In all aspects of literature, the work usually revolves around a main character that is surrounded by other minor characters. The minor characters shape and affect the main character in numerous fashions. For instance, in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman, the self-delusional protagonist, is influenced by several characters from his family, friends, and other people he highly regards. Some of these characters help Willy find himself and see who he truly is, while others push him on in his fabricated identity and futile dreams. Each character in Death of a Salesman plays a different part in Willy Loman’s life and sways his misconceptions in various ways.

For example, Willy idolizes Dave Singleman, an elderly businessman who was notably successful and popular, and when Willy thinks of Dave Singleman, Willy loftily envisions the same success for himself in his future. Willy’s brother, Ben, shows Willy that Willy has built and accomplished nothing, but then Linda, Willy’s wife, reminds Willy of Dave Singleman which leads Willy to say that when he thinks of Dave Singleman he forgets all his worries (Miller 63). Ben is trying to convince Willy to go to Alaska, but Linda, who wants Willy to stay with his current job, only has to remind Willy of Dave Singleman, and Willy is convinced to remain where he is. This excerpt gives a perfect example of how much Dave Singleman’s success has motivated Willy and given him false hope in himself as a salesman. Moreover, Willy tells his boss, Howard, about Dave Singleman, “when he died, hundreds of salesman and buyers were at his funeral. Things were sad on a lotta trains for months after that. In those days there was personality in it, Howard” (60). From this quote, the audience can see where Willy gets his false idea that personality wins the day and is the key to success. Willy greatly desires to be great like Dave Singleman, so he overemphasizes personality and being well-liked because that is what he saw bring Dave Singleman success. Although the audience never sees Dave Singleman talk to Willy, it is extremely apparent how much Willy allows Dave Singleman to affect him and encourage him in his unattainable dreams of superior accomplishment.

Another character that greatly impacts Willy is Charley, Willy’s only friend and next door neighbor. “Charley is dedicated to being a good man, as opposed to being a success in Willy’s terms. Although unaware of his dedication, Charley’s unconscious commitment to human above material factors is the key to his happiness, just as the reverse is the key to Willy’s failure” (Brockett 100-101). Charley proves to be a foil to Willy because Charley lets his son, Bernard, make his own choices, while Willy forces his dreams on his sons. Bernard becomes a successful lawyer and Charley a thriving businessman, but Willy’s sons do not know what to do with their lives while Willy cannot make any money. Additionally, Charley gives Willy money weekly, offers Willy a job, and tries to give Willy insight which will help Willy see past his faulty perception that being well-liked is most important (Kennedy 35). Charley is probably the character that truly helps Willy the most because he helps Willy financially and tries to correct Willy’s thinking. Charley knows that Willy is a failure because Willy has misguided ideas of success and how to attain it, and Charley sincerely tries to show Willy that he is living a mistaken life. Miller uses Charley as a foil to Willy in order to give the audience an opposing perspective and demonstrate how sad Willy’s situation is, and Charley is also used as the only character besides Biff who truly sees Willy’s problem and tries to help him out of it.

A third character that holds a major role in Willy’s life is his wife, Linda, who loves Willy dearly but does not help him see his true self. “[Linda] knows all there is to know about Willy, but she loves him, accepts him, and fights fiercely for him, even against her own sons…for to her it is not a question of whether Willy has earned love and respect – his right to them is unquestioned” (Brockett 100). Linda sees Willy’s failure and has a limited view of Willy’s incorrect thinking, but she loves him anyway because she cares for him so much. The unconditional love that Linda bestows on Willy is good for him, but at the same time, Linda’s love encourages Willy and his lie to himself. Moreover, Linda knows that Willy lies to her about his weekly pay; she knows he has tried to commit suicide, knows that he is not the great salesman who is well-known like he says he is, but never tells Willy to stop living with these lies (Miller 39-42). Linda fearfully cares for Willy so much that she will not make him face a little truth that will hurt him but will also benefit him in the long run. Through her strong love for Willy, Linda may bring Willy some comfort, but she does not stop him from living his phony life. Although Linda shows great love to Willy, she does not try to get Willy to open his eyes to the falsehood in which he is living, and as a result, Willy never truly becomes aware of his false lifestyle.

