Death of a Salesman chronicles the last days in the life of Willy Loman, a man who has spent more than three decades in sales and now, in his early sixties, finds his numbers—and his mind—slipping. Biff, his 34-year-old son, is out of work and running out of options. Happy, two years younger, compulsively exaggerates his own accomplishments. Willy’s devoted wife, Linda, supports him unconditionally, but her constant encouragement cannot keep him moored to reality. Willy is literally haunted by the past, and visions of happier days and lost opportunities continually intrude as he struggles to make sense of the present moment. At heart, this is the story of the members of this American family’s love for each other, and Willy’s corrosive love for the American Dream.
Death of a Salesman guide sections