Willy Loman is a travelling salesman and a father.
At 63 his best days on the road are behind him, in fact he’s now paid on
commission only. Times are getting tough and the pressure is showing.
As a father he’s both proud of his two boys,
Biff and Happy, and disappointed. Though good looking and well liked their lack
of achievement frustrates Willy. His biggest issue is with 34 year-old Biff who
was a golden boy at college but since flunking entry to university hasn’t held
down a job.
With Biff back in New York for a visit, it
is an opportunity for Willy to have another go at getting him on track. Despite
all the evidence to the contrary he still thinks his son has what it takes. His
frustration is exacerbated by his own decline and a niggling regret at missing
an opportunity as a young man to follow his older brother Ben into the jungle
where there were diamonds to be found.
For Biff it is another chance to convince
his father that business is not for him; all he wants is to work outdoors on
the land or with livestock. But Willy won’t listen and can’t understand; he
thinks Biff fails just to spite him.
The arguments rage and flashbacks gradually reveal
a possible root cause of the fractured father-son relationship, full of contradictory
feelings of admiration and contempt, love and hatred, loyalty and guilt, none
of which they can openly express. Biff can run away from it all again but where
can Willy go? What more can he do to give his son a start?
Reading a play (rather than seeing it
performed) can be problematic – but not here. The cast is small and the dialogue
realistic; stage directions are informative and set the mood as well as the
scene; and the shifts in time are both well signed and seamless.
I have seen the play a couple of times, but
not since the 80’s, and following this read through I look forward to seeing it
again soon.
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