Death of a salesman act 2 summary. Death of a Salesman Act II.1 Summary and Analysis 2022-10-11
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In the second act of "Death of a Salesman," we see Willy Loman struggling to come to terms with the failures of his life. Despite his desperate efforts to be successful, Willy has never achieved the level of success that he had hoped for and has become deeply disillusioned with the world around him.
The act opens with Willy returning home from a failed sales trip, and it becomes clear that he is struggling with depression and feelings of worthlessness. His wife Linda tries to support him, but Willy is consumed by his own self-pity and despair.
As the act progresses, we see Willy's relationships with his two sons, Biff and Happy, deteriorate further. Biff, in particular, is struggling with his own feelings of failure and is unable to find his place in the world. He becomes increasingly angry and resentful towards Willy, and the two men engage in a number of heated arguments.
One of the most poignant moments of the act comes when Willy has a conversation with his brother Ben, who appears to him in a dream. Ben tells Willy that he has the opportunity to start over and make a new life for himself, but Willy is unable to let go of his past and his failure as a salesman.
The act ends with Willy making the decision to commit suicide, believing that it is the only way to escape his feelings of failure and provide for his family financially. The act leaves us with a sense of deep sadness and despair as we see Willy's dreams and hopes for the future shattered by the realities of his life.
Arthur Miller
STANLEY looks toward left. Finally, after paying for twenty-five years the house will be theirs free and clear. Your friends have their own private tennis court? Willy is excited to hear about Biff's business meeting, but since it had not gone well, Willy finds himself in a flashback spiral. Pick it up, you bum, you! But I was with thefirmwhenyourfatherusedtocarryyouinhereinhisarms. Is there a middle ground between those two possibilities? But tell me something.
Death of a Salesman Act I, Part 2: Summary and Analysis
Would you talk to him? Arthur Miller wanted to show that the common man and those with status were more equal than people usually thought. Willy seems to transfer his familial anxieties to his professional life. She sees merchandise in her room and they have to keep it looking just so. Willy is surprised to see Bernard, who is now a lawyer and on his way to Washington, DC, where he will argue a case. He is always looking for approval from his parents, but he rarely gets any, and he even goes as far as to make things up just for attention, such as telling his parents he is going to get married. .
Rather than having family and friends at his funeral, Singleman, whose name hints at how alone he was, died at work and was mourned only by business contacts. As Willy tries to express admiration, Howard repeatedly shushes him. HAPPY: And my eyes are closed. Willy asks Biff about the results of his meeting with Bill Oliver, but while Biff is halfway through, Willy intervenes to make him say what he himself wants him to say. She sits there, summoning herself. You know what I mean? WILLY: What are you doing here? BIFF: All right, phony! HAPPY: Oh, gets to be like everything else.
Death of a Salesman Act II, Part 2: Summary and Analysis
GradeSaver, 6 June 2009 Web. You promised me stockings, Willy! At home, Linda is angry at her boys for leaving their father behind at the restaurant. Bernard recalls that Biff had been determined to go to summer school and make up the class. Biff tells his father: "I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. In this flashback, the reader learns about the time Biff discovered Willy's affair.
Charley once more tries to make Willy accept a job with him, but is helpless to see him adamant. This way, Happy says, Willy will have something to look forward to. Get out of here! The other WAITER has been staring at WILLY. And he took them down in the cellar, and burned them up in the furnace. There is a long pause, the sound of the flute coming over.
Death of a Salesman Act II Part 1 Summary & Analysis
LETTA: I gotta get up early tomorrow. Here, Willy discovers that Biff is entirely different after visiting Willy in Boston. CHARLEY: I offered you a job. BIFF: Come along, Mom. BIFF: I never intended to do it, Dad! LINDA: Come right up. Then, at the funeral, the reader learns that Willy's wife made the final house payment, freeing them from a form of financial burden. Happy advises Biff that it would be better to lie, and to tell Willy that Oliver is thinking the offer over then wait until Willy eventually forgets about it.
Ben, like the old time barons of industry who built their wealth through coal, steel, or railroads, believes that wealth is a physical thing that you can build and touch. The previous section ends with Howard leaving his office. The setting is the Loman home in Biff and his younger brother, Happy, who is temporarily staying with Willy and Linda after Biff's unexpected return from the West, reminisce about their childhood together. BERNARD: Did you tell him not to go to summer school? Now there is a small flash into the past. Biff begins, hesitantly, to tell him what happened.
Death of a Salesman Act II, Part 3: Summary and Analysis
HOWARD: Oh, I could understand that, Willy. I value your advice. When he opens the door he sees Biff standing before him. . He discovered that his dad was in a room with another woman. Charley has given Willy money numerous time, so that he can save him from the mortification of not being able to provide for his family. I wanted to shoot some casino.
Just got delivery yesterday. LINDA: Where were you? The wealthy Howard doesn't respect Willy—shushing Willy just as Willy shushed Linda. He only needed a little salary. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. Analysis: The second act begins with a dramatic shift in tone from the previous act, as Willy now appears cheerful and optimistic. The Ending Miller's play has a very definitive ending that has a feeling of inevitability to it.