death of a salesman script act two booksellers penguin

Willy, who can’t handle the disappointment, tries to pretend it isn’t true. When Willy comes into the restaurant demanding good news, Biff struggles to explain what happened without letting his father down. By now, Biff has realized that he was crazy to think he would ever get a loan, and that he and his family have been lying to themselves for basically their entire lives. Distressed, spiteful, and something of a kleptomaniac, Biff stole Oliver’s fountain pen. Waiting for their dad at the restaurant, Biff explains to Happy that Oliver wouldn’t see him and didn’t have the slightest idea who he was. Destroyed by the news, he begins to hallucinate and, yes, once again speak with imaginary people as he heads out to meet his sons at a restaurant. But instead of getting a transfer to the New York office, Willy gets fired. Willy feels happy and confident as he meets with his boss, Howard. The next day, of course, everything goes wrong. Everyone goes to sleep believing that tomorrow will fulfill their dreams: Willy expects to get a local job, and Biff expects to get a business loan.

He and Biff begin to argue, but Happy interjects that Biff plans to see Oliver the following morning. Now Willy gets in on the family discussion and the situation goes downhill. She’s worried and takes it out on her boys, accusing Biff of being the cause of Willy’s unhappiness. Worse, Willy has been attempting suicide. Linda admits to her sons that she and Willy are struggling financially. In the middle of the night, Willy’s talking to himself so loudly that everyone wakes up. Biff, feeling as though he should stay close to home and fix his relationship with his dad, decides to talk to a former employer, Bill Oliver, about getting a loan to start a business. The brothers are legitimately worried, as they have never seen their father like this. He’s ranting so loudly that Happy and Biff wake up. Later that night, Willy starts having flashbacks and talking to imagined images as if they were real people.

Willy thinks Biff is being wish-washy to spite him. Willy thinks Biff could easily be rich and successful, but is wasting his talents and needs to get on track. Biff has just returned home from working as a farmhand in the West. We begin to learn some family background and hear about Willy and Linda’s grown sons, Biff and Happy. Willy thinks that getting the new job is a sure thing since he (wrongly) sees himself as a valuable salesman. Seeing that her husband is no longer able to do his job as a traveling salesman, Willy’s wife, Linda, suggests that he ask his boss, Howard, to give him a local office job at the New York headquarters. After nearly crashing multiple times, Willy has a moment of enlightenment and realizes he shouldn’t be driving. Willy Loman, an old salesman, returns early from a business trip.

Death of a salesman script act two booksellers penguin