Death Of A Salesman ( CharacterS)

5 Pages 1156 Words

“Death of a Salesman” is a play that occurs over a 36-hour period. The play is

organized into two different plots. The present day plot is in 1949 and the second plot,

which are flashbacks, takes place in 1933. The Lomans live in Brooklyn in a house that

they almost have paid off. The drama starts when Biff comes home from New York City to move

back in with his parents.

In this play there are two protagonists and two antagonists. Since there are two plots in the play, they both have a protagonist and an antagonist. One plot is in 1949 and the other is in 1933. In 1949 the protagonist is Willy and the antagonist is Biff. Willy undergoes a change at the end of Act II, when he realizes that Biff really loves him. “Isn’t that remarkable? Biff- he likes me!” (Miller 1070). Willy never knew if Biff liked him or not. Biff is the antagonist because he expressed to his father that even though they do not get along, he still does love him. In 1933, Willy is the antagonist and Biff is the protagonist. Biff was a star football player in high school, with scholarships, but he flunked math his senior year and was not able to graduate. He was going to make the credit up during the summer, but he caught his father cheating on his mother Linda. This shock changed Biff’s views of his father and everything Biff believed in. Biff was then lost. He even got thrown in jail for stealing. Willy is the antagonist because he caused the change in Biff. Biff would have never questioned his father if he had not lost all respect for him.
In this play, the conflict moves the plot. When Willy gets into an argument he always has flashbacks, which moves the plot to 1933.
Willy Loman is an elderly failing salesmen where his salary is taken away and works on straight commission. Willy’s business philosophy is that having personality and being “well-liked” is all you need to be successful. He tell his sons, “Be liked and you...