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It seems that until now, Willy is constantly getting into conflicts with other characters, where most of the time, it is not a legitimate reason to raise a conflict. He has found himself in arguments with Biff, Charley, Bernard, Linda etc. where it is always Willy himself that started it. For example when Charley and Willy are having a conversation on fixing ceilings, Willy calls Charley "disgusting" (44) when they have different views on their conversation, it is also safe to say that Willy had no reason to be this hostile to Charley even if they disagree with certain things. Another example of Willy in a pointless argument is when he gets angry at Linda when she bought a different type of cheese, Willy quickly says he "doesn't want a change" (17) and wants American cheese when she bought Swiss cheese. This conflict is also very child like of Willy, by complaining when he does not get what he wants, so this is another example of Willy always getting into conflicts. Though he is always arguing with someone, the biggest conflict or the main one is between Biff and Willy. It can be seen throughout pages 28 to 34 that in the past, Biff’s and Willy’s relationship was very positive and they seemed extremely close. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case in the present as Willy is always “losing [his] temper with him” (15) and calls Biff a “disgrace” (16) for “not finding [himself] at the age of thirty-four” (16). With this it is possible to conclude that indeed there relationship is almost the complete opposite of what it was before, as Biff admired his father and now they can barely stand each other.

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Throughout the play, the repetition of contradiction in Willy's communication to other characters is prominent. The primary, and most blatant example being his conversation with Linda about Biff's lack of a career. At first Willy exclaims that "Biff is a lazy bum," while later in the argument he defends Biff and says, " Theres one thing about Biff--hes not lazy"(16). Willy clearly cannot decide whether or not he approves of his son's version of 'success' in life, which could possibly be linked to the fact that Willy himself feels both successful and unsuccessful in his life. On page 24, Willy says, I[Willy] can outbox, outrun, and outfit anyone in that store," however on page 37 he claims "I[willy] am fat. Im very-foolish to look at," which shows how he truly cannot find an answer to his questioning of overall success. These are two of the more obvious examples of his inner contradiction; however, there are multiple instances where Willy contradicts himself in simpler regards. On page 65 he becomes annoyed with the word "gee" and states that it "is a boys word," yet later on page 69 he utilizes that word by saying, "Gee, look at the moon moving between the buildings!" It can ultimate be concluded from the collection of examples that not only does Willy not have enough confidence to make inner decision about broad topics including success, but also the simplest of opinions in life like word choice. Judging based on this conclusion, the lack of assurance could be associated with an actual impairment with Willy.

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Through the conversation that Happy and Biff have on the top third of page 21 contrasting points of view about Willy are revealed. Biff, asking "why [his] Dad mock[s] [him] all the time" expresses an sort of resentment toward his father, who's view of Biff has changed drastically since the boys were young (21). Happy defends Willy saying that he isn't mocking Biff. Willy's point of view towards the bys is contrasted from the beginning. When the boys were young, Willy favored Biff heavily. Happy has to ask his dad if he has noticed his weight loss. He quite literally begs for his fathers attention. Now though, Willy more favors Happy because of Biffs lack of success . This contrast and then reversal of view represents Willy's contrasting standards of what success is and how this constantly changes. Arthur Miller uses this to show Willy's mental instability. Happy and Biff's different views on their father is used to show how their father's treating of each of them effected them and how they are both severely different because of it.

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Through their conversation on page 20, we get a better understanding of the way that Biff and Happy view Willy. They seem to have some contradicting views; Happy supports and defends his father, while Biff is more critical of him. This contradiction provides different ways for the reader to understand Willy. From multiple perspectives, the reader finds a less biased description of Willy. This conversation also contains the repetition of Willy’s compromised mental state. Willy’s family is constantly worried that there is something wrong with him mentally, and Biff and Happy’s interaction shows how each of the sons deals with this issue. Miller uses dialogue for the two sons to express how they feel about the situation

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On page 16, motifs are prominent and help define the characters’ traits. For example, Willy continually contradicts himself throughout the book claiming, “Biff is a lazy bum” (16). However, a few lines down the page Willy decides “he’s not lazy” (16). This contradiction in Willy’s speech shows he is conflicted either about his relationship with Biff or the fact that Biff is not as successful as Willy would like. Willy expresses the second motif of hard work and success through his claim that Biff is “such a hard worker” “in the greatest country in the world” (16). This statement shows Willy’s American belief that someone who works hard deserves success and a comfortable salary no matter where you come from. He is angered by the fact that Biff “has had a lot of different jobs” (16) because in his mind his son should be able to find one steady well-paying job.  Willy and Linda both refer to Biff as still “finding himself,” referencing the fact that he has yet to find a stable career (16). Their obsession shows that finding oneself is directly related to finding a job and becoming successful in their eyes. Irony is also present on the page because Willy obsesses over his son finding himself; while at the end of the page he “loses himself in reminiscences” and continually loses himself throughout the book (16). Willy losing himself is a way for the author to include a flashback or use of memories, which uses suspense to build up to an upcoming shift to the past. Willy’s obsession with success is present again as he remembers when Biff was socially successful back in high school. The motif of success reveals that Willy values money, success, and the socially accepted role of working a well-paying job.

