ENG 4U — Death of a Salesman Hale 1

Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller

Study Questions
These questions are intended to help you in your reading and analysis of Miller’s play Death
of a Salesman. Make sure you provide quotations from the text to support your answers.

Act 1

Scene 1 (pages 11-19)

1. What is Linda’s attitude towards Willy in the first scene? Give specific examples.
2. a) Who is Howard?
b) What does Linda want Willy to ask Howard?
3. Give two examples which show that Willy tends to contradict himself.
4. What changes have occurred in Willy’s neighbourhood over the years? Why does
Willy resent them?
5. What are three qualities displayed by Willy in this scene? Give examples to support
each. (e.g. His physical health is bad – “need to take a rest”, “just try to relax”.)

Scene 2 (pages 19-27)

1. Contrast Biff and Happy according to the following points: age, job, hope for future,
and attitude towards women, attitude towards parents, attitude towards self.

Scene 3 (pages 28-41)

1. What proof is there in this scene that when the boys were teenagers the Loman
family was happy? Give several examples.
2. a) What mistake does Willy make in his treatment of Biff in this scene?
b) Who is Bernard?
c) How is he different from the Loman boys?
3. Why is he important to Biff?
4. What do you think is Happy’s attitude towards Biff in this scene? Support your
opinion with examples.
5. What is the significance of stockings in this scene?

Scene 4 (pages 42-53)

1. a) Who is Charley
b) How does he show his kindness to Willy?
c) Does Willy appreciate that kindness? Explain.
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2. a) Who is Ben? (Give details!)

b) What is Ben’s motto?
c) How does he demonstrate this motto in Scene 4?

Scene 5 (pages 53-60)

1. Describe the relationship between Biff and Willy.
2. What shocking news does Linda have for Biff and Happy in this scene? What proof
does she have?
3. What advice does Happy have for Biff to ensure success in the business world?
4. Describe the plan that the boys come up with in order to be successful and make
money.

Act 2

Scene 1 (pages 71-76)

1. What is the significance of Willy’s decision to buy some seeds and plant a garden?
(Think about Frye and archetypes.)

Scene 2 (pages 76-84)

1. What does this scene reveal about Howard’s character?
2. a) Who was Dave Singleman?
b) What does Willy envy about him?
3. In this scene, what point does the author seem to be making about the responsibility
of an employer to his employees?

Scene 3 (pages 84-90)

1. What is important about the Ebbetts Field Game?

Scene 4 (pages 90-98)

1. What details about Bernard’s life impress Willy?
2. What is ironic about Willy’s meeting with and attitude towards Bernard?
3. What is the significance of Charley’s line on page 95: “He don’t have to – he’s gonna
do it”?

Scene 5 (pages 98-116)

1. Define pathos.
2. Explain in detail how the author uses pathos in this scene.
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Scene 6 (pages 116-136)

1. What realization does Biff have of himself and his family?
2. In this scene, much that was unclear has been made clear. What role has truth
played in the dynamics of the Loman household?
3. On page 126, what topic are Willy and Ben discussing?
4. Willy seems to have two motives for wanting to kill himself. What are they?

Requiem (pages 137-139)

1. Define requiem.
2. Did Willy have a “death of a salesman”? Explain.
3. How is Happy condemned to follow his father?

General Questions
1. One of the themes of this play is deception. People tend to lie to each other and to
themselves. Show three different ways in which this theme is used in the play.
2. Contrast in detail the characters of Ben and Charley and show their importance to
Willy.
3. Arthur Miller makes effective use of symbolism in this play. Explain the significance
of the following symbols: the car (both the red Chevy and the Studebaker), Willy’s
valises (suitcases), the stockings, the rubber hose, the garden, and the jungle.
4. Explain in detail how Arthur Miller mixes the past with the present in Death of a
Salesman. Show how it is effective.
5. What do the following objects tell us about the characters associated with them?
a. Bill Oliver’s pen — Biff
b. running shoes — Biff
c. champagne — Happy
d. wire recorder — Howard
e. swiss cheese — Willy