Death of a Salesman/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Alternative Character Interpretation: Most interpretations of Ben Loman see him as rather cruel and uncaring toward his kid-brother. On the other hand, one could say that Ben Loman cared more about his brother than Willy's own family, who did nothing to try and dissuade Willy from his own folly until it was far too late. One of the most pivotal scenes in the play is when Ben comes by and visits the family before they're to attend a football game Biff was playing in. He straight-up offers his brother a third of his mines in South America (where Ben had found his riches) and the chance to escape from the vicious cycle Willy was caught in. It was Willy who refused and insisted he could make it big in New York. This was reinforced by Linda, who basically scolded Ben for the offer and insisted that Willy stay in New York.
    • Linda is another character who gets a variety of interpretations: Is she a doormat? A nag? An enabler of Willy's worst qualities? Just trying to be a dutiful housewife? Did she crush Willy's chances for success by discouraging him from going to Alaska, or did she prevent disaster by holding Willy back from pursuing an ill-advised pipe-dream? Does she know about Willy's infidelities?
  • Ensemble Darkhorse: Biff -- Miller himself even acknowledged it.
  • Family-Unfriendly Aesop: Dreamers get crushed under reality's dirty heel. Deal with it.
    • In addition to their obsession with popularity, Willy and Biff do not realize the amount of effort needed to achieve their dreams. To illustrate, Charlie's son Bernard works hard to become a successful lawyer and Uncle Ben goes into the jungle for four years to find diamonds and come out rich. On the other hand, Willy and Biff are always looking for an easy way out and that's why they ultimately fail in life.
    • Sometimes it's okay to stop pursuing a dream when it's obvious your talents and passions lie elsewhere.
    • If you set your sights too high, you're liable to end up disappointed.
  • Germans Love David Hasselhoff: Chinese love this play about father-son relationships, which is why it also shows up in The Simpsons.
  • My Real Daddy: Dustin Hoffman is considered by many to be the definitive Willy Loman.
  • Redemption Equals Death: A Deconstruction.
  • Older Than They Think: Willy Loman now stars in a popular American sitcom. They changed his name to Michael Scott.
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