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On page 39, the prop, stockings, is first introduced. Willy has two flashbacks
that involve stockings, the first one about his affair with a woman and the other about a conversation with his wife. It is clear that Willy has a superficial relationship with the woman whom he had an affair with, proven when
she admires only his sense of humor and likes him because he is “such a kidder” (39). Previously, the reader learns that Willy is struggling financially, yet
he still purchases new stockings for the woman. In his second flashback, Willy finds his wife “mending a pair of her silk stockings” (39) and gets angry. He
states that he will “make it all up” (39) to her, causing the reader to
question what he will make up to her. Willy shares that he does not feel like he is supporting his family well enough, so he might want to become more successful so that Linda could have a better life, or his statement could be caused by guilt from his affair. Because he has the memory of the woman right
before he finds Linda fixing her old stockings, Willy shows that he is guilty for buying the woman new stockings instead of purchasing them for his wife. He knows that she is supportive and patient, even when the family struggles
financially, and feels that he is not providing for the family enough. When Willy sees Linda fixing old stockings while he bought a woman a new pair makes him
guilty for his not being a good enough husband. The stockings symbolize Willy’s guilt for the affair.

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Sibelle Bassil- Family Relationships (Past vs. Present) 

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Sibelle Bassil- Family Relationships (Past vs. Present) 

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Flashbacks are constantly consisted in the play to portray a better idea of the relationships between the family. Before the flashbacks the relationship between Willy and his sons, was not a positive one. Willy constantly would talk to himself, and instead of the boys being worried for their father, Happy says “it’s getting embarrassing” (Miller 13) and Biff is worried, “Mom’s hearing that”(Miller 13). The flashbacks began with Willy, Happy, and Biff and shows how their past relationship and present relationship had a sudden change. The boys, in the past, looked up greatly toward their father, being an amazing figure in their lives. The flashbacks show the difference in lives of Happy and Biff as well. Being the older child, he is the looked at constantly by Willy, whether he makes mistakes or not. In the flashback, Biff’s high school years are shown, he was the star athlete; everyone loved him. Willy watches Biff and see’s that Biff could go far in life with his popularity. Willy see’s in life that “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.” Happy being the youngest, never got the attention that Biff had. He constantly had to prove himself to his father to get his attention by saying, “I lost weight, Pop, you notice?”(Miller 33). In the present Willy even showed more attention to Biff, even in a negative way. Willy wanted Biff to accomplish great things, instead of working as a farmer. When Willy talks to himself, its always mainly about Biff, showing how important Biff is to his life. Happy is never any of Willy's concern. He constantly focuses on Biff's positive and negative features. The flashbacks show the difference of the type of relationships the family has, the boys once, looked at their father as some god, but now they can hardly look at him without feeling ashamed and pain.

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Throughout Death of a Salesmen, Willy and Linda’s relationship has proven to be an imbalanced one.  Linda is constantly supporting and making excuses for her husband. When it comes to Willy’s actions, “she has developed an iron repression” (Miller 12). Arthur Miller gives us this piece of information so we can understand why Linda doesn’t have stronger reactions to Willy’s neurotic behavior. Linda also has developed a habit of distracting Willy from an unstable conversation as if he were a child. We see this when Willy begins reminiscing over Biff’s glory days and she “brings him out of it” by talking about cheese (Miller 17).  She also must match his drastic level in order to get her point across. When Billy feels that he can’t sell because is “fat” and “very foolish looking,” Linda responds by saying he’s “the handsomest man in the world” (Miller 37), Linda balances Billy’s extremely drastic comments by doing the same, that way he will believe and really take in what she is saying. This relationship dynamic reveals a lot to us about both characters. Just as Willy refuses to see Biff’s flaws, Linda refuses to acknowledge the severity of Willy’s problems. Instead of seeking help, she plays into his world so she can spare his feelings. Throughout the act, we see how one second Billy can praise Linda but then seconds later can act harshly.  Neurotic relationships like theirs cause the recipient of this radical behavior mental stress of uncertainty. According to Guy Murchie, a philosopher, this uncertainty manifests itself into attachment or love and enhances how the receiver feels towards their significant other. Linda always seems hesitant when talking to Billy because she never knows what reaction she will get. He also constantly interrupts her, a clear sign that he does not value her opinion. Linda definitely has developed what Guy Murchie speaks about; because she is so dependent and attached to Willy, she is willing to make a plethora of excuses for him in order to justify why she is still in that relationship.

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On the first page of the play, Miller provides a detailed explanation about the characters’ lives and background which helps the audience to understand more about the characters and their feelings. Miller explains that the “towering, angular shapes” surround the Loman’s tiny home suggesting that they do not fit socially in their neighborhood or even society. Later on in the novel, on page 61, Miller reasserts the same idea or further supports when Biff states that they “don’t belong in this nut-house” in their city (61). By implying the idea of not fitting in, Miller introduces a larger statement questioning if a person has to have the stereotypical attributes/job in order to fit in and be accepted. Willy strongly believes that Biff must become a business man or make money in order to live up to his standards even though Biff feels content working on the farms. Immediately after, Miller describes their house as a home radiating an “angry glow of orange” rather than a typical, happy household that normally reflects a yellow, sunlight glow (11). The description of the angry household further explicates the tension between the characters and the anger that flows throughout the household since Willy constantly "mock[s] [Billy] all the time" (21) part of which (the mockery) stems from Biff's untraditional/lowerclass job. Furthermore, Miller continues to build on the same idea claiming that an "air of the dream clings" to their home (11) which references the "million-dollar" (64) american dream Willy wishes for himself and his family which also causes the conflict between them all. Miller randomly mentions that a "silver...trophy" (11) resides atop a shelf which could represent/symbolize/add to the idea that the Loman family feels out of place and number 2 since a gold trophy means #1. As a result of many of the characters feeling this way, conflict arises and tension occurs because they want the best for each other--mainly the american dream.

