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Death Of A Salesman Act 2 Summary

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Act I opens in Willy Loman’s house in Brooklyn. Willy, a traveling salesman at 63 years of age, is exhausted after years of traveling. He has yet to reach a level of success that would allow him to stop traveling and afford the household bills that always seem to swallow his diminishing wages. The audience learns that Willy’s grown son, Biff, returned home to visit and come to know Willy’s character as he complains to his wife Linda about his disappointment in Biff’s failure to find a steady, serious job. Willy is tired, confused, and argumentative, but he loves his son and tried to conform Biff into an enthusiastic, optimistic and confident salesman. Willy is salesman, who returns early from a business trip. After almost collapsing several times, he is enlightened and realized that he should perhaps change his job to once in which he will not be required to travel. Linda, his wife, also realizes that her husband is no longer suitable for his job as a traveling salesman; thus, she suggests that he requests that his manager, Howard, gives him a local job at the New York headquarters. Willy believes this should be possible because of his contribution throughout the years as a respected salesman. On the night, Willy decides to …show more content…

Willy’s last act, according to his brother, Ben, is “not like an appointment at all” but like a “diamond . . . rough and hard to the touch” (Act 2. pg 1388). In the nonexistence of any material amount of self-knowledge or certainty, Willy achieves a tangible result. Willy has some kind of realization, as he now understands that the product he sells is himself. Ben’s advice helps Willy believe what he said to Charley: that “after all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive” (Act 2, pg

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In the Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and The Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Willy Loman and Walter Younger are very much alike. Some things that they have in common are that they both need money to take care of their families, they both treat their wives poorly, and they both fail to become rich and known. That is just a couple of things that Willy Loman an Walter Younger have in common. One thing that Willy and Walter have in common is that they both need to make money to take care of their families. In The Raisin in the Sun Walter wanted to start a business and make a lot of money.

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Willy's logical inconsistencies brings confusion towards the audience itself toward the start of the play; in any case, they soon turn into a characteristic of himself. Willy's conflicting conduct is the after effect of his powerlessness to acknowledge reality and his propensity to control or re-make the past trying to get away from the present. For instance, Willy can't leave himself to the way that Biff never again regards him on account of Willy's affair with another woman. As opposed to concede that their relationship is irreparable, Willy retreats to a past time when Biff appreciated and regarded him. As the play goes on, Willy disassociates himself more from the present as his issues turn out to be excessively too much, making them impossible to manage.

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1210 Words | 5 Pages

“The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead” (33). In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses foil characters to elucidate Willy’s flaws that ultimately prevent him and his family from succeeding. The contrast between Charley and Willy and Bernard and Biff serves to highlight how Willy’s obsession with achieving his version of the American Dream impacts both his life and his children’s. His poor values are passed on to his children producing even more failures. ¬¬¬¬Both Charley and Willy work as salesmen, however Charley represents what Willy desired to become – successful.

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535 Words | 3 Pages

He wanted to be successful so badly, that when he doesn’t get it, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. When Willy was younger, he had great connections in the areas he would sell. The people respected him and he took great pride in the fact that his name held value with those people. However, as he aged, so did the people he used to sell to. When he isn’t able to make the amount of sales he used to, he doesn’t know

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1211 Words | 5 Pages

In both the play and the movie, Willy takes off with the rest of the check. Even so, the movie introduces Willy and we get a feel for his personality and how he thinks. Sorrowfully, the book never introduces Willy. In fact, Willy is mentioned at the end of the play. Meeting Willy makes viewers wonder about his character and why he acts the way he does.

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1371 Words | 6 Pages

Unfortunately in the end Willy receives appreciation for his inner talents rather than his skills being a salesman. This goes to show how one will never get attention from others by pretending to be who they are not. Furthermore, the author reinforces Willy 's talent with his hands when he plants seeds in his garden prior to committing suicide. The planting of the seeds can be considered a form of symbolism and Willy 's acceptance that life would go on without him. The seeds Willy plant also represent the legacy he leaves behind as a handyman rather than a salesman.

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

We learn that Willy is a salesman, who is has only had minor success. Willy blames this on the fact that he is not well liked. In the beginning of the play Willy has had a car accident and his wife Linda wants him to ask his boss if he can work only in New York instead of having to travel. When we see Willy in a flashback he appears to be happy and affectionate with his sons, who seem to return the affection.

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While Linda enabled him, Willy could not help himself too keep ruining the good opportunities he had and turning them into some factious reality. At Willy`s funeral Biff comes to the realization that his father had all the wrong dreams and visions of success. Willy`s only dream was the fake “American Dream” that people believe will happen overnight. Willy`s failed attempts and happiness bonded into one and played a part into him creating this false reality and persona that he was the best salesman and that he was well loved by everyone around him.

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1082 Words | 5 Pages

Willy tries to make himself feel better by lying to himself. Although Willy’s death is unfortunate, if one closely examines his pride, bad temper, and his lies, one can see that these flaws will eventually bring him to his demise. Throughout the play, Willy demonstrates his sense of pride while talking to his family and friends. In this quote one can

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924 Words | 4 Pages

Linda defends Willy and insists that Willy, as a traveling salesman, merely exhausts himself rather than become crazy. Even if Willy’s financial reality reveals the fact that he can never come true his American dream, Linda still refuses to break his fantasies and see through his lies. Instead, she supports Willy’s American dream and believes in Willy’s idea that success is possible for anyone. Even though Willy is often rude to her and ignores her opinions, she protects him at all costs. She loves Willy, so she can accept all of his shortcomings.

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549 Words | 3 Pages

Willy conducts his whole life based on the belief that any man who is good-looking, charismatic, and “well-liked” deserves success and will naturally achieve it (1.30). He attempts to make his mark by working as a salesman because, according to him, “selling [is] the greatest

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1537 Words | 7 Pages

Willy finds out his dream of being an popular, well respected salesman is impossible and takes his own life. Linda supports Willy despite the abuse and confusion he puts her through with his various attempts to take his own life, with his delirious ramblings and hallucinations, and with his constant deception. Happy still sees his father as a hero and Biff finally begins to grasp the truth of the “American Dream”. When Willy kills himself, all of the Loman family, including Willy, break free from the web of false dreams he spun and begin to understand Willy’s failings. They also realize their own flaws.

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850 Words | 4 Pages

Willy’s American Dream The tragic play of Death of a salesman by Arthur Miller tells a story about an old man of 84 years old named Willy. Willy was captured by the American dream. He believed that hard work and ambitions could take him to a life of fame and popularity like the american dream was supposed to be. In Death of a salesman, the american dream reveals disappointment, failure and loss of hope. Thus showing that the american dream is not a great dream after all.

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499 Words | 2 Pages

He has a Job, two kids, and a wife. Willy is a salesman who dreams to be like his role model, Dave Singleman. Singleman - in Willy perspective- had the ultimate successful life, as expressed in this quote: "Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?" [Act 2] Willy believed that success, was equivalent to how well liked he was. Willy's 'flaw' was his foolish pride, his persistence of achieving "his rightful status".

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1826 Words | 8 Pages

His willful hopefulness and exaggerated expectations betray him in the end by rendering him incapable of accepting himself or his children for who they are (Nadine). In this play, Willy would be a representation of failure to the American dream. Willy believes that personality, not hard work and innovation, is the key to success. Throughout time, Willy wants to make sure his boys are well-liked and popular. In the story Willy has said,” You and Hap and I, and I’ll show you all the towns.

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