Summary
Death of Salesman told us a story about human life and their dream, specifically a dream of an American in the case of salesman life. American dream is about how people to be rich, prosperous, and having a great children. The people believe that work hard will lead them to their dream. Arthur Miller told us that not every dream will realize in every condition even if the chance bigger than other like in the USA. This country gave more chance for every people in the world to realize their dream because of the industry was modern. But it doesn’t work for a salesman as Willy and his family.
Willy is an old salesman who gave his life to sell products of Wagner Company. But in his sixties, when his ability to sell products (physically and mentally) was decrease, his company didn’t replace him to a better place for him as a floor salesman. In order to get a better life, he asked for that job with higher wages. But in business his wage is measure by his ability to sell products. On the other hand his condition is getting worst. As the result, Howard didn’t give his permission and fired him. Event his condition is getting worst, his idealism and dream never decrease. He kept his pride by reject Charley’s hand because he believed in Biff and Happy. And at the end of the story; when he felt shame with his wife and sons; when Biff failed to get support from Oliver, he decided to run his plan to committing suicide in order to get insurance. It’s the last chance for him to bring his family to a better life, to open the door of his dream, a dream of America, a dream of the people of the world.
Setting-Place
Late 1940s; Willy Loman's house at Brooklyn, Restaurant, and Howard Office. The resident where Loman family live is a place where the population grow fastly. As Willy said, “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control. The competition is maddening! Smell the stink from that apartment house! And other one on the other side…How can they whip cheese?” New York City and Barnaby River in the USA.
Characters
There are four major characters. They are Loman Family; Willy, Biff, Happy, and Linda. They were building the story from the beginning, in the middle and the closing. The Minor Character came in the middle of story and became a part of the external conflict of Willy Loman. From the relation with them we got the character of the major character. They are Bernard, The Woman, Charley, Uncle Ben, Howard Wagner, Jenny, Stanley, Miss Forsythe, and Letta.
1.Willy Loman
Willy Loman is a road salesman, one who sells in a given territory by driving and spent most of his time in the road. He worked for thirty four years at the Wagner Company. It meant that he gave almost of his life loyally in the same company. He wanted to be a salesman like Dave Singleman who the only one salesman in the world have a good way of life, well liked in twenty or thirty different cities, be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people, and at his funeral, many people came to honor. Things were sad a lotta trains for month after that. Willy imitated him and never evaluate his step by reflect his life. It’s because his life almost on the road. He didn’t enjoy and thanks for his life because of his ambition to be like his idol. He searched the dream to be “well liked” and conquered the world. He searched popularity; to be known by many people, prosperity; not only to fulfill his family but also as a standard of success, and to be honored at his funeral.
He believed that he will get more money and a better life by work hard, driving along the day and sell products. In fact in his sixties, he didn’t reach his dream. His dream and ability to get money is not balance. This condition made his internal and external conflicts. First, he regretted his decision to be a salesman. He was left his desire to go to Alaska as his Father did. The second, He regretted two reasons which forbid him to go to Alaska; well liked and loved by his sons. He was losing the two of them. He became an admirer of the beautiful moment and the pride in the past when his son, Biff conquered the world with football. Then he never live his present honestly. His memories and felling from the past disturbed him in the present.
He became lack of control when driving and several time almost killed him. At the restaurant, Willy can’t control of himself when Biff told him that he failed to get support from Oliver and again he stole a fountain pen from him. His desire to buy seeds and planting his garden done when all hope seems like disappear. He decided to plant his garden after his son left him in the restaurant. Event he work with modernity, a desire in his deepest heart is longing back to nature. That’s all showed us that Willy run away from his real world. And the final act of his pattern of life is committing suicide. His dream killed him, his world killed him. And like a seed dead in the soil, his death produced fruit for his son. So that Biff and Happy inherited money from his insurance. And In the requiem, Happy said that he will realize Willy’s dream.
2.Linda
She is the representative of moralist. She became a model of good character. She support and understanding Willy. She has developed an iron repression of her exceptions to Willy’s behavior- she more than loves him, she admires him, as though this mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties…(Pg 2).
Linda care about Willy’s situation. She knew how Willy tired of his job. She asked him to stop driving and get a proper way with his condition. Where were you all day? You look terrible. Well, you’ll just to take a rest, Willy, you can’t continue this way. But you didn’t rest your mind. Your mind is overactive, and the mind is what counts, dear. Take an aspirin. Should I get you an aspirin? It’ll soothe you. And Willy told her how he dreaming and disturbing with such strange thoughts. Willy, dear. Talk to them again. There’s no reason why you can’t work in New York.