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Arthur Miller uses flashbacks in Death of a Salesman to show both how Willy’s relationships with his son’s Biff and Happy are, and how they have progressed through the years. During Willy’s first flashback, the audience sees an initial preference towards Biff. Willy says, “Terrific. Terrific job, boys. Good work, Biff” (29). Though Willy says “Terrific job, boys” he does not extend this compliment to include Happy as he has done with Biff. Similarly, Willy ignores Happy when asked whether or not he had noticed his sons weight loss. Nonethelesss, Linda, the boys mother explains how “few men are idolized by their children the way you are” (37).  In a second flashback, Willy continues to have the same feelings towards his children. In particular, Biff is viewed as a perfect child. Biff is accused of stealing something to which Willy responds “Shut up! He’s not stealing anything!... There’s nothing wrong. What’s the matter with you?” (51). Willy can not begin to agree let alone fathom that his son could be doing something wrong. Yet as the audience is brought back to the present, the roles are reversed. Willy’s relationship to Happy is the stronger of the two. In fact, Biff asks his brother why his father always mocks him to which Happy responds, “ He’s not mocking you, he- just wants to make you good” (21). The two argue over the concept of “making you good”. Linda would like her son to stop the disagreements and asks why the two are so spiteful in the first place. She says, “by the time you get here, he’s arguing, and seems angry at you. I think it’s just that maybe he can’t bring himself to- to open up to you. Why are you so hateful to each other? Why is that?” (54). So while the audience has gotten a glimpse of the origins of the argument much is left unsaid. This brings us to one question: What on earth happened between Biff and his father?

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On page 17 of Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses his dialogue to convey agitation and an underlying conflict between Linda and Willy. Willy’s quick, furious reaction to Linda’s purchasing a different type of cheese than he implicitly requested illustrates that there is a larger, unending argument suspended between the two characters, as while Willy claims that he “[doesn’t] want a change” because he “want[s] swiss cheese and questions why “[Linda] get[s] American [cheese] when [he] like[s] swiss,” he also exclaims, “Why am I always being contradicted?” Miller’s word choice in using the word “always” demonstrates that he, in actuality, is upset about something greater than Linda’s cheese selection, and is frustrated by a general movement of change that he feels taking place around him. Furthermore, his reaction reveals that Willy’s natural reaction to the disruption he experiences is to become angry and frustrated by his inability to halt the changes occurring. Linda responds with a “covering laugh,” illustrating that her automatic strategy in facing Willy’s outbursts is to attempt to brush over and ignore them by lightening the mood or changing topics, a pattern that she continues throughout the play. Miller’s selections in Willy’s speech correspond with his increasing agitation, with exclamation points and phrases such as “for God’s sake.” Furthermore, Willy’s growing claustrophobia, as he asks to open a window and then complains about “the way they boxed [them] in,” might signify an internal sense of tension and constraint. Linda’s responding “with infinite patience” reveals a practiced balance in the relationship between Willy and she, as she knows without struggle the best way to respond to him and attempt to calm him down during this angry outburst, thus demonstrating, though vaguely, that Willy’s struggle is ongoing. Miller uses the motif of agitation to emphasize the juxtaposition inherent in the balance between Willy’s extreme emotions and Linda’s moderate reactions.

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Throughout the play “death of a salesman” so far, We have seen how Linda makes excuses for her unstable husband Willy. On page 37, we truly see Willy’s insecurities coming out. He starts to express a lot of self-consiousness and doubt: “I’m fat. I’m foolish to look at Linda”. Whenever Willy expresses doubt in his own character, Linda encourages him to feel better, and she comforts Willy no matter how true it actually is. Even when Willy lies to her two pages earlier, Linda makes it seem like it’s okay. Willy first says he “did five hundred gross in providence and seven hundred gross in Boston.”(35) and then changes it to: “It came to about two hundred gross on the whole trip.” Instead of getting mad, or even disappointed, Linda reassures him that it’s very good. This pattern in how Linda speaks to Willy might help us discover some important aspects of the relationship between Willy and Linda. Although at one point they clearly loved each other, but at this point in their relationship, Linda is only there to comfort and reassure Willy, to tell him that he’s the best, even though he’s not. This reveals that Willy and Linda's relationship, although at some point it probably was, cannot really be seen as sincere anymore, seeing as Willy treats Linda badly, yet she still makes excuses for everything he does. This also reveals that there is obviously something deeper and more important going on with Willy, but Linda is not willing to admit it, therefore she comes up with excuses for everything that happens to Willy to try and cover it up.