Furthermore, Happy, Willy’s youngest son, does little to affect Willy, but the audience can see much of Willy in Happy’s character. Happy was misled and lonely just like Willy, did not see the errors in Willy’s thoughts, and let Willy’s teachings define his own life as well (Dusenbury 123). Happy’s part in Willy’s life is to be the son that follows all that Willy believed in. Happy buys Willy’s mistaken beliefs, and he allows himself to be shaped and influenced by them. At Willy’s funeral, Biff says that Willy did not know who he was, and Happy replies, “[Willy] had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have – to come out number-one man” (Miller 108). Happy never really encourages his dad’s fake life or fantasies, but he accepts them and cannot see past them like his brother can. Therefore, Happy will always be like Willy, believing that being well-liked will bring success which leads to happiness. By not rejecting Willy’s misconceptions, Happy urges Willy on with his wrong ideas and ultimately ends up following these ideas himself.

Also, Ben, Willy’s brother, is the character who pushes Willy on in his dreams the most and strongly influences Willy and the decisions Willy makes. “Ben seems less ‘real’ than the others because he is not so much a person as the embodiment of Willy’s desire for escape and success: Willy calls him ‘success incarnate’” (Parker 29). Ben is only seen in the flashbacks that come to Willy, and each time it is observed that Willy admires Ben and looks to him for advice. Miller makes it appear as if Willy is always remembering Ben and speaking to him although no one else is aware of Ben, and Willy remembers the success that Ben achieved and believes he can attain the same success. At the end of the play, Ben encourages Willy to commit suicide and reminds him of the diamonds in the jungle (Miller 103-104). The diamonds in the dark jungle represent success that requires effort and risk to attain, and Ben makes this metaphorical reference in order to convince Willy that he will viewed as successful if he commits suicide. Willy takes Ben’s urging advice and commits suicide, and once again Willy fools himself by unfortunately believing that his family will view him with a new respect when they see the imagined multitudes of people at his funeral. Willy obviously esteemed Ben because of the materialistic success that Ben acquired, and Willy often goes to Ben for answers while Ben only pushes Willy farther into his ignorant dreams.

Lastly, Biff, Willy’s eldest son, who is thirty-four and has never been able to find a job that satisfies him, takes the most significant stand against Willy and his illusions. In the last scene of Death of a Salesman just before Willy commits suicide, Biff confronts Willy on being a fake and having foolish dreams, and Biff tells Willy that he is finished living under Willy’s delusions (101-103). Although Charley tries to help Willy become aware of his falsehood, Biff is the only character that actually calls out Willy on his falsehood and takes a strong stand against it. Biff finally tells Willy that he is tired of Willy’s ridiculous expectations for the Loman sons, and Biff asks Willy to let him live his own life and not a false one. “Biff sees that he was self-deceived about Oliver; he sees how all the Lomans have been self-deceived; and he stops his ‘spiteful’ behavior toward Willy and relinquishes the ‘phony dream,’ thus accepting the ‘reality’ of himself” (Murray 114). Biff discerns Willy’s faults and realizes who he, himself, really is. After this epiphany that Biff has and finally communicates to his father, Willy sees that Biff loves him and has potential, and then Willy commits suicide in order to provide Biff with some money to back his potential. It is extremely clear how much Biff affects his father, and a new love can be observed between them through the blunt actuality that Biff reveals to Willy and the sincere satisfaction that Willy receives from seeing that his son loves him.

In conclusion, Willy Loman is a “low man” with several people in his life that all think of him and treat him in different ways. They all care for him, but some are just as blind to Willy’s incorrect notions as Willy is. Others who are aware of Willy’s fraudulent lifestyle and his wishful thinking try to make it plain to Willy that he is wrong and needs to wake up to reality. Unfortunately, Willy never sees how far off everything that he put his life into is, and he commits suicide thinking of the material end of things once again. “The inner contradiction that drives Willy to self-destruction is the need to prove his worth against the fear that he has failed as both a father and a salesman: ‘I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman” (Miller 111)! Most characters provide Willy with the support that he is worth something, but he only feeds his dreams with that support. Biff and Charley attempt to open Willy’s eyes to the truth that he is misguided and is failing, but are just unable to make him see. All the characters affect Willy differently, and Miller is able to fully develop Willy through the diversity that each character brings to the captivating drama.

Works Cited

Brockett, Oscar. “An Introduction to Death of a Salesman.” Readings on Arthur Miller. Ed. Thomas Siebold. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1997. 96-101.

Dusenbury, Winifred. “Loneliness in Death of a Salesman.” Readings on Arthur Miller.

Ed. Thomas Siebold. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1997. 116-124.

Kennedy, Sighle. “Who Killed the Salesman?” Twentieth Century Interpretations of Death of a Salesman. Ed. Helene Wickham Koon. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1983. 33-40.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1999.

Murray, Edward. “Characterization in Death of a Salesman.” Readings on Arthur Miller. Ed. Thomas Siebold. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1997. 110-115.

Parker, Brian. “Point of View in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.” Modern Critical Interpretations: Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. 25-38.