Death of a Salesman Summary/Analysis

Author
Arthur Miller was born on  Oct. 17, 1915, in Harlem, New York City and the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants. Miller's family was reasonably wealthy, until the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and was forced to take up laborious jobs to pay for his tuition at the University of Michigan where he majored in Journalism. Miller's most famous written works are All My Sons (1947), The Crucible (1953), and the 1961 film, The Misfits.

Setting
That time is probably in the 1940's, considering the play was published in 1949. The intro states that the play follows Willy Loman as "he visits in the New York and Boston of today." The Loman family live in a suburb, presumably just outside of the city, that is slowing transforming into a product of urban sprawl and industrialization. There are "apartment houses" surrounding the Loman home, instead of greenery.In the stage directions, Miller puts emphasis on the transparency of their house (set) and the fact that the characters can pass between walls in Willy's flashbacks.

Significant Characters
Willy Loman- Over sixty years old, Willy has the semblance of being worn and ran rugged. He is insecure about this status as both a salesman, and a good father. Willy desperately wants to be viewed by his peers as an illustrious salesman, and the play follows his struggle trying to strike upon success. He also fails at bringing up his sons to be successful in the business world. Willy has a hard time facing the disappointment of reality and often has vivid flashbacks of better times for him and his family. These flash-backs, in themselves, reveal hints to what cause the issues and tension inside the family.

Linda Loman- Wife to Willy, Linda is the rock of the family. She has given up any ambitions of her own to serve and support her husband. She is a master of turning a blind eye to Willy's raging antics and peculiar ways.Instead, she sees an honest, hard-working man that wants the best for his family. Linda is often guilty of pacifying Willy and compromising her sons' best interest to accommodate Willy's wishes.

Biff Loman- Former high school football star and most popular-guy-in-school. Now, he is thirty-four years old and has moved back with his parents after having little success working on a cattle ranch out West. Biff is stuck between providing for his family doing work he despises, or pursuing his own ambitions.He is not the brightest and has no experience in selling, however Willy, his father, is always pushing him to join the business. Biff is embarrassed by his father's mood swings and delusions and only really considers working as a salesman for his mother's sake.

Happy Loman- Happy is an able-bodied, thirty-two year old womanizer who has no ambition to do anything but please his parents. The problem is, Happy spends more time flirting with women than working.It seems wrong to say Happy aspires to be please his parents because he puts such little effort into work--and as a result is an embodiment of his father . As a child, Happy was shadowed by his big athletic brother and competed for his father's attention by trying to be just like him. He is similar to his father because he pretends to be more important than he really is and desires material success.

Charley- The Loman's next-door neighbor and object of Willy's envy. Charley is a successful businessman and his son, Bernard, is becoming a noteworthy lawyer. Charley loans Willy money so the family can get by each month and is characterized as a laid back parent--unlike Willy.

Bernard- Charley's son. In Willy's flashbacks, Bernard is characterized as nerdy and endlessly pestering Biff to study for his math class--which he is failing. As an adult, Willy visits Bernard and realizes who successful Bernard has become and deeply regrets not pushing Biff to study more. He is another reminder for Willy of how he has failed at properly raising his sons.

Howard Wagner-Willy's current boss who assumed the position after his father passed away;whom Willy had great admiration for. Howard is probably closer to Biff's age and is condescending to Willy. He sees little value in Willy and has no inclination to helping him out during his financial woes, even though Willy played a hand in naming him as a child, has worked for the company for over 20 years, and had great respect for his father.

The Woman- Willy had a mistress around the time Biff was graduating high school. The woman is much younger than Linda and is an element from Willy's flashbacks that the reader can be certain is real because Biff makes hints that his father is unfaithful. The woman is a secretary at an important office and Willy's relationship with her is a display of his desperation to attain a higher level of success. The woman's purpose in Willy's life was to boost his confidence and frail self-esteem.

Ben-Willy's older deceased brother who happened upon glorious wealth after he ventured into an African jungle. Ben only appears during Willy's flashbacks where he is constantly asking his older brother for "the secret" to being successful. Willy admires his brother's lifestyle as much as he envies it. To Willy, Ben is the quintessential idea of a successful man and he often states how he regrets not having gone to the jungle with him.

