Death of a Salesman

After many years on the road as a traveling salesman, Willy Loman realizes he has been a failure as a father and a husband. His sons, Happy and Biff, are not successful—on his terms (being “well liked”) or any others. His career fading, Willy escapes into dreamy reminiscences of an idealized past. In the play’s climactic scene, Biff prepares to leave home, starts arguing with Willy, confesses that he has spent three months in jail, and mocks his father’s belief in “a smile and a shoeshine.” Willy, bitter and broken, his illusions shattered, commits suicide.