Death of a Salesman Act 1

• First impressions are that Wlly is a generous man, 'It's alright, I came back'
• shows exasperation - driiving or hard work
• link to his mental wellbeing - gets distracted by the scenery and his mind wanders, 'But it's so beautiful up there'
• 'If i'd've gone the other way over that white lline I might've killed somebody' - frustration
• Perhaps Willy sees elements of himself in Biff - 'is lost' but 'not lazy'

How does Linda speak to Willy?

• 'very carefully, delicately'
• 'helpfully'
• 'with infinite patience'
• we can tell that Linda is loyal and loving - she tries her best to help Willy. She someitmes makes excuses for Willy to try and make him feel better, but we can see Willy notices this; 'maybe it was the steering again - I don't think Angelo knows the Studebaker'

• Biff: 2 years older than Happy, 'well built' and 'has succeeded less' than Happy 
• Happy: 'powerfully made' and 'sexuality is like a visible colur on him'
• We see Willy talking to himself elsewhere on the stage
• There is clearly an affectionate relationship between the boys - 'you taught me everything I know about women'
• Biff wishes to escape consumerism in America, but this is seemingly unavoidable - 'every time I come back here I know that all I've done is to waste my life'
• Happy questions the success of hard work - 'sometimes I sit in my apartment - all alone... but then, it's what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car, plenty of women. And still, goddammit. I'm lonely'
• Juxtaposition - Biff is 'growing angry', and he even calls Willy 'selfish' and 'stupid'

• Willy's first flashback and he reminisces about the past, 'he smiles broadly at a kitchen chair'
• Willy is the centre of attention and an idol; 'How's that pop?' and 'where's the surprise pop?' suggest there must be a reason for remebering these things
• 'someday i'll have my own business, and i'll never have to leave home any more'
• irony - he dreams of a world in which he won't leave his children, but in order to get there he must, optionally, leave his children 

• Bernard represents success, and the American Dream
• 'anaemic' - Willy seems to contradicte himself 
• Bernard is 'liked, but not well liked' and this is something Willy dislikes 
• flashbacks are unreliable - 'well, I - did - about a hundred...well, no - it came to - roughly'
• Willy lacks self-confidence - 'fat' and 'foolish to look at'
• Ironic considering he is a salesman 

• 'that man was a genius, that man was success incarnate' - Willy admires Ben 
• It is suggested that Charley had had to help Willy out before 
• Willy says Ben is the man who 'knew the answers'
• There is an air of shiftiness about Ben - 'I walked into the jungle, and when I was 21, I walked out'
• Willy is desperate to impress Ben - 'snakes and rabbits, thats why I moved out', Willy sees himself in Biff; a failure 

The main focus is on Linda 

• She acts as a mother figure to Willy - Willy says that 'gee, that was a beautiful thing', but then, rather childishly, his attention shifts rapidly; 'I'll take a walk', despite the fact he's in his slippers
• Irony - Happy and Willy want to make it big in the business world, but the business world has betrayed Willy
• 'for five wekks he's been on straight commission, like a beginner, an unknown!' - tone of hopelessness
• Happy brands Willy a 'jerk', perhaps used by Miller to challenge conventional views on mental illness 
• It instantly triggers Linda's sympathy; 'How can I insult him that way?'

• Willy's tragic flaw is exposed when he exclaims, 'and who in the business world thinks I'm crazy?' followed shortly by 'call out the name Willy Loman and see what happens! Big shot!'
• Does Willy really believed this? Probably not, but he must display this to seem rid of any tragic flaw
• Ironically, this only exposes what he wants to keep hidden 
• Repeated interruption from Willy after Linda speaks; 'don't interrupt' and 'will you let me talk?'
• He is presented as having a complete disregard for Linda 
• There is a theme of Willy thinking he is useful, when in fact he isn't - 'all right, Dad' and 'dont undersell yourself'
• He seems to think that people listen to him, when this is very unlikely
• Biff does not even say goodnight to him, only Linda 
• Linda 'hums a soft lullaby' - Willy is presented as infantille and in stark contrast, Biff 'smokes' on another part of the stage, possibly implying a kind of role-reversal