Death of a Salesman: Characters

1. Willy Loman: The protagonist of the play, Willy is an ageing salesman in his mid-sixties, who has worked for the same company for over thirty years. He is a travelling salesman who endures a pay cut and is also fired from a company he has devoted his entire life to. To cope with his situation and years of back-breaking travelling and work (with little or no increase in his personal wealth or professional status), Willy creates a fantasy world which is still not enough to keep him safe from multiple failed attempts at suicide.Although his business acumen is peaking on account of his decades of experience, Willy is ageing and has few friends left in his trade. He is the epitome of millions of white-collared workers who have outlived their corporate capacities and do not fit into the rapidly changing, technologically driven world that favors youthfulness over experience and loyalty.
2. Linda Lowman: Willy’s wife is a timid home-maker who supports her husband in his aspirations but is also keenly aware of the exhaustion he is subjected to. She urges him to not be too accommodating towards his company. She is the anchor of the family who withstands the tempers, tantrums and emotional chaos of all three men—her husband and two grown sons.
3. Wagner: He was the old boss of the company, greatly admired by Willy. He seems to be a fair man who would have offered Willy a senior managerial position by now, taking him off the roads as a salesman. He was succeeded by his son Howard, who has very different principles from his father, in running a company.
4. Howard: Wagner’s son now runs the company and has little appreciation for the loyalties of old employees or their contribution towards building the company. He is a symbol of corporate business principles that see only profits as a goal, with little or no regard for the people that make the company—everyone is replaceable.
5. Happy: Willy’s younger son is thirty-two years old, tall and handsome. He is successful in his career but finds himself frustrated at having to take orders from those he cannot respect, admire or aspire to be like. He still looks up at his older brother Biff, who was hugely popular when he was in school. Happy lives his life seeking relationships with several women and trying to get his older brother Biff to do the same. He also harbors a desire to launch a family business under the name of the Loman Brothers. Happy is the most neglected member of his family as his parents’ attention has always been focused primarily on their older son Biff.
6. Biff: Willy’s older son, who works as a farm hand on a ranch. He is thirty-four years old and has tried his hand at dozens of jobs, with little satisfaction or success. He enjoys physical labor and being in nature but is pressured by society into wanting a more stable and successful future. He dreams of opening a ranch with his brother, Happy. He despises his father for selling the grand American dream to him, in the garb of lies of Biff’s greatness and natural affinity for success. These have harmed Biff a lot as a young adult and are the reason why he cannot seem to find himself.
7. Bernard: He is introduced in Act I, in one of Willy’s imaginary conversations as a boy younger than Biff. He is earnest and loyal and a huge fan of Biff. He is the neighbor Charley’s son, who is not expected to become much. However, Bernard grows up to become a successful lawyer, fighting a case in the Supreme Court, at a young age. He is married with two children and is happy with his life.
8. Charley: He is Willy’s neighbor and only friend. Charley runs a successful business and often lends money to Willy, who is severely cash-strapped. On several occasions, as they drink and play cards, Charley has offered Willy a job, to take him off the road, but Willy has always vehemently denied the offer. Charley is supportive of the Lomans, even after Willy’s suicide and is one of the few characters shown in a positive light, in the play.