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In"Death of a Salesman", the motif of music repeatedly appears throughout the play. Music is often mentioned in the stage directions before Willy gets lost in the past. For example, Willy begins to speak to himself about Biff after the stage directions say, "Music insinuates itself as the leaves appear” (27). Not only is the motif music associated with Willy's flashbacks, but nature, or more specifically leaves, seem to be mentioned along with music or a flute right before Willy begins to have a flashback. On page 27, the stage directions mention that "The apartment houses are fading out, and the entire house and surroundings become covered with leaves".

The motif of nature relates to the motif of music, but it also represents the connection that both Biff and Happy have to the outdoors. Biff mentions that “Men built like we are should be working out in the open” (23). He is unhappy with the amount of money he makes, and even goes on to say that “all I’ve done is waste my life” (23), but he loves working on the ranch in Texas despite the low pay. Another appearance of nature is shown when Willy's flashback ends, and he comes back to reality. As he finishes exploding at Linda, the stage directions mention that “Willy is alone in the kitchen, wilting and staring. The leaves are gone” (41). Leaves seem to trigger the beginning and end of Willy's flashbacks. Another example of nature triggering a flashback shown right after Willy expresses his unhappiness with Linda's new selection of cheese. Willy and Linda begin to speak about the fact that “There’s not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood” (17), and Willy mentions that it’s impossible to grow a carrot in the backyard due to the placement of the apartment buildings that surround the home. At this point, the stage directions say "(Lost.)" (18), and it is seen that Willy again gets lost in his words.

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Arthur Miller uses the literary devices of questions/commands, diction/syntax, memories, repetition, recurring references, setting, and the contrast of characters to describe Willy’s character and his relationship with his brother Ben. On page fifty-two, after a long conversation of Ben, most of which is spent with Ben repeating the same phrase, both characters stand on “opposite ends of the stage” to symbolize the differences in their character (52). An obvious difference is the state of life the characters are in: Willy is alive while Ben is either a memory or a ghost, depending on the reader/viewer’s interpretation. Another difference is each character’s success in life: Willy is unsuccessful, while Ben was successful. The reader/viewer can also interpret that the distance between them is a metaphoric riff in their relation. Drawing parallels from Happy and Biff, just as Willy’s sons are no longer close, he and his brother are no longer close. Willy mirrors Happy, and his brother mirrors Biff.

Miller, then, uses the literary devices of syntax/diction, speaking patterns, and questions/commands as Willy begins a thought, then immediately interrupts himself. In asking his brother, “can’t we talk” he articulates the need to for his brother’s opinion/approval (52). When Ben responds that he is successful because his boys are “manly chaps” (52), the audience learns that Ben and Willy value masculinity above everything. When Willy finally begs Ben for his thoughts, “hanging on to his[Ben’s] words” (52), their relationship is epitomized. Willy needs Ben’s approval and guidance. When Ben can only provide the repeated phrase of “walk(ing) into the jungle” and “walk(ing) out” with diamonds, then the audience learns that not only is Willy’s priority money but also that not even Willy’s fantasies make sense to himself.

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In the play, "Death of a Salesman", Miller introduces Willy, who is the main character and initially presents himself as an average salesman who seems to stressed out from work. In the middle of page 16, however, the reader is introduced to his tendency to contradict himself, forcing the reader to delve deeper into his mind in order to find his true aspirations and beliefs. While he's discussing his favorite son, Biff, he starts out describing him as "a lazy bum" who just does not work hard enough. This bold statement allows the reader to make assumptions immediately about the type of person Biff truly is and consequently what his role will be in the play; however, Willy goes on later in the dialogue to say that "[Biff's] not lazy", completely throwing off the readers ability to assess Biffs character and qualities. Willy has now violated the readers trust and allows for his own reputation to be compromised. Through this piece of dialogue, Miller has been able to affirm Willy's untrustworthy nature which he will then be able to deconstruct in the future, turning Willy into a complete lost cause. This opinion of Willy causes the reader to wonder what he truly means during pieces of dialogue and also why he is so confused on what he believes.

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In “Death of a Salesman”The flute is an example of a motif. In the first set of stage directions describes the  “melody...played upon a flute, it is a small and fine telling of grass and trees and the horizon” (1). In this quote, the flute is associated with nature. Later in the play, the flute seems to  relate to Willy’s memories such as  when the stage directions mention that “the flute plays on” (12) but even though “he hears the flute, [he] is not aware of it” (12); we see a more detailed connection with his memories when we learn that Willy’s father was a flute maker.  The flute playing seems to symbolize the relationship between Willy and his family because when he imagines speaking to his brother Ben then  “Ben’s music is heard.” Willy seems sad when he sees Ben, which means his memories remind him of his troubled past.  The troubled past is associated with connection that the flute is constantly repeated in the play. The significance of music in the page is music has an effect on one of the main characters and demonstrates one character's past. The flute is a motif that is used to describe Willy's troubled past. His dream of being successful did not come true. That is why he is not aware of the flute at the beginning because his troubled past still constantly fills his memory.

