Act1 Scene 1

• Willy Loman comes back from his sales trip to New England from the way
• He shares with Linda that he was driving without even remembering that he is driving—he seems to be drifting in the past memories – his mind and thoughts are stuck there

He is full of nostalgia about the past:

• He complains that his boss Howard does not respect his contributions to the company and might not listen to
• He talks about the past when there were no compartments around- it was more pleasant, air was fresher, sky was clearer…
• His sons when young were very loving, obedient and respectful towards their father

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Nature of the relationship between Willy and Linda.

• she attempts to protect him from seeing his own shortcomings
• Linda continues to support Willy, offering him excuses for his own behavior
• Willy takes Linda for granted and does not appreciate her

Willy’s way of thinking

• Willy struggles to reconcile memories from the past with the events of the present.
• He believes and expects that the glory of past events should be precursors to the reality of the present.
• In other words, because he recollects such wonderful memories of order and success, these qualities should still exist for him in the present.
• For example, Willy believes he should be recognized and respected at work because he established the company throughout New England and named his own boss. He is not respected, however, because he has lost the ability to sell merchandise effectively. Things that Willy considers meaningful, such as past sales records and prior friendships, mean nothing in his current world, which is governed by the bottom line.

The contradictory in him

• These contradictions are not inconsistencies in Willy's outlook, but rather a consistent part of his character.
• He customizes information, facts, and memories to fit his ideal perception of the world.
• When someone disagrees with Willy, he is insulted and becomes angry. He is tired of "always being contradicted."

His perception of Biff

• His son Biff is the character that "contradicts" him the most throughout the play.
• Willy criticizes Biff because he feels his son is wasting his life working on a farm in Texas. Willy sees Biff's instability as a sign of laziness and lack of character
• However, Willy's opinion of Biff changes as a result of his memories of Biff in high school.
• At the beginning of the conversation, he labeled Biff "a lazy bum," but later in the same conversation, Willy contradicts himself and describes Biff as a "hard worker." Willy believes Biff's popularity and success in high school make it impossible for Biff to be a disappointment now.
• He projects his past memories of Biff onto the present, convincing himself that his son will have the same effect on people now — as a salesman or a hired hand on a farm — that he did as a football player in high school.
• In other words, he refuses to acknowledge his son's situation so Willy creates an alternative reality that is much more palatable, denying the facts of the situation. In this way, Willy creates order from disorder because he manipulates facts to produce a better alternative.

• In Act I, Scene 1, Miller introduces the three major themes of Death of a Salesman: denial, contradiction, and order versus disorder.

Act 2 Scene 2- Biff and Happy

Happy tells Biff that Willy has started talking to himself nearly all of the time. According to Happy, Willy is usually talking to Biff during his private reveries

Biff explains that he has returned home because he is dissatisfied with his job and future prospects. Because Biff enjoys outdoor labor, working on the farm is ideal

Biff dreams of owning his own ranch and working it with Happy. He contemplates asking Bill Oliver for financial support

Contradictions in Biff

• Biff has changed a great deal from the time he was in high school when he thought anything was possible.
• Biff is no longer governed by these beliefs.
• In fact, Biff is overwhelmed by his own contradictory desires: He enjoys working outside on a farm, but when spring comes, he becomes impatient and feels the need to return to New York and "make something of himself.“
• Biff's instability stems not only from his inability to maintain a steady job but his conflicting emotions for his father.
• Biff resents Willy's antagonism toward him, but he is also driven by a desire to please his father — a desire that he denies and hides from himself.

Biff’s secret understanding

• Biff is horrified by Happy's report of Willy's mumblings and imagined conversations.
• Biff hints that his father is troubled because of "other things" — namely Willy's affair — besides the fact that Biff is working as a lowly farmhand.
• On one hand, Biff feels that Willy's conduct is a manifestation of well-deserved guilt. On the other hand, he is disturbed to learn that Willy talks to him or about him during his reveries.
• Biff denies responsibility for his father's condition, but he is forced to acknowledge to himself that he is linked to his father's guilt and irrational actions.

Happy

• Happy believes that he is more like Biff used to be than Biff himself because Happy's own actions stem from the belief that all things are possible and all goals are obtainable.
• Happy has obtained all of the material things he desires — an apartment, a car, and a seemingly unending supply of women , yet he is dissatisfied with his current lifestyle.
• He cannot be promoted until the merchandise manager leaves or dies, and he realizes that if he is promoted, he will be too busy worrying about obtaining more money and material goods to enjoy what he has.

Common traits and new plans

• Biff attempts to establish order in his life by encouraging Happy to join him in Texas.
• Both of the boys have difficulty dealing with authority. According to Biff, "we weren't brought up to grub for money. I don't know how to do it." Therefore, Biff believes owning their own business would be the ideal job for both of them.

Happy vs Biff

• Biff knows what he needs in order to be content; Happy however, is incapable of finding contentment.
• He is a man driven by sexuality and a need for power. He has obtained material desires — an apartment, a car, and lots of women — but he cannot acquire peace.
• He targets women connected to his superiors and "ruins" them in order to prove to himself that he can.
• Although he is forced to endure working for individuals he feels are incompetent, he exacts revenge by stealing their women and "spoiling" them, thus forcing disorder into the order of his superiors.