Arthur Miller’s Play Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman examines the life and times of the Loman family. In the play the various hopes and dreams of the characters are brought to the forefront. As the play begins to unravel we see the characters begin to unfold before are eyes and begin to understand the foundation of the play. In Death of a Salesman the central issue of the play is the failure in achieving the dreams one man had for himself and his family. The death of these dreams has caused turmoil within the family and created an environment that at times has created tension among the family members. The fact that these dreams never materialized where constantly made know through-out the play, only compounding the problems that faced each character.

Willy Loman is the patriarch of the family, a man who has big dreams for himself and his family. He is a traveling salesman who is beyond his prime but, continues to perceive him-self as a man more then capable of accomplishing his job. Willy dreams big but performs small, he harbors visions of what he believes should be the American Dream and the success that comes from fulfilling those dreams. Through-out the play Willy talks about how some day he is going to become that successful man he talks about and become a respected member of society. But as time moves forward he realizes that he always talked the talk but, never walked the walk and wonders where it all went wrong. Willy makes a statement to his two sons Biff and Happy “Don’t say? Tell you a secret, boys. Don’t breathe it to a soul. Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home any more” (pg 18). Willy is making a statement to his sons about his dreams of becoming a success and the fact that he will be able to spend more time with them. The truth is that he never went on to open his own business and it was nothing more then a pipedream and a way to inflate his ego and make his sons proud of him.

Linda Loman is the wife of Willy, a woman who supports her husband faithfully and always encouraged him, through positive reinforcement. Linda, contains all the attributes of a mother and wife that project her in a light, that suggest she is the brick and mortar that has held her family together. Linda’s devotion and love for her family is on constant display through-out the play. The one thing that she does not tolerate is her husband being made a fool of or talked about in a negative way; she loves him dearly and defends him with the courage of a knight going into battle. We see here in this statement that Linda has no reservation defending Willy; even to her sons. “No. 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 any more…” (pg 39). Linda is showing her frustration with her son Biff, and what’s him to show respect for his father, because she feels that he has earned it.

Biff Loman is the older of the two Loman children. He is the one who is cast as having all the right qualities to be become successful in the world; at least through his father’s eyes. Biff in high school was the star of the football team and the talk of the town. Always told by his father that he had what it took to become successful and that he was going to be the shining jewel in the Loman family. Biff always looked up to his father, as a man who contained all the wisdom it took to steer him in the right direction. Biff bought into the sales pitch his father presented to him and never