Death of a Salesman

By: Arthur Miller

Character Analysis

Willy Loman
The common man
Symbolizes the cruel paradox of human existence.
Seen as ritual head of the family.
Seeks to discover a design in the paradoxical movement of life; to
impose upon it a sense of meaning greater that that conferred upon
it by reality.
His life experiences seem to intermingle and disturb the logical flow
of reality.
He views his life as a totality. Conventions of time and place are not
relevant for him.
Has high ideals; possibly unattainable ones
Wants to be loved by all; Wants to succeed by terms that do not suit
his nature; wants to leave his mark upon the world.
Feels he has to succeed and the only way to show his success is to
acquire money and material goods. He does not want to face the fact
that he is not earning enough.
When he finally evaluates his performance he realizes that he has
fallen far short of his goals at that point. Suicide becomes an act of
valor for him.

Linda Loman

Tries to share in Willys ideals and suffers great torment as she observes
Willys decline knowing that she is unable to help Willy or her family.
Fails to understand what happens to Willy and fails to believe what has
occurred between him and Biff, but still manages to retain a belief in
the need to treat human beings properly.
Loyal and supportive wife and mother.
Her anger stems from her beliefs in the Loman family and memories of
her happy time in the past.
She is a woman struggling to come to terms with her city, her husband,
and he sons.
Linda, as the eternal wife and mother, the fixed point of affection both
given and received, the woman who suffers and endures, is in many
ways, the earth mother who embodies the plays ultimate moral value,
love.
In the beautiful, ironic complexity of her creation, she is also Willys and
their sons destroyer. In her love Linda has accepted Willys greatness
and his dream, but while in her admiration for his dreams, it is lethal.
She encourages Willys dream yet she will not let him leave her for the
New Continent, the only realm where the dream can be fulfilled.

Biff Loman
Lacks self- assurance because of the
uncertainty about his fathers attitude towards
him and his doubts about his own life and
future.
Has not found his place in society, but also
realizes that he does not fit into any of the
openings that society has made.

As a result of Willys lies he is undisciplined

and disillusioned.

Sees the city as a concrete jungle, but

refuses to conform to the citys demands.

Happy Loman
Similar to Willy because he is lost due to the fact that
he has never allowed himself to turn his face towards
defeat.
Regular guy, has a job, hopes for promotion,
committed to conform
Needs to pretend to be more than he really is (Like
father like son)
Likes women but treats them disrespectfully.
Never acquires Biffs ultimate self-knowledge and
realization of the truth.
Remains the Loman that he always was, incapable of
interpreting the message of Willys failure.

Who is the protagonist of

this play?

Willy
Loman

Biff Loman

Who contributes to the

destruction
of more than one of the
main characters?

Happy
Loman

Linda
Loman

Which son shares the most

characteristics with Willy?

Biff Loman

Happy
Loman

Listen to the following monologue.

Who is speaking?

Willy
Loman

Linda
Loman

For more information about Death

of a Salesman and Arthur Miller:
Please visit: Here

Bilbliography
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Group, 1976.
Print.
Picture:
"Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Blue Blazes Book Blog." Blue
Blazes Book Blog. 19 Jan. 2010. Web. 02 Nov. 2010.
<http://blueblazeslib.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/death-of-asalesman-by-arthur-miller/>.
"Arthur Miller's Greatest Work Was Never Performed." The Book Den.
2005. Web. 03 Nov. 2010.
<http://thebookden.blogspot.com/2008/09/arthur-millers-greatestwork-was-never.html>.