Transcript Act 2 in Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman
Chart for all the characters concerned
The father;
the salesman
The collapse of the characters’
dreams
Biff
The son
Aspects of Willy
Happy
The son
Aspects of Willy
Ben
Willy’s big
brother
Closer to real life and the
image of Willy’s father
Charley
The friend
Successful businessman
Bernard
Charley’s son;
Biff’s friend
Accomplished son
Linda
The mother;
Willy’s Wife
Desperate housewife, suffered
Willy
Like father, like sons:
Two Aspects of Willy
Biff
Happy
Willy’s spiritual needs
Willy’s materialism and
sexuality
To be successful
To be happy
Young Biff: Grand
Young Happy: Proud of him
Lying to comfort Willy
Lying to make believe
“Willy had the wrong dreams.”
“He had a good dream.”
Cf. Concern for Willy: “Help
him!”
Irony: “that’s not my father.”
Defeated; facing the music
Stubborn; inherit the dreams
Willy/Biff vs. Charley/Bernard

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
Unsuccessful
Athletic
More friendly,
gregarious, and
well-liked
(according to
Willy)
Believe personality
is important to
success




Successful
Less athletic, more
clumsy
More serious, lack of
personality, and not
well-liked (according
to Willy)
Believe more concrete
factors are more
important
Willy/Biff vs. Charley/Bernard



Talk more; better
skilled in talking
Always talk about
past experiences
Do not always
follow rules





Clumsy in words
More practical and
live for the future
Law abiding
More helpful and
loyal to Willy and
Biff
More thoughtful
Roles of Charley & Bernard



Represents success
that Willy can’t
achieve
Represents reality
and tries to bring
Willy to reality
Despite anger, still
helps Willy for he
is Willy’s only
friend



Represents what
Willy wants Biff to
become
Knows the turning
point of Willy/Biff
relationship
Shows that Willy’s
way of educating
Biff is not
successful
Bernard and Biff
Biff Loman (1)


was a star football player in high school,
and there were 3 major universities would
offer him scholarships.
He failed math in his senior year and was
not allowed to graduate. caught Willy being
unfaithful to Linda
So → changed Biff's view of his father and
everything that Biff believed in.
Biff Loman (2)



finally sees the truth and realizes that he is
just a "dime a dozen" but not a “ great
leader of men.”
He tells this to Willy who is outraged. Willy
shouts, "I am not a dime a dozen! I am
Willy Loman and you are Biff Loman!"
Biff realizes the illusions that Willy lived
on. Biff is destined to no greatness, but he
no longer has to struggle to understand what
he wants to do with his life.
Bernard

Bernard is Charlie's son who was a
childhood friends of Biff. Bernard always
studied very hard and eventually became a
successful lawyer.

He always admires Biff.
Willy and Biff have different
explanations for Biff’s failure to
succeed in the business world.
How are their explanations
different?
Willy’s character (1)

to see himself very high
"Willy: ... Someday I’ll have my own
business, and I’ll never have to leave home
any more.
Happy: Like Uncle Charley, heh?
Willy: Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because
Charley is not---liked. He's liked, but he's
not---well liked"
Willy’s character (2)


Good at woodworking
 “Willy: A man who can’t handle tools is
not a man.”
Don’t good at selling
 Charley thinks Willy doesn’t suit to be a
salesman
Willy’s character (3)


to keep up appearance
Willy rejected Charley’s offer or even
looked down it as a goddam job
He has a job but without salary
Willy doesn’t want to work but he want to
have money
Willy’s character (4)

“Charley: Willy, when are you going to
grow up?”
 Willy doesn’t want to change

He is pessimistic
 “…and the years, you end up worth more
dead than alive.”
Charley’s character (1)

Don’t care of anything
"ignorant" person in Willy's mind [about
the vitamins
 more realistic
 “My salvation is that I never took any
interest in anything.”
 “… things don’t mean anything…”
Charley’s character (2)


Love shooting casino
Don’t want to be a loser (Proud)
 “Knock a homer, Biff, knock a homer!”
 “Knock’em dead, Bernard!”
Willy vs. Charley



Characters affect their work/business a lot
Willy doesn’t suit to be a salesman/
businessman
Care more ≠ success
Linda (the housewife) and the mistress
Linda Loman (1)
– the heart and soul of the Loman household
trying to share in Willy’s ideals
 loyal and supportive
 suffering and enduring
 Willy’s link to reality

Linda Loman (2)




struggling to come to terms with the city,
her husband, and her sons
a peace-maker in the family
a role of observing
inability
The woman
– Willy’s mistress of Boston



making Will feel as though he were the
salesman
separating Willy from his family life
Will’s concern for Linda is genuine but his need for
success overcomes his feelings of loyalty
BY/
Amal Al-Shehri
Hanan Al-Gamdi
Rehab al-Zahrani
Dalal Khithamy
Rania Al-Asmari
Thank you