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Within the flashback the reader can see change of relationship between Willy and Biff. The Biff that Willy first speaks of seems to be a disgrace for a son, making little to no money and being “lost”. However Willy still can remember the young Biff who was once his golden boy. It is within the flashbacks beginning on page 28 the reader can begin to see the change in the dynamic between the two. Willy remembers these memories clearly, which tells the reader they are important to him and that he still can remember Biff from when he was not a failure. Willy tells child Biff to “watch [his] schooling first.” (Miller, 28) As Biff however develops more into an athlete the reader can see his morals begin to slip and shows Willy does not discipline his child rather he makes excuses for him. Biff steals the ball and Willy rationalizes that the coach will be impressed with his initiative. The final straw for Willy is when he learns Biff is going to fail his tests and will not graduate. It is in this moment Willy’s image of Biff is shattered. All the anger he has have towards Biff is let out screaming how he will “whip him” repeatedly. The flash back shows how the progression of Willy and Biff giving the reader the backstory to their current relationship.

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In “Death of a Salesmen”, the flute is a motif. Early on, the flute is introduced in the play to intensify the mood in the story.  Throughout the whole play, the flute is playing in the background in different situations. Willy is the only character in the play, which seems to have a personal relationship with the flute. Willy`s dad was a salesmen and “played the flute” (48), when he was alive. Immediately after Willy remembers his personal connection to the flute, “new music” (49) is played in the background. With the new music introduced, he gets told memories about his dad because Ben tells him how great their dad was.  Apparently, his dad earned “more in a week than a man like you could make in lifetime” (49) which shows that Willy`s family used to be rich. This might have been the reason Willy became a salesmen because he saw the success of his father “(selling) the flutes” (49) and how he became rich. The flute is a motif that is used to describe Willy`s failure in being successful like his dad was. His dream of becoming rich did not come true. This is the reason he is not aware of the flute at the beginning because he forgot about the success of his dad. The flute is an indicator of how Willy failed in fulfilling his dreams.

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In order to build suspense throughout the play, play writer Arthur Miller, incorporates many flashbacks. A flashback is used as a narrative technique. It allows the writer to provide background information from the past even though dialogue is in the present. A flashback will provide insight for the reader for the reasoning behind characters actions. For example: on page 38-39 Willy has a flashback to when he had a mistress. He made a relationship with this mistress and he bought new stockings for her as a gift. The flashback indicates that Willy does not like to mend things but to simply buy new things.  When the play gets back into the present from the interruption of the flashback, the initial action we see being done is Linda “sitting where [The Woman] was at the kitchen table, but now is mending a pair of her silk stockings” (39). This event reminds Willy of the time spent with the mistress and he “angrily” (39) took the stockings away from her. Another use of a flashback in the play, Death of a Salesman, is when Willy is reliving the past in the present when he sees Ben, young Biff, and young Happy, on pages 47-52. During this flashback the readers come to realize why Willy is the man he is today. Willy states that his father and Ben left him when “[he] was just a baby, of course, only three or four years old” (47). The flashback provides details that indicate why the flute is important to the text. The flute is the instrument that the father played and sold. From the same flashback, the readers can also infer why Willy treats Biff and Happy the way he does today. Ben taught Biff to “never fight fair with a stranger” (49). From this flashback it can be concluded that Willy looks up to his older brother Ben, as a role model. Conclusions can be drawn because repeatedly Willy is seen to be obsessed with Bens story, “William, when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich!” (52). Also in addition to this Willy directly asks Ben, “How should I teach [Biff and Happy]… I’m afraid that I’m not teaching them the right kind of-“ (52). This flashback explains to the reader how Willy wants his children to “imbue” the “spirit”, “To walk into a jungle” (52)! Overall flashbacks are used to interrupt present dialogue to bring up past events in order to provide background information that can lead to many conclusions about certain actions.

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From the bottom 1/3 of page 13 in the play “Death of a Salesman”, a pattern is introduced to build suspension. Throughout the play so far (up to page 60), Linda has been shown to make excuses for Willy. On page 13, Linda compensates for Willy’s distracted driving by coming up with three excuses to why this may be. Willy however, is well aware that the driving is fully his fault, but Linda insists it is because of other reasons. To start, Linda expects the worse when Willy comes home. Jumping to conclusions, Linda assumes that Willy may have crashed the car, as he has done so in the past, an indicator that maybe Willy should not be driving or working as much as he has been lately. This pattern of compensating for Willy s is introduced as the first she claims is that possibly “it was the steering wheel again.” (13). Linda then follows and reasons that perhaps “it’s (his) glasses”, and that he “never went for (his) new” ones. (13). Not only does she make these small excuses for him, but we are also introduced to Willy’s distractions, as he realizes that he “is going sixty miles an hours and (he doesn’t) remember the last five minutes”(13) The pattern of being preoccupied in his mind and forgetting where he is is a reoccurring trend throughout the play. in conclusion, it is clear to see that there is something going on with Willy that is not being completely mentioned, and Linda is too afraid to admit it to herself or to Willy, using excuses and false reasoning to try and cover the fact that something is clearly wrong and not being handled correctly.

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In the Death of a Salesman a clear motif is success, it re-occurs in different forms between the pages 11-20. The characters have various perspectives of the term success and therefore it arises to many conflicts.

