The%20Death%20of%20a%20Salesman

1
The Death of a Salesman

• Act II Dream, Self-Deception and Capitalist
  Reality

2
Starting Questions

• Does Act II show Willy going insane?
• Is he a complete failure, or does he gain any
  self-knowledge or self-confirmation?

3
Outline

• Plot Summary
• Flashbacks Illusions a way to Reality and
  Dreams
• Failure of the Lowmans Dreams ? their (Self-)
  Deceptiveness.
• Willy pushed to face reality by 1) those around
  him 2) Flashbacks
• Biff and Reality
• Minor Characters and their Reality Stanley and
  the woman
• Symbols in the Play

4
Act II

• two office visits (by the father and the son)?
• Two arguments (reality vs. dream) in the
  restaurant scene at home
• Willy (to Ben and Bernard) What is the answer
  (the secret)?
• Biffs self-realization vs. Happys maintenance
  of the dream
• Willys final action (self-deception or
  realization of his dream?)

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Act II Plot Summary

1. (1229-) Willy and Linda plans and dreams vs.
   money Lindas phone conversation
2. (1232) Howards office capitalist reality (
   machine) vs. Willlys values memories (? to
   Frank 1235)
3. (1236)? Ben vs. Willy ? Biffs last game (Willy
   vs. Charley)
4. (1239) Willy vs. Bernard (about the past) (1241)
   Willy vs. Charley
5. (1243) restaurant Happy vs. Forsythe Biff vs.
   Happy first about his visit and (1247-) then
   Willy
6. (1249-51-52) ? Willy into the bathroom and to his
   past.
7. (1255) Stanley comes in
8. (1256 -) family together at home ? Biff vs.
   Willy
9. (1262 -) Willys last action (? Ben)

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Flashbacks a Way to Reality and Dreams

• Like a young god. Hercules. . . And the sun,
  the sun all around him. (1228)

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The Lowman Familys Dreams Why do they fail?

• Reasons for the failure
• wrong dream
• Environment not possible in their times
• Sources of Dream Willys father as a flute-maker
  on the road Benan adventurer Dave Singleman
  1234)
• Character their lack of money, ability training
  and self-awareness ? their self-deception
• Group report The Lowman family vs. Charleys
  family

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The Lowman Familys (Self-)Deception

• Willy dreams of his own and his sons success
• ? unable to face his own failure, Biffs problem,
  the past conflict.
• Linda in support of her husbands dream
• ? blind to her husbands weaknesses and failures.
  
• Happy deceptive -- lies to attract women (West
  Point, Champaign 1244 45 about his father 1252)
  and to comfort his father (ask Biff to do so,
  too)
• ? e.g. Im gonna retire you for life (1215)
  Im gonna get married Im gonna win it for
  him (1264).
• Biff forced to support his fathers dream about
  his being a salesman
• ? faces reality -- always a shipping clerk
  habitual theft (steals things out of his failures)

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Flashbacks in Act I Disruptive and Affirmative
of Dreams

• The family in the present (worries and good
  memories)
• Flashbacks ? Biff in high school Willy and Linda
  (? the woman Bernard)
• Card playing ? Willy and Ben (Willy I was
  right!)
• 2. Linda vs. Biff and Happy the threes plans.

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Flashbacks in Act II Willy Pushed to Face
Reality

• Memories can serve as an escape, if Willy chooses
  to dwell on the good part.
• But for Willy, facing reality is inevitable,
  because he
• Is fired by Howard, ? You never averaged No
  time for false pride, Willy p. 1235)
• sees Bernard,? Biff never trains himself what
  happened at Boston (1240-41)
• has to borrow money from Charley, ? (1242-43)
  importance of what one can sell and money
• Seeks comfort from Biff in vain (tell me what
  happened 1249),
• Is left alone by his sons to search for Answers
  and Solutions.

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Willy, Illusions and Reality

• Talk to Frank 1235 very short ?interrupted by
  the recording machine
• After being fired ?
• (1236) Oh, Ben, how did you do it? What is the
  answer? Did you wind up the Alaska deal already?
  
• ? Ben vs. Willy What Willy builds with the firm
  (name and connections) has no substance (1236-37)
  
• ? Biffs last game Charley not important
  (1238)

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Flashbacks in Act II Willy Pushed to Face
Reality

• 3. (1249-51-52) ? the pen Biffs attempts to
  tell Willy that he is not a salesman, is not
  hired by Oliver, takes a pen, has no appointment,
  and is no good.
• -- Willy cannot stops the past (the womans,
  operators and pagers voices) from emerging in
  his mind.
• -- Open the door. He goes to the bathroom to
  face his past.

13
Biff and Reality

• The rubber tube
• takes it away p. 1231, not letting Linda keep
  her false optimism
• wants to tell the truth, but gets pushed to tell
  lies (1246 -- 1248 1251), because
• Happy urges him to
• Willy is fired, and wants something good news for
  his wife
• His lies warmly received by BO (1248), having an
  appointment (1250)
• cannot face him first, and then later confronts
  his father on the issues of the rubber tube, his
  theft and his incompetence and insignificance
  1259-61
• Rids Willy of his guilt no spite 1261

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Willy Reality Ben in Act II

• (1262 -) Willys last action (? Ben)
• A combination of realistic concern and dream.
• Dream planting seeds
• Realistic concern 20,000 in his pocket
• Dream
• -- (1258) big funeral
• -- The jungle is dark but full of diamonds.
• -- The boat
• Realism his fear (1263)

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Reality as Revealed by the Minor Characters

• The woman Willys being self-centered (1252),
  her being a football (1254)
• Stanley lifes tough for him, but he is kind to
  Willy. To Happy, he talks about how people
  cannot stand a quiet place because they are tired
  of staying home alone. (1243)

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Symbols re. Willys Dream

• Willys house vs. apartment buildings, etc. e.g.
  the first stage direction 
• Properties and Possessions
• Football and the sneakers with U. of V on them.
• the house and the mortgage, Things Fridge, car,
  vacuum cleaner that are broken/falling apart
• Linda's stockings
• Tennis
• of power and status wire recorder and pen
• Nature and The West
• Seeds/plants/trees light of green leaves
• Working with tools/one's hands e.g. Willy's
  argument with Charley towards the end of Act I
  A man who can't handle tools is not a man." 
  "hammer a nail"
• Roads -- being on the road  Cars/boats/trains
  e.g. Willy's Red Chevvy Willy compared to
  "alittle boat looking for a harbor" by Linda
  Ben's taking the train.

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Symbols in stage direction

• flute Willy's father beginning of act 1, when
  Ben appears,
• Willys theme (1255)
• Other kinds of music--e.g.
• jarring trumpet note (1249),
• Ben's theme (1236)
• the end of act II (1263)