Death of a Salesman
by Arthur Miller
Table of Contents
Act 2: Scene 11 to 14
Act II: Scene 11
This scene reverts back to the Loman house. Willy has returned home and is outside in the garden. Linda is angry with the boys because she feels like they had abandoned Willy at the restaurant, which is not what happened; Willy actually left them at the restaurant, but she refuses to listen to them. Happy tries to placate his mother by giving her flowers, which helps reveal how superficial he is. However, Linda does not want Happy’s flowers; she knocks them out of his hand and to the floor, ordering him to clean them up. Biff wants to talk to Willy, but Linda will not let him. To Linda, Willy is being threatened and she is trying desperately to protect him. However, Linda seems to be aware that Willy is beyond help; she senses that he is going to kill himself and that nothing she can do is going to stop that from happening.
Act II: Scene 12
Willy is in the backyard, plotting his garden. As he has been doing throughout much of the play, Willy is talking to himself. Ben comes in and begins talking to Willy about Willy’s plans to commit suicide. Ben is practical, while Willy remains grandiose. For example, Ben warns him that the insurance might not pay off for the death because it is a suicide. Willy begins talking about his funeral, imagining that it will be a grand affair. He was very impressed with Dave Singleman’s funeral, and he appears to envision something similar for himself. Willy no...
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