The mistress, sultry yet sophisticated, played a larger part in the play, Death of A Salesman, than most would imagine.

that many people do not see Willy as a successful man. The woman, on the other hand, does. Furthermore, she tells him that she selected him out of all the salesmen. This makes him feel quite superior to the other salesmen and gives him a higher self-esteem. In addition, she tells him that the next time he came, she would let him go directly through to see the buyers without having to wait in line. Willy had not been successful in his business trips for quite awhile so when she tells him this, it makes him feel as if he is a success. While Willy is getting a boost of self-esteem, Biff, his son, is yearning for Willy’s support.         Biff travels to Boston to ask his father for assistance. Instead of getting help, he finds out the truth about his father. After he finds out about the woman, he realizes his dad is a fake. Willy was someone he admired but now all he sees is a phoney. Moreover, Willy’s infidelity strips Biff of his faith in his father. He held his father’s ideas in high esteem but now was disgusted with him. He could not handle his father’s greatest ego stroking lie. All of the aspirations Willy had for Biff never came true  Biff did not want what his dad wanted for him anymore. As a result of Willy’s affair, Willy begins to see Biff as a failure. Willy cannot accept the idea that Biff does not want what he wants. Now that Biff is back from the West, Willy and him constantly argue over the fact that he is not a success. This all goes back to the woman. Biff realized he wanted to carve his own way and not end up like his father: creating ego-stroking lies. All together, Willy’s unfaithfulness caused a monumental strain on his relationship with Biff.         After Biff found out about his father’s affair, he constantly struggled to succeed. He used to dream of going to the University of Virginia. He even had shoes that had their logon printed on them. But after his encounter with the woman, he did not care anymore. He flunked math, which caused him not to graduate from high school. His dream of going to the University of Virginia was crushed, just like his heart. Additionally, Biff had always had good fortune with women. Now he does not even have the confidence to flirt with girls. This all goes back to the woman because he lost his pride, will power, and the drive to succeed all in one day. Willy always told Biff how wonderful he was and what a success he would be  now he believes none of it. He despised Willy’s affair and in turn came to despise Willy’s ambitions for him.         An actual physical presence of a character is not vital to affect a play in an immense way. The woman not only represents betrayal but also Willy’s ego stroking lies. Her non-physical presence in the play affected Willy’s fragile ego, Biff’s struggle to succeed, and Biff and Willy’s relationship. All of this is linked together to add a significant meaning to the play, Death of A Salesman. The lives of Willy and Biff Loman would have been considerably different if it had not been for the sultry, sophisticated woman.