Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman

The conversation is supposed to be a flashback of the past, yet it makes sense that this conversation with Ben actually takes place in the present as things he would have wanted to say to Ben. Somehow, Willy has Linda enter the scene. She provides positive comforting, telling Willy that his life is okay, that he’s well liked by his sons and that, “someday . . . he’ll be a member of the firm(1957).” She provides this as a description of what can happen after honest work, unlike Ben’s own. Willy catches on and in fact begins to demonstrate that he did once believe in himself, and actually did think he could make it. A further demonstration of this is illustrated in a scene that has Willy completely sure of himself and of his boys, the day of Biff’s big football game. Miller uses Ben as a device to further the action, to move the play forward. Miller uses him as a way to re-direct the play, to get Willy out of a situation and into another. After the entire flashback sequence, the plot then shifts to Willy in Charlie’s office. Charley represents everything that Ben is not. He is a decent, hard working family man who has worked hard his life, and has achieved relative success in his older age. The opposite of Ben, yet Willy still idolizes Ben, the man who achieved immediate wealth. This can be tied to Willy’s profession as a salesman. A salesman is someone who one specific day could achieve successes, while other days not. Willy believes that this is the better way to do it, as evidenced by his belief in Ben’s method. Taylor 5 The third time Ben appears is in a complete hallucination of Willy’s. He appears completely within Willy’s mind, someone Willy is talking to about his decision of suicide. Ben is used to provide support for his decision. Willy becomes Ben in the last scene. We are able to view through him the final internal struggle that Willy goes through in his own mind, leading up to his suicide. Ben provides justification for Willy that he should commit suicide. Ben is a very materialistic person. He believes that money will do children better than love and support. He tries to persuade Willy into believing that insurance money would be better for his family than his love.