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
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