Death of a Salesman (2020)

Read the quote below from p. 86. 

“It’s who you know and the smile on your face! It’s contacts, Ben, contacts! [...] and that’s the wonder, the wonder of this country, that a man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being liked! [He turns to Biff] And that’s why when you get out on that field today it’s important. Because thousands of people will be rooting for you and loving you.” 

Why does Arthur Miller use monologue in this excerpt?

How does this monologue contribute to the theme of popularity and reputation in Death of a Salesman? 

What to look for in student response:

This monologue contributes to the theme of popularity and reputation because this is how Willy measures success. He is encouraging Biff to do well at his game in order to gain popularity from fans and so that he has a better chance at success. By saying, “A man can end with diamonds,” he means you can get rich, so what follows from popularity must be wealth. We know this is something Willy has been craving for the entire book. Unfortunately, this is a flashback, so we know that Biff is currently jobless (like Willy), so he has amounted to the exact opposite of Willy’s definition of success. His belief is wrong; success ISN’T based on popularity, as revealed by Willy’s delusion. Miller juxtaposes Biff and Bernard in order to show that popularity isn’t actually the way to success. Bernard was not as cool as Biff in high school, but he still gets ahead. Miller is conveying the theme that it takes a lot more than being “well-liked” in order to get ahead. We see that through the fact that Willy’s just been fired and Biff has no job—but more so in the juxtaposition of Bernard’s success against Biff’s failure. The monologue reveals how delusional Willy’s been. Bernard is successful, but he was never popular.