Willy Loman's Tragic Decline

The arc of Willy Loman's deterioration from a once-hopeful salesman to a broken, suicidal man, tracing the psychological and economic forces that destroy him.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Young Salesman

A Promising Beginning The Early Success In the 1920s, Willy Loman was a successful salesman, averaging a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions. He was admired by his boss, Frank Wagner, and believed he had a bright future. The Meeting with Dave Singleman Willy met Dave Singleman, an eighty-four-year-old salesman who could make a living by phone. This encounter convinced Willy that selling was the greatest career, a path to being loved and remembered. The Decision to Stay Willy turned down an opportunity to go to Alaska with his brother Ben, choosing the security of the Wagner Company. This decision would haunt him as a missed chance for wealth.

The Middle Years

The Slow Erosion The Changing Times As the years passed, Willy's commissions declined. The buyers who knew him retired or died. The company reduced him to straight commission, like a beginner. His old friends disappeared. The Burden of Debt Willy took on a mortgage, bought appliances on credit, and struggled to keep up with payments. He borrowed fifty dollars a week from Charley to pretend he was still earning a salary. The Growing Isolation Willy's mind began to fray. He talked to himself, had accidents, and lost his ability to concentrate. He became a burden to his family, though he refused to see it.

The Final Breakdown

The Last Day The Failed Journey Willy returns home from a failed sales trip, nearly crashing his car. He is exhausted and confused. His mind is filled with memories of the past. The Firing Howard Wagner fires him, stripping him of his identity. Willy is left without a job, without a future, without purpose. The Reconciliation and Suicide After a final confrontation with Biff, Willy misinterprets his son's tears as love. He decides to kill himself for the insurance money, believing it will make Biff magnificent. He drives to his death, a final act of misguided love.

1920s, when Willy was starting out

1930s-1940s

The present day, twenty-four hours