To begin with the conflict between Willy and Biff exists due to Willy believes a man with as big potential as Biff can not be successful on a farm. According to Willy “the trouble is he’s lazy” (16) and even if he would try and find himself as Linda used as an excuse, Willy believe that “not finding himself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace.” Biff tried work that could have made him successful e.g as a shipping clerk, salesman or a businessman the problem is it made Biff realize that “all (he) really desire is to be outdoors, with (his) shirt off.” (22)  Because Willy and Biff have their different views of what success is they get into this conflicts and neither can understand the other person's point of view.

A monologue on page 19 discusses the differences between Biff and Happy when it comes to success. “He has succeeded less, and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s.” (19) By this Miller gives us a clear statement that the difference between success and success is important. Because even though Biff has stronger dreams they are not as acceptable as Happy’s and therefore Happy is described as more successful.
Miller is giving a narrow definition of the diction success. Because of the narrow definition success it is defined as very materialistic and shallow, especially from Biff’s point of view. Success is not what makes a person happy according to the information from the pages 11-22 in the Death of a Salesman. The different perspectives of the diction success, will probably be continuous throughout the book and become an important motif.

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The dialogue on the top of page 17 reveals some aspects of the puzzle that Miller drives the audience to figure it out. Linda “thought” Willy “would like a change” so she buys “new kind of American cheese instead of Swiss cheese”. Apparently, Willy gets angry immediately since he is “always being contradicted”. The strange use of language here, “is being contradicted”, could imply that Willy becomes so angry so he loses control of himself, also exemplified by when he “absolutely forgot that” he “was driving” (14). More significantly, through what Willy says, Linda seems to know that he only wants the Swiss cheese, but she somehow deliberately contradicts him. This contradiction is an irony, because she has “iron repression”(12) and limitless care for Willy. The irony brings up a question to the audience: why does Linda do that, or it is just a mistake?. Lastly, the change from Swiss cheese to American obviously is a metaphor for change within the Lomans. Later on, when he uses flashback to describe childhood of Happy and Biff, we know the family used to be a happy one. Thus, we could suspect that there might be a change that significantly worsens the relationship between father and son within the family. Up to this point, there is no answer to these questions and suspicion, but apparently the playwright successfully triggers curiosity of the audience by revealing small fragment of the picture through every little detail.

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On page 37, we see how Linda always feels the need to repeatedly support and comfort Willy throughout the book. Willy is discussing here how he has only made "70 dollars this week" and Linda responds by encouraging him even though the first price he stated was much higher. And whenever Willy starts to doubt himself throughout the novel, Linda chimes in with a supportive and encouraging remark. We see this again on page 37 when Linda supports Willy letting him know "he is the most handsomest man in the world." The fact that Linda repeatedly encourages Willy might help the reader understand the relationship between them via how they speak. Because Linda is constantly supporting Willy even though she is filled with "iron repression" and knows that he is often wrong, it demonstrates how she might know that Willy is traveling down a slippery slope and because she loves him will support him no matter what.

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Willy's conversation with Linda about Biff reflects his mixed emotions about his son and the relationship that they have. Biff's uncertainty about his son is evident when he contradicts himself when talking about Biff's work ethic and motivation. Willy says, "Biff is a lazy bum!" (16) He disapproves of his son's decision to work on a farm. Linda tries to tame Willy's anger by saying that Biff is simply finding himself. However, within the next few lines, Willy talks about what a hard worker Biff is and how he is an attractive man with a solid work ethic. Willy says, "There's one thing about Biff-he's not lazy" (16). This contradiction implies that Willy has mixed or conflicting emotions about Biff. It seems as if Willy believes his son is a hard worker who has a lot to offer; however, Willy seems disappointed that Biff is not living up to his potential or to the standards that Willy has set for him. In some respects, it appears as if Willy is slightly resentful that his son has taken a risk and is following his heart. Willy clearly wants Biff to follow in his footsteps. At the same time, like most parents, he wants his son to be happy. Willy is having a difficult time supporting Biff's search for happiness because he, himself, is so unhappy.

At this point in the play it seems as if Linda offers Willy a sense of stability. She does not overreact to her husband's rant, which shows that she is used to dealing with this type of behavior from him. Linda simply tells Willy "Get something to eat. Go on down" ( 16). She remains calm and seems to be skilled at deescalating the situation. She is the rational one who is keeping the situation from destroying her family. Willy turns to her for understanding and stability. Linda is able to listen to Willy without letting his criticisms of thier son upset her.

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Analyzing one third of page 16 Arthur Martian utilizes Shifting between present and past to display Willy's conflicted feelings for his sporting son. Willy's present thoughts on "Biff is a lazy Bum!"(16) conveys to the reader that Willy despises his son for being so unsuccessful economically. The reader then gets a view of Willy in the past and this outlook delivers to the reader an unexpected opinion of Biff. Arthur Martians use of shifting between present and past shows how Willy idolizes his sons every decision even if its criminal in nature, this is seen on page 30 when Biff steals a football and is encouraged for his initiative. Gaining the prior feelings of offers the reader explanations to Willys conflicting thoughts of Biff. With shifts in present and past conclusions can be made supporting Willy's optimism for Biffs success due to his great looks and like ability. The reader can now conclude that Willy correlates success with good looks and like ability valuing these traits we can see Willy's frustration for his sons fruitless wealth. Willy's paternal instincts are what drive most of his lousy parenting, Willy's expectations of Biff are set at the same level as his Brother, Willy sees Ben in Biff and believes that he will just walk into a jungle and come out rich. Yet with shifting past and present we see that Willy's important values of successful people have held but his view of his son has shifted.