When Willy wanted to meet Howard, Linda supported him by saying, “It’s changing. Willy, I can feel it changing!” She became a good massager from her sons that they invite Willy to diner at Frank’s Chop House. She reminded Willy about his glasses, handkerchief, saccharine, and his careless. “Be careful on the subway stairs.” And again she reminded him about the diner with his sons.
She has an ability to manage finance. At the end of the story, she finished the payment of their house. In the requiem Linda said, First time in thirty-five years we were just about free and clear…I made the last payment on the house today. Today, today dear. And there’ll be nobody home. We’re free and clear.
This ability related to his attitude to say enough with everything she has. “You’re doing well enough, Willy! Enough to be happy right here, right now. Why must everybody conquer the world? You’re well liked, and the boys love you, and someday-(toBen)-why, old man Wagner told him just the other day that if he keeps it up he’ll be a member of the firm, didn’t he Willy?” Her acceptance to the condition made her strong and patience. She accepted Willy with love. She recognized his weakness. She knew that Willy was only a boat looking like a harbor. But she never spited him.
Linda asked Biff to love their father as he loved her. She was the real bound of the family. She said like this when Biff blamed his Father in the night Willy’s walked alone outside, “Biff, dear, if you don’t have any feeling for him, then you can’t have any feeling for me. You can’t just come to see me, because I love him. He’s the dearest man in the world to me, and I won’t have anyone making him feel unwanted and low and blue. You’ve got to make up your mind now, darling, there’s no leeway anymore. Either he’s your father and you pay him that respect, or else you’re not to come here. I know he’s not easy to get along with—nobody knows that better than me—but...”
3.Biff
Biff is two years older than his brother Happy, well built, but in these days bears a worn air and seems less self-assured. He succeeded less, and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s. In high school Biff is a captain of football team. He conquered the world by winning a championship. It made Willy pride. Willy always support him even he did something wrong like a thief. It showed how their relations close. But in the story there was a quarrel between them. This matter made his relation with his father worst. It happened when Biff looked by his own eyes that his father has a mistress. Happy is a good boy who loved his mother so much so that he didn’t forgive his father. He felt disappointed for what his father done. It influenced him to make up his math in order to study in the university.
When he came home and talked with Happy, he said that he like a boy. It’s because he like to steal something from every place he worked for. He went from one job to another kind of job; shipping clerk, salesman, and businessman. Until the end he aware that he must suffer for fifty weeks work on the hot of summer for the sake of two weeks on vacation. And then he enjoyed his life by being a cowboy, work at farm in the west, from Dakotas, Arizona to Texas. He said that he enjoy work outdoors for a mare and a new colt. And again when the spring came he was aware that his wage is only twenty-eight a week. He was aware that he didn’t found himself at thirty-fourth. He was better than his father by reflected his life and tried to get a better life.
Biff was hate business because of the discipline. He was like freedom like a boy at outside. “Screw the business world! I don’t care what they think! (Happy said that in the business world some people think Biff is crazy) They laughed at Dad for years, and you know why? Because we don’t belong in this nuthouse of a city! We should be mixing cement on some open plain or-or carpenters. A carpenter is allowed to whistle!” His character made him proper to work outside the office because he could enjoy it. But that kind of job wasn’t suit with Willy’s dream because of low wage and prestige. And he threw away from the house when he fights with his father.
Biff said to his mother that three month before he came home, he didn’t have any address. In fact he was in jail. Even in one side he is bad, but in the other side he loved his mother so much. Cause of that love, he wanted to help his father. He wanted to respect his father by trying to get support from Oliver. And after he stole a fountain pen from Oliver’s office, he reflected his life and decided not to steal again. But he didn’t brave to recognize his weakness in front Oliver by gave it back to him. It closed his chance to get support from him. But at the end of the story he opened his life before his family and also his father rubber pipe. Biff took a rubber pipe which will be used by Willy as an item for committing suicide. And it showed in front of Willy, Linda, and Happy. This is the climax of his freedom that he found himself; he knew who are himself and his family.
In the Requiem, he was aware that his father made mistake with his dream. It’s mean that he aware that the way his father gave to him is wrong. Biff said, “He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong. He never knew he was.” He said, “I know who I am.” And with a hopeless glance at happy, bends toward his mother to go from the grave, ”Let’s go mom!”, to starting a new life.
4.Happy
Happy is tall powerful made. Sexuality is like a visible color on him, or a scent that many women have discovered. He like his brother, is lost, but in different way, for he was never allowed himself to turn his face toward defeat and is thus more confused and hard-skinned, although seemingly more content.
