Death of a Salesman

Chart for all the characters concerned

Willy 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

Like father, like sons: Two Aspects of Willy

Biff HappyWilly’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

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.

Willy’s character (1)

Despite his desperate searching through his past, Willy does not achieve the self-realization or self-knowledge typical of the tragic hero. The quasi-resolution that his suicide offers him represents only a partial discovery of the truth. While he achieves a professional understanding of himself and the fundamental nature of the sales profession, Willy fails to realize his personal failure and betrayal of his soul and family through the meticulously constructed artifice of his life.

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 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 (2)

Charley functions as a sort of poetic prophet or sage. Miller portrays

Charley as ambiguously gendered or effeminate, much like Tiresias,

Charley’s character (1)

He recognizes Willy’s financial failure, and the job offer that he extends to Willy constitutes a commonsense solution. Though he is not terribly fond of Willy, Charley understands his plight and shields him from blame.

Charley is more realistic

Willy vs. Charley

Characters affect their work/business a lot

Willy doesn’t suit to be a salesman/ businessman

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

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-GamdiRehab al-ZahraniDalal KhithamyRania Al-Asmari

Thank you