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From pages 11-20, Arthur Miller provides enough information for the reader to truly define the type relationship that Willy has with his wife Linda. Before the play starts, Miller provides some background information about Linda's feelings about Willy. Miller states: "Most often jovial, she has developed an iron repression...she more than loves her, she admires him." (Miller 12). This short passage describes Linda's attitude as being very accepting of her husbands behavior. It also seems as though that Linda looks up to Willy. Based on the dialogue that is provided on page 13, Linda starts by commanding Willy to take an aspirin and right after almost as though she is correcting herself she asks if she "should get him an aspirin." (Miller 14). Miller could be using Linda's correction of herself to show the reader that Linda is subservient to Willy. It is almost as though Miller is showing the reader what women were considered to be in the 50's. As the dialogue continues, Linda even says this: "I'll make you a sandwich." (Miller 15). So basically, Linda is almost like a servant for Willy in their relationship. In other words Miller is introducing the role of the man in the family and the role of women in the family. From context clues it seems as though the family dynamic was centered around very sexist principles as there would be a dominant man who would not only be the patriarch of the family but would also be taken care of by his wife who serve him as though she was his servant or beneath him.

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Throughout page 21, character relationships are seen taking a great toll on Biff’s views of success. Biff and Willy seem very close when Biff is in high school and according to Willy, at his prime. When Biff was good looking and well-liked by everyone in his high school, he sought his father’s approval; he needed to know that not only did his peers view him as a success, but his father did too. While he was in high school and at the peak of his father’s views of success, his father was in awe of Biff, but now, there has been a distinct change between Willy and Biff’s relationship, and Billy still craves his father’s approval when he asks Happy twice “what does [Willy] say about me?” (21). Through Biff’s constant persistence in asking Happy about what his father says about him shows how much he cares. When Happy finally answers, Biff’s lack of confidence in his occupation is confirmed as his father believes Biff is “not settled” and “kind of up in the air” (21). When asking about his father mocking him, the stage directions show Biff as he “moves restlessly about the room” (21). This restlessness the stage directions reveal, show a great internal conflict that Biff struggles with as he knows that he no longer has his father’s approval. Biff wants to be able to do the work that he loves, not caring about the money or his personal possessions, but because his father views success as staying in one job and rising up while being well-liked, Biff falls short of these expectations and does not feel as if doing what he loves is enough to be successful in his fathers eyes.

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In The Death of a Salesman, detailed explanations of lights and props create invisible boundaries of characters and timeframes. On page 11, the different colors of lights contrasts the inside of the house and the outside. Orange light lights “the surrounding area,” whereas the “blue light of the sky falls upon the house and forestage” (Miller 11). The colors set boundaries, contrasting the mood of the inside and of the outside. On page 12, description of props shows that there are “imaginary lines.” Some “characters enter or leave a room by stepping ‘through’ a wall onto the forestage,” while there are only one “door at the left” (Miller 12). The characters in Willy’s memory do not acknowledge the single door, instead, they walk through the walls of the house. These “imaginary lines” create the boundaries between the present and the past. On page 19, the light lights on the two sons. Although the audiences see Biff and Happy beginning from page 18 when they “raise themselves up in their beds, listening,” the audiences fully recognize the two characters. While Willy is still seen from the audience, talking to himself, the two bright places on stage shows the emotional boundary of the father and his sons. In this play, the lights and the props create boundaries between characters, past and the present.

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Happy and Biff’s relationship is illustrated vividly in their conversation on page 20. Here, one may conclude that the dialogue shared between them is one of true affection and nostalgia. Their conversation reveals much about their relationship, even the fact that they are willing to dismiss their father’s comments and continue with their conversation. If a family member were talking to themselves, one would probably approach them to see what the problem is and to see if they need any help. Happy and Biff completely disregard his comments, demonstrating that they are very close to each other and that the relationship between the two of them is significant. Happy and Biff had many “dreams and plans”, just like their father, but they seem to have left those behind. Those dreams and plans, that are not revealed in the conversation, seem to be only distant memories, since they have had “[their] whole lives” to achieve them, and they still doubtful of what they think is the right thing to do with their lives, especially Biff.

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Madeline Elhilow - device of repetition 

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Madeline Elhilow - device of repetition 

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In The Death of a Salesman, the character Willy often uses repetition when discussing the idea of being “well-liked.” In one of the flashbacks, Willy says “Charlie is liked, but he’s not-- well-liked” (30) and similarly calls Bernard “liked, but not well-liked” (33). However, when talking about himself, Willy says “I am very well-liked in Hartford” (36), while also stating that he raised his own sons to be “rugged and well-liked, all around” (49). As he regularly explores how “well-liked” different characters are, it is obvious how much he emphasizes and values this title. Interestingly, when talking about other people, he only refers to them as “liked,” whereas he refers to himself and his family as “well-liked.” Using repetition, Willy clearly reveals the people he feels fitting of this title and, therefore, forces us to ask an important question. What constitutes a character who is “well-liked?"

