In examining the conclusion of the play “Death of a Salesman,” we analyze the downfall of Willy Loman, a 60-year-old salesman in 1940s America who has deceived himself into believing he is successful. His wife Linda compassionately supports his delusions by telling him what he wants to hear. The story centers around Willy’s final day, which includes flashbacks where he confuses significant past events with the present. Additionally, Willy’s sons Biff and Happy, both in their 30s, have followed in his unsuccessful footsteps and now hold contempt instead of admiration for their father.
On the final pages of the play, Willy decides to end his own life (1 and 2). This decision stems not only from his desperation after losing his job, which barely provided enough money for basic expenses. It is primarily driven by his belief that the life insurance payout (3) will help Biff achieve success (4), fulfilling Willy’s unrealistic dreams of wealth. However, even in his final moments while conversing with a ghost from the past, Willy continues to deceive himself by envisioning a grand funeral (2) with guests from his former territory in attendance. As expected, none of the people he sold to actually show up. It’s possible that this false prediction is a result of senility rather than his usual self-deception (5), as he may have forgotten that the “old buyers” have passed away. The ghost tells him that Biff will perceive this act as cowardly, suggesting that Willy is aware Biff may despise him even more for it. It’s apparent that the presence of “Ben,” a successful businessman whom Willy greatly admires, is a creation of his own mind. Despite this knowledge, Willy disregards it and proceeds with his plan.
After this scene, Biff, who has made the decision to completely cut ties with his parents, has an “abrupt conversation” (p.99) with Willy. Linda and Biff are present. He does not want to leave with another argument. Instead, he wants to reconcile with his father and bid him farewell in a friendly manner. Biff has come to realize that throughout his life, he has been striving to become something that he does not truly desire – a successful businessman – a goal planted in his mind by his father (p.105). Rather than having a desk job, Biff actually craves outdoor work, using his hands. Despite this realization, he is willing to forgive Willy for pressuring him into this path while he was young. Biff simply wants to end their relationship on dignified terms. However, Willy is deeply angry about Biff’s plan since it means that Biff will not take the $20,000 and make a fortune out of it.
Happy, who has transformed into a replica of his father—full of self-deception and unwillingness to confront the truth—finds himself taken aback by Biff’s words. It is evident that he is unaccustomed to hearing unfiltered honesty within his family. Trying to deflect, he contradicts with yet another falsehood, claiming, “We always told the truth!” (p.104).
This further angers Biff, as Willy had already refused to shake his hand, which would have had significant symbolic importance. For Willy, shaking Biff’s hand would have signified his acknowledgement of being wrong and accepting his son’s true identity. However, Willy continues to claim that Biff’s actions are driven by spite rather than genuine desire.
Spite arose when teenage Biff discovered his father cheating on Linda, marking the shift from admiration to hatred towards Willy.
Now, instead of forgiving generously, Biff becomes just as angry and aggressive. They nearly come to a physical fight but then Biff suddenly becomes overwhelmed by sadness and desperation, and starts crying while holding onto Willy. After Biff has left, Willy is deeply moved because he realizes that Biff actually cared for him. However, this realization still doesn’t make Willy understand Biff, and he confidently declares once again that Biff will achieve greatness. In his mind, Ben’s voice reinforces this belief, stating that Biff will be successful, especially “with twenty thousand behind him.” This misinterpretation of Biff’s surprising behavior serves as renewed motivation for Willy to pursue his old plan. Unfortunately, he fails to grasp that money is not what Biff truly desires or needs. Despite this, Willy does acknowledge that Biff loves him, which may be another reason why he wants to provide him with the money.
During the funeral, Happy remains unchanged and continues to be his old self. He acknowledges that “they would’ve helped him” (p.110), despite his own cruel actions towards Willy, such as abandoning him at a restaurant before a significant argument. It should be noted that this was not the only instance where Happy demonstrated a lack of concern for Willy.
Happy clearly hasn’t learned anything from the whole tragedy, which is why Biff gives him a “hopeless” look towards the end of the Requiem.
Biff remembers the pleasant times they had spent together, which all revolve around the handyman jobs Willy had completed that day. Charley also mentions that “he was content when working with cement” (p.110). This revelation adds a different aspect to the tragedy, as it suggests that Willy, similar to Biff, found fulfilment in manual labor.
If this were true, Willy could never acknowledge to himself, as Biff ultimately did, that he would not achieve financial success.
Linda is remorseful for her inability to cry alone at Willy’s grave. This is because she cannot understand or forgive his recent actions. One reason for this is that she finds it difficult to accept Willy’s choice to prevent Biff from following his own path. Furthermore, his tragic suicide contradicts what Biff had expressed, which further complicates Linda’s emotions. Moreover, she may interpret his self-inflicted death as a sign that he did not love her, making her feel even more isolated.
This conclusion aligns with the overall tone of the play. The character growth and specific occurrences are both incredibly unpredictable, resulting in an engrossing experience.
Footnotes:
1. p.96 (giving a tip to a waiter) “Here – here’s some more. I don’t need it any more.”
2. p.100 “Ben, that funeral will be massive!”
3. p.100 “It’s twenty thousand dollars on the barrelhead ..”
4. p.101 “Why, why can’t I give him biff something and not have him hate me?”
5. p.44 Linda to Biff: “.. the old buyers .. they’re all dead, retired.”
6. p.101 “To hell with whose fault it is or anything like that. Let’s just wrap it up, heh?”
7. p.103 “May you rot in hell if you leave this house!”
