1. Act II: Dream, Self-Deception and Capitalist Reality
The Death of a Salesman
Act II: Dream, Self-Deception and Capitalist Reality

2. Starting Questions (1) (Act 1 & 2) —for your journals
Personal Dreams and Failures
I. Willy
What is his dream and why does he fail to accomplish it?
What roles do the Woman & Linda, Ben & Dave Singleman, as well as Biff play in his pursuit of dream?
Is he a complete failure, going insane, or does he gain any self-knowledge, self-confirmation and retain his sense of dignity?
Why does Willy refuse to work for Charley?
II. Happy and Biff
What are their dreams? Do they fail?
Why does Biff steal, and Happy womanize?
How do they respond to their father differently?

3. Starting Questions III. Supportive Characters B. American Dream:
How do Charley and Bernard, Howard and his father, Ben, BILL Oliver serve as a foil to Willy and Biff?
IV. Jobs:
What does “being a salesman” mean? How is it different from being a shipping clerk or a lawyer?
V. Stage Directions and Symbols
How do flashbacks happen in this Act & Act 1?
Besides cars, flute and rubber tube, what symbolic meanings do the recorder and the fountain pen have?
How does the play show sympathy for the characters?

4. More Creative Questions:
(1) “The Road Not Taken”
(2) Salesman’s Sample Case
(3) A News Story
(4) Happy, Biff or Linda, taking the hot seat

5. More Creative Questions: (1) “The Road Not Taken”
-- Persuade Willy or Biff to make a different choice at one of the character’s various turning points, while showing how you understand him in his original choice.

6. Willy Willy Guilty about Linda 5. Com-mitting Suicide
Father?
For Ben,
Single-man
Against Charley
1. Not successful
2. Woman
Guilty about Linda
3. Biff’s rejecting him
Keeping empty dreams
4. Rejecting
Charley
5. Com-mitting Suicide

7. Biff Biff 3) Goes to Bill Oliver but steals from him
1) A Sports Star but stealing
Flunked math
Woman
Burning snickers
Works at different farms
IN jail for 3 months
2) Stealing out of different jobs
Finds himself wasting life
3) Goes to Bill Oliver but steals from him
4) Walks off
5) Confess to his father
Tell him sth nice

8. More Creative Questions: (2) Sample Cases
What would you carry in your case if you were a salesman in 1940’s or today?
How would you sell them, supporting the myth or revealing their contradictions?
Image source

9. More Creative Questions: (3) Headline News
After the death of Willy, you, a journalist, interview his boss, customers and family and write a news story about why he died.

10. More Creative Questions: (4) Hot Seat
You take the role of either Linda (Jean), Biff (Zoe) or Happy (Rita), stay in the character and get quizzed by your classmates.

11. Outline Quiz (1); Plot Summary & Passage Reading
Quiz (2); Reality vs. Dreams
1) Failure of the Lowmans’ Dreams 1) their (Self-) Deceptiveness;
2) reality checks: Act 1; Act 2: Willy pushed to face reality by a) those around him; b) Flashbacks
3) Biff and Reality
4) Willy’s Last Action
Quiz (3); Minor Characters and their Reality: Stanley and the woman
Quiz (4); Symbols in the Play

12. Act I: Plot Summary Present Flashbacks Willy gets home;
talks with Linda
Willy talks to himself and to Biff,
Thinks about the red Chevvy
Happy with Biff [1674]
“What a simonizing job!”
[1678]
Willy comes home with a punching bag  Bernard’s warning ignored
Linda about their debts
Willy about his weaknesses  ※the Woman
Happy trying to ask W to sleep
Charley plays card with Willy [1687] “Who died?”
[1685]
3. ※ Ben about their father and the jungle “I was right!”
Linda talks to Happy and Biff [1691]
Willy comes in to join their discussion of plans 1695
plans
plans

13. Act II: Plot Summary Present Flashbacks
Morning: Linda talks with Willy, hopeful about two plans
Willy complains about the commodities.
Willy visits Howard
Dave Singleman
Willy fired [Ben’s music] [1707]
Willy talks with Ben about what he builds—timberland vs. here (1708)
The Lomans ready to go to Ebbets Field vs Charley
Bernard in Charley’s office [1710]
Charley
[about the turning point 1712]
[about being fired 1713]
Happy and Biff meet in the restaurant, joined by Willy
Willy goes to the restroom
[about Bill Oliver 1717]
Bernard to Linda about Biff’s failing math (1719)
※ Willy in Boston (1721) The woman laughs
The two brothers leave the restaurant with the two women
Stanley
※ Willy in Boston “don’t answer, don’t answer’
Stanley with Willy 1726
Back home 1702, Biff confronts Willy 1728
Willy drives off
Willy talks to Ben (1728)
Ben (1732)
plans

