“‘In 1928 I had a big year. I averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions.”
“Now, Willy, you never averaged”
“I averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in the year of 1928!”’
This is taken from Willy’s conversation with Howard, his boss, about moving to a job in New York. Willy clearly believes that he is a good salesman and managed a high average in 1928. This is an example of him been unable to face reality because as Howard points out, he never has averaged commission of $128.
Not only does Willy think that he is a brilliant salesman but he also wants to be seen as one, like Dave Singleman. Dave Singleman was a salesman who was brilliant and when he died hundreds of people attended his funeral.
“He died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of New York, New Haven, and Hartford, going into Boston – when he died hundreds of salesmen and buyers at his funeral.”
Willy sees this to be the way a salesman should die and believes that he is in the same league of Singleman and therefore should die in a similar way and have hundreds of people at his funeral as he thinks he is well liked. Willy has not, however, realised that those days are long gone and his death will make no more of an impact on the world as a fly does on a windshield. Personality no longer exists in business and is not an important part of gaining a promotion. Willy does not realise this. His reality is that he is not well liked and he notices this,
“They seem to laugh at me.”
Willy’s life is nothing more than a sham, he is constantly in debt, has no fixed salary and he is unable to see that city life is a jungle. Willy still lives in the boom period of the 1920’s when everybody is doing well and personality went a long way. During the 1920’s prosperity personality went a long way because everyone had money and could buy their way out of most things. People with little money during this boom period could still live the life of a European middle class family. Willy still thinks that life is like this and doesn’t see that because of the depression money and success are louder than personality. Charley is a good example of this. Willy doesn’t think Charley has much personality because to Willy Charley isn’t well liked but he has power and success that Willy can only imagine because he has money he points out that money is power to Willy,
“Why must everybody like you? Who liked J.P. Morgan? Was he impressive? In a Turkish bath he’d look like a butcher. But with his pockets on he was very well liked.”
The penny is finally beginning to drop for Willy after Charley tells him this. Willy also realises that his death will not be a big affair but also that he is worth more dead,
“Funny, y’know? After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and years, you end up worth more dead than alive.”
Linda is another character in ‘Death of a Salesman’ that cannot face reality. This is because she defends Willy even if she doesn’t agree with what he is saying. Her character is not mentally unstable like Willy she just tries to make Willy feel like he is right.
