Death of A Saleman

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“How does Arthur Miller portray the dramatic significance of Willy Loman’s meeting with Howard in Act 2? ” From the beginning of this scene, the audience know that the tone is going to be in contrast to Act 1. The first thing they hear is the sound of ‘gay and bright’ music, so immediately, they know that something different is about to happen. Prior to his meeting with Howard, Willy is talking to his wife, Linda, in the kitchen of their house. Willy has had a good night’s sleep and is well rested.
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He is in a good mood and finally feels life is going his way.
He is looking to the future, something he has not done for a long time, and is even contemplating starting to grow vegetables again, “Gee, on the way home tonight I’d like to buy some seeds” His two sons have decided on a job idea, which also makes Willy feel excited. This, and the fact that Biff and Happy are going to treat their father to a meal in the evening, increases Willy’s excitement even more.

The audience are carried along on Willy’s tide of optimism and hope that everything will turn out well for Willy.
We also learn in this scene that they only have one more payment to make until they own their house. This is the first time that the play has reached a positive state without having negative undertones and Willy believes that things can now only go right for him and that life will only get better.
“I’ll get an advance and I’ll come home with a New York job. ” What he fails to realise that his excitement and confidence is about to be deflated. This scene is the turning point of the play when Willy’s life is about to change forever.
The audience are hopeful that things are going to improve for Willy and that his dreams will be realised but they know that, in reality, Willy is going to be disappointed. Once Willy enters Howard’s office, the audience can sense a change in emotion. They can tell by Howard’s actions, the fact that “he only glances over his shoulder when Willy enters” that the interview is not going to go according to Willy’s plan. Miller makes it clear during the meeting between Howard and Willy, that Howard is by far the dominant character.
He makes very direct decisions and addresses Willy as ‘kid’, even though Willy is much older than him. This shows Howard has an air of superiority over Willy from the start. Willy just wanted to come into Howard’s office and get straight to the issue of why he was there. On the other hand, Howard is using a variety of delaying tactics, for example, showing Willy the wire recorder and making him listen to his wife and children speaking. Although Willy is pretending to listen and be interested, he really wants to talk about his job.
“Like to ask a little favour if you…. ” Howard is always dismissing Willy whenever he speaks. From this, Miller is portraying the character of Willy as weak and he is made to feel that his presence is of no importance to Howard. Consequently, from being upbeat just before the meeting, Willy is gradually reduced to pleading to Howard for some sort of job and is willing to take any amount of money. “65 dollars… 50 dollars… 40 dollars… ” Howard’s actions cause Willy to lose his earlier confidence and excitement.
He realises that Howard has no sympathy with him and that his former success as a salesman no longer counts for anything. He has been a loyal employee and his hard work is not recognised in Howard’s cut throat business world. “You can’t eat an orange and throw the peel away – a man is not a piece of fruit” Willy has been sucked dry by the company and now he has no use, he’s going to be discarded. Howard is a prime example of capitalism at its worst. He is financially secure and is wealthy, which is important in a country where your success or failure is measured by how much money you have.
Howard is not however a self-made man. He did not build up a successful business from scratch but has had the luxury of building on his father’s previous hard work. Howard’s success is shown in a number of ways. He apparently has a lovely home, a perfect family – a wonderful wife and two children, a boy and a girl, who are well educated. He has money to spend on them. “It’s nine o’clock. Bulova watch time. ‘ Bulova watches are expensive and this fact will not be lost on the audience.
Again, Miller shows the audience the gulf that exists between Howard, who can afford everything and Willy, who can afford nothing, in spite of all the years of hard work. Howard has benefited from the consumerist, capitalist society but it has made him into a person who cannot afford to feel any sympathy or loyalty towards people like Willy, even if he was able to. “If I had a slot, I’d slam you right in, but I don’t have a single solitary slot. ” Willy would like to think that he has been a part of the American Dream, just like Howard,
“I averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions” but all it has done is destroy him and his family. He begins to realise that the dream is false and the audience sense his increasing desperation. “There were promises made across this desk” Willy tells Howard, in an effort to make him feel guilty. From his treatment of Willy in this scene, the audience will dislike Howard but realise that he is a product of the society he lives in and has helped to create. They will feel sorry for Willy and begin to question if living the American Dream is such a good thing.
During this scene, Howard has a wire recorder and keeps making Willy listen to recordings he has made of his family. Miller makes the recorder significant as it shows the difference in wealth between Howard and Willy. By making Willy listen to his wife and children “Sh, this is my son”, “Five years old”, “The capital of Alabama is Montgomery”… Howard is showing Willy how good and intelligent his family are and makes him look like a much better parent than Willy. Howard is only interested in making money and being successful. The recorder is used as a symbol of his success in business.
Howard can afford the latest and most expensive technology and uses it to make Willy feel even more inadequate. In this part of the play, Miller uses the differences between Howard and Willy to attack capitalism, which is an economic state where the production of goods is determined by competition in a free market. Both of them are business men but Howard is successful and Willy is not. Miller does not agree with Howard’s aggressive business tactics, which are a result of the way business is conducted in America at this time. “No, but it’s a business, kid, and everybody’s gotta pull his own weight”
Howard makes it clear that there is no room for people like Willy, who cannot change the way they do business. In this extract, Miller is making us question how good the American Dream is. Howard is the successful product of the American Dream – the idea that anyone can become rich and successful providing they work hard enough and can then be happy and fulfilled. Howard has become wealthy, “Sure, they’re only a hundred and a half” and can do what he wants, “I’m gonna take my camera, and my bandsaw, and all my hobbies… this is the most fascinating relaxation I ever found. “

Tony Richardson

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