14. Act II: Plot Summary
(1700-) Willy and Linda: plans and dreams vs. money; Linda’s phone conversation;
(1702) Howard’s office: capitalist reality (+ machine) vs. Willly’s values & memories ( Ben 1707)
(1708) Biff’s last game (Willy vs. Charley)
(1710) Willy vs. Bernard (about the past); (1712) Willy vs. Charley
(1714) restaurant [Frank’s Chop house] Happy vs. Forsythe; Biff vs. Happy first about his visit and (1718-) then Willy comes in
(1719-)  Young Bernard about B’s failing math//present failure; Willy into the bathroom and to his past.
(1723-) The boys walk off with the girls//Willy alone facing the past; (1726) Stanley comes in
(1727 -) Linda vs. the boys Biff vs. Willy;
(1728, ) Willy’s last action ( Ben)

15. Act II– Pattern
Reality checks: two office visits (by the father) vs. one (by the son) 
Two arguments about job (with Howard and Charley)
Two arguments about reality (vs. dream) in the restaurant scene & at home
Willy (to Ben and Bernard): What is the answer (the secret)?
Two propositions: Act I & II from Ben (to Alaska), Act II to Ben (about 20,000 dollar insurance money)
Two father-son relationships
Two brothers’ differences: Biff’s self-realization vs. Happy’s maintenance of the dream
Willy’s final action (self-deception or realization of his dream?)

16. Readings
Act 1 Willy, Biff, Happy and Linda about their plan: pp (1: 50:35)
Act 2 Biff to Willy about his visit to Bill Oliver (Happy, Young Bernard, Linda, Operator and The Woman): pp (2: 27: 35)
Act 2 Willy and Biff at Boston (Stanley) pp
Act 2 Willy and Biff’s final confrontation (Linda & Happy) pp
Act 2 Willy, Ben, Linda: Willy’s plan pp. 1728,

17. Flashbacks: A Way to Reality and Dreams
“Like a young god. Hercules. . . And the sun, the sun all around him.” (end of Act 1)

18. The Lowman Family’s Dreams: Why do they fail?
Reasons for the failure: 1) wrong dream
Capitalist-industrialist environment:
a) An industrial society: wandering salesman no longer desirable
Sources of Dream: Willy’s father as a flute-maker on the road; Ben—an adventurer; Dave Singleman 1705, 1707)
b) present: lack of respect or pension system – Willy fired
c) aggressiveness: “stealing” (Stanley: “‘Cause what’s the difference? Somebody steals? It’s in the family.”)

19. The Lowman Family’s Dreams: Why do they fail?
Reasons for the failure: wrong dream
2) Character: their lack of money, solid training and self-awareness  their self-deception
No efforts -- The Lowman family vs. Charley’s family [More about Charley later]

20. The Lowman Family’s (Self-)Deception
Willy –dreams of his own and his son’s success;
 unable to face his own failure, Biff’s problem, the past conflict.
Linda: in support of her husband’s dream;
 blind to her husband’s weaknesses and failures.
Happy: deceptive -- lies to attract women (West Point, Champaign 1715, 16; about his father 1723) and to comfort his father (ask Biff to do so, too 1712);
 Aggressive in womanizing as a means of competition
 e.g. “I’m gonna retire you for life” (Act 1); “I’m gonna get married” (1699); “I’m gonna win it for him” (Requiem).
Biff: forced to support his father’s dream about his being a salesman;
 faces reality -- always a shipping clerk; habitual theft (steals things out of his failures)

21. Flashbacks in Act I: Memories & Dreams vs. Reality
The family in the present
A. worries vs. good memories
Flashbacks  Biff in high school  Willy’s weaknesses and Linda ( the woman; Bernard)
Card playing  Willy and Ben (Willy: “I was right!”)  Bernard and Charley warnings about Biff’s failure and stealing
B. Worries vs. dignity: Linda defending Willy in front of Biff and Happy
C. the three’s plans– another dream

22. Flashbacks in Act II vs. Reality Checks: Willy Pushed to Face Reality
Memories would serve as an escape, if Willy could 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. 1706)
sees Bernard, Biff never trains himself; what happened at Boston
has to borrow money from Charley,  ( ) importance of what one can sell and money
Seeks comfort from Biff in vain (tell me what happened),
Is left alone by his sons to search for Answers and Solutions.

