But different from Biff, Happy doesn’t seem to understand and wants to continue his father’s illusion dream. From the beginning to the end of “Death of a salesman”, Happy doesn’t change at all, he is a copy of Willy Loman. All his life, he always is a shadow from his brother and struggling to get some attentions from Willy by being a salesman like him but still, reason for Willy’s death is the insurance money for Biff. Happy is left with infuriation and disappointment with his father’s decision. He also gets mad: [almost ready to fight Biff]“Don’t say that.” when Biff defines Willy’s life as a waste. Family tension is created between the argument of Biff and Happy. The Loman family always has different opinions with each others about life maybe because Willy lives in his delusional dream and he blew “full of hot air” into the family. Miller adds ironic into Happy’s speech: “I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain.” The audience feels completely hopeless for Happy because he seems to be the next victim of the American Dream. Happy doesn’t want to go to the West with his brother, what he is going to do is keep doing salesman and proving to everybody that his father’s dream is not a failure and he is going to be a successful salesman which is an unrealistic goal for his life. In my opinion, sympathy is pulled out from the audience at this point because they know that Willy did die in vain. Willy Loman convinced himself that after his death, his insurance money would go to Biff but actually his life insurance policy doesn’t cover suicide. It is impossible to prove that Willy did not die in vain like Happy said. What have been happened with Willy and Happy makes the audience have to think deeply and this is how Miller makes the requiem as a moving and appropriate ending to the play.
Miller makes a twist in ironic. The fact is Willy decides to suicide because of the financial problem and he wants to prove to his sons that his life is worth something but after all his death is a failure. No one comes to his funeral but his closest friend- Charley. All of his life, Willy aspired to be like Dave Singleman who could make money at the age of eighty and had lots of businessmen came to his funeral but Willy’s death is absolute contrast to Dave Singleman. But the audience finally sees something right of his death after Charley’s speech which is one of the most memorable speeches in the play: “Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.” Miller uses diction: “dast” makes the Charley’s speech more remarkable. Charley takes blame away from Willy’s death. Charley assures that no one would blame Willy, the world is rough and he also realizes Willy need for an acknowledgement and appreciation. According to Charley, a salesman’s life is all about advertising and selling himself, he compares salesman’s image as “a smile and a shoeshine”- inspiring smile to the customer. A salesman’s life is constant upward struggling because at the moment the customers “start not smiling back- that is an earthquake.” And then he declares “A salesman is go to dream”, with well-chosen diction, “is” instead of “has” to emphasize Charley’s opinion clearly to the audience. Willy desperately wants to become success that he makes up lies so he could move on with his job and his life like every salesman does but unfortunately, Willy is stuck in his own fantasy and doesn’t try to get out of it. Willy’s weakness makes him to stay in the myth of the American Dream than lives in realistic standards of his own life. The audience feels more pity for Willy than blames him for his death.
Linda takes a significant role in the requiem. At the end, she prefers a moment alone with Willy’s grave. Through all the play, Willy’s wife- Linda is one of the most stable characters. No one can deny her love for her family, her husband and also she is the only one seems to understand her family most. But at the end of the play, she is left with miserable. Linda doesn’t understand the reason why her husband committed suicide: "Why did you do it? I search and search and I search, and I can't understand it, Willy." Another ironic is added to the Requiem, Willy kills himself just before his family becomes free of the house’s payment. Linda doesn’t recognize her husband anymore because she always convinces herself that his action is because of the financial burden not his psychological problem. At the end she says her last words with Willy’s grave: “We are free…we are free..”. This scene creates sadness to the audience. They feel not only sympathy with Linda but also feel sad like her. Miller ends his story with the image which he brings in at the beginning: “the hard towers of the apartment building.” This reveals the capitalism that the city doesn’t care about Willy’s death, life still moves on.
The requiem left behind several unanswered question for the audience: Did Linda find out about the woman before Willy’s death?, Will Happy be success? Will Biff do what he want to do?, etc. Miller makes this ending on purpose, he wants us to think, to take and learn lessons through this tragedy. Death of a Salesman is a true criticism of the American Dream. Miller plot reveal the wrong points of the American Dream. Willy who is an average person and hard-working but doesn’t achieve success and Willy is the character who represents for everyman’s figure. All he wants is pursuit happiness but the American Dream is an unattainable goal for average people and actually very few people makes it to the top. Focusing your life into wealth and material things makes your world become materialistic. The American Dream can destroy people and their families. This is what Miller wants to say through the requiem and he does make this a moving and appropriate ending to the play.