Plot Summary
The play begins with Willy arriving home late one night, after a long commute from work, to a very concerned Linda. Linda keeps asking if Willy is "Alright" and if he "smash[ed] the car" and Willy reassures her he is alright although, he appears a little shook up after repeatedly zoning out during the drive home. Linda brings up the topic of their sons and Willy explodes with rage at his "lazy bum" of a son, Biff. Willy continues to the kitchen where he drifts into a daydream; reminiscing with himself about Biff polishing their old 1928 Chevy.
Introduction of Biff and Happy
  Biff and Happy, in their bedroom, hear all the commotion and discuss how they hate their jobs, past girlfriends, and plans to raise their own farm. Meanwhile, Willy is still downstairs thinking back to a day when Biff was prepping for a big game. Willy gives Biff a high dollar punching bag and tells Linda he raked in "five hundred gross in Providence" by selling. After Bernard reminds Biff he should be studying for math, Willy tells Biff that he will go further in life if he is well-like by his peers. Willy hears a women's laughing. He "leaves" the kitchen and finds himself in a hotel room with The Woman and they exchange in playful flirting while she puts on her stockings. Charley, the neighbor enters the kitchen, checking to see what all the commotion is about. Charley and Willy play a card game when Willy sees his dead brother, Ben.
Ben
 Apparently, Ben left for Alaska with his father to discover wealth while Willy was only three years old. Ben reveals that when he went after his father in Alaska, he accidentally took a different path and wound up in Africa, and became very rich. Willy comes back to reality and retires for the night. Linda, Biff, and Happy are in the kitchen now having a heated argument about them not caring enough about their father to find decent jobs. Biff as yet to understand why his mother still defends Willy, and she reveals that Willy has been trying to kill himself. The boys are taken aback and Biff agrees to take his job search more seriously(even though working-for-the-man kills him insides).
ACT TWO
 Willy soon breaks this uplifting moment and begins to complain about the broken kitchen appliances he is always having to spend money on. Linda tells him that his sons are will be meeting him for dinner. Willy leaves for a meeting with Howard to ask for money. In Howard's office, Willy competes with a wireless recording machine for Howard's attention. Willy eventually is able to ask for money, but  Howard rejects him. Willy leaves the office a wreck and heads to Charley's office where he runs into a successful Bernard. Willy asks Bernard what happened to Biff that made him so unmotivated in school and Bernard reveals that after he came back from Boston one summer, everything had changed.Willy asks for some money from Charley, but refuses to accept a job from him after he offers. Charley agrees to loan money, and Willy leaves the office in tears and tells Charley that he was his only friend.
The Restaurant
 Biff arrives to the restaurant a little frantic after a disastrous attempt to find a job. When Willy arrives, Biff tries to explain how he waited for hours to see Bill Oliver. The intensity builds in the conversation as Biff struggles get the whole story in as Willy begins hearing the voices of young Bernard, Linda, and an operator calling his name. Willy rushes off stage, however, as a response to The Woman calling after him. Happy is the least bit concerned and Biff is so overcome with emotion he flees the restaurant. Having a flashback to a time when he was in a hotel room with The Woman. Stanley, the waiter, finds Willy and informs him his sons had left. Willy gives Stanley the money Charley lent him and goes to buy some seeds.
Back Home
Happy and Biff arrive home to an enraged Linda. Biff finds Willy planting a garden outside the house. Biff tells the family that he is going to leave with no plans of seeing or contacting them again. Linda agrees this is the best solution and tells Willy and Biff to shake hands. Willy refuses of course and Biff says he is through with all the dishonesty and tells Willy the reason he never could stick with a job was because Willy had "blew [him] so full of hot air" that he refused to take orders from anyone. Biff tells Willy to burn his "phony dream" and says he is leaving in the morning. When Biff goes up stairs, Willy is left in amazement, and says that Biff " is going to be magnificent!" The family retires for the night, except Willy who is talking to Ben about his life insurance. Ben is hurrying Willy to follow him and says they are running out of time. Willy gets in his car and crashes it.
Requiem
Linda, Happy, Biff, Bernard, and Charley are standing at Willy's grave. Linda is surprised that no one showed up to the funeral and can't understand why Willy wanted to kill himself. Happy is still cursing Willy for his selfishness and says the family could have easily helped him overcome his depression. Biff reflects on the good days when Willy would come home from his job and work around the house. Charley comments that Willy was happiest when he was working with his hands. There is a much bigger picture here that Hess is hinting at. Happy is determined to prove that Willy had a good dream by becoming a successful salesman by himself. In her moments alone, Linda says she has paid off their debts and repeats three times "We're free."
Analysis-Point of View
Arthur Miller offers a negative perspective on the "American Dream" and how it determines success. Willy Loman knows all about this "Dream" and Miller shows the audience the downside of trying to attain what society projects as the ideal lifestyle. The one character that seems to share Miller's pessimism is Biff. Biff Loman points out the flaws and side-effects that come with "white-collar" America. He does this either through dialogue or in his own inability to find happiness while working in the corporate world.
Tone
The feeling of hopelessness and dissatisfaction never really cease in Death of a Salesmen. Willy rarely, if ever, speaks positively of the present. The only moments of content are in his flash-backs. A bitterness still remains, however, because the audience knows Willy memories are not always replicas of the truth and that he is so unhappy with reality. Biff and Happy are also to characters that can not seem to ever get off on the right foot. It is inferred that Happy's life is headed toward a downward spiral just like Willy's. Biff decides to go off on his own to attempt at making a living doing something he loves, but it is at the expense of never seeing his family again.
Imagery
To match the rather melancholy tone of the play, the Loman home seems similarly drab. Miller never mentions any shiny fixtures or comfortable furniture. Instead, everything is very standard and the main room in the home where there is action is in the kitchen and yard. Apartment buildings surround and tower over the family's home and there is a scarcity of typical suburban greenery. It makes the audience realize how industry can  ruin a home/neighborhood by stripping it of it's natural beauty. The location of the home makes it seem locked in which sort of illustrates the play's theme of immobility.
Theme
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman supports the idea that society's view of success simply places limitations on people through the reoccurring emphasis of paralysis and the character's inability to make progress in their lives.