dishonesty. Fails to acknowledge that Biff would not respect him for this. • Ironic – Willy is messed up because of his father’s absence and now he will leave his own son and cause him to hate him.

16. Final Blowout • Rot in hell if you leave this house! • Final break between Willy and Biff. “dime a dozen.” • Inability to reconcile and emotions. Biff realized in scene 8 that he reinvents facts just like willy his realization is significant because once he verbalizes it in this scene he separates themselves from his family and accepts himself on his own terms. Alienates himself from Linda and Happy because he does not keep up with Willy’s fantasy’s. • Denying reality/truth is more costly in the long run. Dime a dozen contradicts every grand story ever told. Average cannot acknowledge failure openly. • To condemn Willy’s fantasy’s is to threaten Willy’s existence. Forces him to acknowledge his suicidal tendencies and destroys his dream for redemption in the form of suicide.

17. Overwhelmed by sons reaction but achieves peace and order because he knows Biff loves him. • First time in the play for attention and respect he desires. Manipulate reality. He can make Biff love him even more by taking charge of the future and leaving Biff the insurance money. Denies reality again. “there will be no pity for you. Ya hear it? No pity!” • Ben convinces Willy that suicide is a final brief opportunitythat must be seized.

18. Requiem • Important to not that Miller begins and ends the play with Linda. Anxious calling out in scene 1 and disquieting grief are paralleled. • Contradicted his own intentions. Unimpressive Funeral demonstrates his mediocrity. • Significant that Charley defends suicide. Only true friend. Recognizes Willy’s need for acknowledgement and appreciation. • Defies his own intentions. Suicide contradicts all plans. denies Linda a debt free husband, Biffs reconciled father, or Happy an improved role model. • Willy’s refusal to accept life on its own terms results in disorder and fragmentation for those he loves most.