23. Willy and “Reality”: Howard & Charley
Talk to Howard:
– very short and matter-of-fact (no personal feeling for him or the past)
Willy interrupted by the recording machine
(1703)
(After being fired) another reality check in Charley’s office:
Willy, when are you going to grow up?”
Charley as a businessman:
My salvation is that I never took any interest in anything
Love shooting casino; “Who Red Granger?”
Also aggressive and proud
 “Knock a homer, Biff, knock a homer!”
 “Knock’em dead, Bernard!”

24. Reality in the past
(Act 1: Financial problems; Willy’s difficulties at work.)
Act 2:
3. Salesman’s work and football player – no substance (money or knowledge)
To Bernard: what’s the secret
“Oh, Ben, how did you do it? What is the answer? Did you wind up the Alaska deal already?” (1707)
Ben vs. Willy – What Willy builds with the firm (name and connections) has no substance (1707)
Biff’s last game – Charley: not important

25. Flashbacks in Act II: Willy Pushed to Face Reality
3. (1730-)  the pen & Biff’s 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 woman’s, operator’s and pager’s voices) from emerging in his mind.
-- “Open the door.” He goes to the bathroom to face his past.

26. Biff and Reality The rubber tube:
takes it away (1702), not letting Linda keep her false optimism;
wants to tell the truth, but gets pushed to tell lies ( ), because
Happy urges him to;
Willy is fired, and wants some good news for his wife;
His lies: warmly received by BO, having an appointment the next day
cannot face him first, and then later confronts his father on the issues of the rubber tube, his theft and his incompetence and insignificance . (1730-)
Rids Willy of his guilt “no spite”

27. Biff’s realistic statements: about his father and himself
Act 1 – about his work and his real interest
"To suffer fifty weeks a year for the sake of a two-week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off. "
Act 2 – about himself and his family
"Pop, I'm a dime a dozen and so are you.”
"We never told the truth in the house for ten minutes."
Requiem – about Willy
"He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong."

28. Biff – Act 2: Facing Himself
I saw the things [the sky] that I love in this world. The work and the food and the time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and I thought, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am. (1732)

29. Willy & “Reality”: Ben in Act II:
(1728-) Willy’s last action ( Ben)
A combination of realistic concern and dream.
Dream: planting seeds
Realistic concern: 20,000 in his pocket
Dream:
-- big funeral
-- The jungle is dark but full of diamonds.
-- The boat
Realism: his fear 1733

30. Reality as Revealed by the Minor Characters:
The woman (Ms. Francis)– Willy’s being self-centered, her being a football
Willy mentioned Massachusetts law–suggesting that she is a prostitute?
Ms. Forsythe: “I don’t sell” “a cover girl” (prostitute, too)
Linda: housewife (caring but trivial)
Stanley: life’s tough for him, but he is kind to Willy (returning W the money he gives him). To Happy, he talks about how people cannot stand a quiet place because they are tired of staying home alone. [1714]

31. Symbols re. Willy’s Dream (1): Materialism
Willy’s 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
power and status: Tennis vs. football,
wire recorder and fountain pen

32. Symbols re. Willy’s Dream (2): Ideal for Freedom and Nature
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 "a little boat looking for a harbor" by Linda; Ben's taking the train.]

33. Symbols –in stage direction
flute [Willy's father]– beginning of act 1, when Ben appears,
Willy’s theme – flute?
Other kinds of music—to evoke Willy’s emotions; e.g.
gay music of the Boys [happy moment]
Gay music at the beginning of Act 2
jarring trumpet note [urban reality; Bernard’s information of B’s failing math)
Ben's theme (idyllic 田園 music)
the end of act II –a single cello string; dead march

34. b.socrative Space Race Groups
1 blue
2 Magenta
3 Lime
4 Peach
5 Violet
6 Teal
7 Indigo
8 Orange
9 Red
10 Silver