Happy knew Biff well. He knew his weakness and power. He supported him but also showed his weakness. “Sure you will. The trouble with you in business was you never tried to please people. Like when you worked for Harrison’s. You don’t raise a guy to responsible job who whistles in the elevator!”Like when you’d go off and swim in the middle of the day instead of taking the line around.”
His acceptance was a big grace inherited from his mom. He accepted his brother so that he invented an idea of sport goods business. This business is really suitable for Biff and also made Willy happy. Happy accepted his father who sometimes speaks alone. He knew his father’s problem. That made him still open conversation with his father even there is problem with him.
Happy had a good confidence to make a conversation with a girl. For the sake of make a close relation with Ms Forsythe, he told that he was a salesman. And again he used Biff as the most famous football player in order to attract her. But the worst thing he did was going with Ms Forsythe and left his father alone in restaurant. He said to Letta and Ms Forsythe, “That’s not my father. He’s just a guy.” It showed us that Happy was longing to be near a girl and didn’t enjoy near his father.
Happy said to his parents that he wanted to marriage. But he told it at inappropriate time so that they both didn’t take it seriously. Linda said, “Go to sleep dear”, and his father said, “Keep up the good work.” From these answer we knew that his father forced him to work and get a good position. He worked well so that he gave her mother fifty dollars at Christmas time and send his father to the vacation in Florida.
At the end of the story Happy received Willy’s dream, the American’s dream, the human dream by saying, “I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in Vain. He had a good dream.It’s the only dream you can have – come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him.” He is the new Willy. And Happy is the last person who left the grave. It’s mean that he has the biggest emotion with his father.
Theme
Tragedy of Human Dream
Symbol
Salesman and the leader of Wagner Company (Conversation between Willy and Howard) is a symbol of injustice in the business world.
Salesman is men who sell products which manufacture in the company. They were representing the company before customer. So the company searched an attractive, young, and speaks fluently in order to get more customer. And they gave their life time to the company and also paid the insurance of their life. They worked in discipline, obeyed rules, and competed by the other in number of selling. After several years worked for the same company, they couldn’t leave because they would lose their insurance. They were in the hand of company.
On the other hand they worked for their life and the payment of installment and their house. All they needs produced by the other company. They were giving their life time in their job and never took a time to thinking about their life. And their life run day by day until they old and doesn’t attractive anymore. When their friends are retired and died, they lose their field of work. The new leader will fired him easily because they are not productive. Business is business as Howard says.
The injustice never looked by the law of the country because of the system in the company was like that. The capitalist, the leader of the company spend many time to joy their life with family and their hobbies. On the contrary his people, salesmen might work hard every day. And he gave them bonus in order to increase their effort to sell the products more and more. Howard never experienced how hard driving seven hundred kilo meters. He enjoyed life by using new item such as wire recorder, sports, and his family. On the contrary, Willy was getting old and almost died in the road.
As Willy said that a man is not a piece of fruit! You can’t eat orange and throw the peel away. But in the business world it happened. Business world is our world now where capitalism became so strong and conquered the world with their values; competition to be rich, honored and well liked and popular. And everybody went to the city in order to fulfill those values. They were thinking that city gave them chance to reach prosperity like Howard. But the fact they used by the capitalist to make them more prosperous and rich because they will live in the capitalist system. And many city are getting worst environmentally in many countries in the world.
Massage from this novel is quiet clear; we must follow the right values if we want to be happy in the world right now. We have no power to change the system. So we must aware about the risk if we live in the system right now. Pride, honored, popularity, and richness never gave us the real happiness. The real happiness came from acceptance for everything we had. Our dream was good to help us in order to develop our life. But our Family, life, forgiveness, and also our powerlessness to change the world is the most important thing if want to be happy. We are only a little dust in the eye of entire world. The biggest fault of Willy is he didn’t know himself, never forgave his past, and follow the values of the capitalist world. On the contrary Linda showed us how to accept the condition and happy with it.
Love is a key of happiness.
Love is about
Forgiveness,
Acceptance,
to say thanks and enough for everything we had.
Dreams are our desire to develop our life. But sometimes it scratches and broke the love.
“You’re doing well enough, Willy! Enough to be happy right here, right now. Why must everybody conquer the world?” (Linda)
At the Holy Saturday, on the day before Jesus risen up from the death,
April 11 2009
References:
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Barron’s Book Notes. 1984
Picture from:
Britannica Encyclopedia the ultimate reference 2008
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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