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On page 22, Biff has a paragraph-long rant about his intense dislike of the “measly manner of existence” that is a corporate system.  In his rage, the reader can see that the play is arguing that the American definition of success is not as glamorous as it seems to be.  Biff tells Happy about his attempt to “work [himself] up” the ladder—and he makes it seem miserable (22).  He describes it in such a way that the reader believes that climbing up the corporate ladder is essentially devoting oneself to suffering.  Biff’s true desire is to “be outdoors, with [his] shirt off” because he genuinely loves nature and working outside (22).  However, the pressure from his father has made him seem as though the way to be successful is to rise to the top in one specific field, rather than the one that leaves a person emotionally fulfilled.  In this section, Biff is portraying the American Dream—the belief that all people have the right to achieve success—in a negative light because of the fact that success, in America, is essentially applicable only to one field.  The final section of this paragraph furthers this argument:  “And always have to get a ahead of the next fella. And still—that’s how you build a future” (22).  Biff’s character’s ideals support the idea that success should mean achievement in a field that satisfies one emotionally, rather than monetarily, though the pursuit of one does not necessarily have to negate the pursuit of the other.

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Willy’s understanding of success is found starting on the middle of page 16. When Linda and Willy are talking about Biff, they both agree that he is at a state in his life where he is very lost. Willy then responds with “In the greatest country in the world a young man which such-personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff-he’s not lazy.” The reader can conclude that Willy has strong emotions and beliefs that if one is attractive and is willing to work hard, then they should automatically end up being successful. By including the part where Willy says “he’s (Biff’s) not lazy” also shows how he still feels the need to respect his son and while also showing how his personality is bipolar; one minute he will be talking highly of Biff while the next minute can easily be changed. The reader can conclude that Willy feels the reason Biff is lost is because he didn’t follow the conventional pathway to success and how he jumps from one job to the next. The use of dashes in this quotation also shows that hesitation for Willy to use the right words when he is talking about the idea of success. In the next section, Willy speaks with pity and resolve while saying “I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time. [...] Remember how they used to follow him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them their faces lit up.” Willy believes that the solution to Biff’s new life would to be a salesman like him and make it big in the business world. He also constantly alludes to the past and the younger Biff, who possessed much popularity and in a sense “made it big” in his time at high school. The fact that Willy feels the need to always bring this up solidifies the fact that he cares mainly about how rich and popular one is opposed to being a nice and genuine person.

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On page 19, the focus of the scene shifts from Willy and Linda to Biff and Happy, upstairs in their bedroom. This is the first time the focus is on only these two characters. And, just as the opening of the play, the description for the set is elaborate and very detailed. This extended setting description calls attention to Biff and Happy and says something about them individually, but also their relationship. Still, not every single detail is easily communicated through body language and this is a play. So the fact that Miller still gave the details means that it is important to understanding the play and that the actors playing Biff and Happy have to take the details and incorporate them into how they portray their characters. Miller describes Biff as “well built” and Happy as “tall, powerfully made” (Miller 19). So there is not too much discrepancy in the physical state of the brothers. Rather, the difference that Miller is trying to point out lies in their attitudes. Biff “bears a worn air and seems less self-assured” while Happy is “seemingly more content” (Miller 19). This detail is can practically be made evident in how the actors carry themselves. Yet, the next detail Miller gives about Biff is almost impossible to act out. Miller says that Biff’s “dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s” (Miller 19). There is no one gesture that communicates this, but this will be made apparent in the exchange between Biff and Happy. So this only foreshadows the eccentric and impractical ideas that Biff will have. The opposite is true for Happy and also foreshadows their upcoming exchange. Happy is “lost […] because he has never allowed himself to turn his face toward defeat” (Miller 19). So unlike Biff, Happy prefers to be practical in his dreams but because of it he is not completely satisfied. Both brothers are used to show two types of reasons for being lost. The first is due to unsuccessfulness because of impracticality and the second is due to successfulness due only to practicality. This asks the audience the question as to which is better, to follow your dreams or to be realistic, if both will result in you being ‘lost’? It is asking the question; Which type of ‘lost’ is better?

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In Death of a Salesman we see many relationships being shown to us through various interactions between characters. On page 29, we see the first flashback in motion. Willy has just gotten back home and Bfif and Happy are excited to see their father after a long time of not seeing him. On the end of page 29 we see Happy say "I’m losing weight, you notice, Pop?" (29). This quote shows a lot about the Happy relationship with his father. We see that Happy yearns for his father's attention and even went out of his way to lose weight, for the cause. repetition and diction also proves this by how later on Happy again says "[on his back, pedaling again]: I’m losing weight, you notice, Pop?"(33) All Willy says back to him is "Jumping rope is good too."(29) Here, he doesn't even acknowledge the fact that Happy spent all this time losing wait. He even just moves on to Biff, right after that quote saying, "That so? And he gave you the ball, heh?"(29) Another relationship this shows us, is how proud Willy is, of Biff. Willy even favorites Biff over Happy and shows it through the diction that Willy says.

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After referring to the devices list and your own knowledge of literary terms, please write a paragraph analyzing one third of a page from pages 11-20. You must refer to devices in your paragraph and make conclusions about a character, a relationship, a motif, or a theme. Posts will be approved by me and then visible to your peers. Don't forget to add your name and an image.