4.2.2
The Final Confrontation
The Physicality of the Final Encounter
The Physicality of the Final Encounter
Death of a Salesman is built around the conflict between Willy and Biff and it is inevitable that the play will climax with a confrontation between father and son.
Final encounter
Final encounter
- The final encounter between father and son is a scene of great emotional power, with Willy and Biff able to see themselves clearly for the first time in years.
- However, this moment is all too fleeting, and Miller creates an almost overwhelming sense of horror and dread as the moment slips away and their relationship once again becomes distorted by the dreams and delusions of the past.
Other characters
Other characters
- Miller’s stage directions demonstrate how intensely physical a scene he wants this to be.
- Linda is unable to witness the confrontation, her hands covering her face and her body turned away while Happy has to block Biff as he “starts” for Willy.
Physical movements
Physical movements
- Above all, Willy and Biff’s movements reveal each other’s desperation.
- Biff’s “fury” sees him break free of his brother and “grab” his father, pleading with Willy to finally accept him as he is.
- Willy, stunned by Biff’s tears, “dumbly fumbles for Biff’s face” as if, after years of blindness, this is the first time he truly “sees” his son.
Biff
Biff
- The toll this takes on Biff is clear: he is “exhausted” and barely makes his way up the stairs.
The Psychology of the Final Encounter
The Psychology of the Final Encounter
Death of a Salesman is built around the conflict between Willy and Biff and it is inevitable that the play will climax with a confrontation between father and son.
Enduring delusions
Enduring delusions
- The true power of the scene is in the psychological effect this moment of revelation (“Biff – he likes me!”) has on Willy.
- Despite Biff’s desperate appeals to his father to burn “that phoney dream”, Willy instead resurrects it: “That boy – that boy is going to be magnificent!”
- Tragically, Willy cannot see Biff as he truly is and he loses himself in his old delusions.
The role of Ben
The role of Ben
- A darker and more sinister motif emerges with the final, chilling appearance of Ben.
- Ben’s lines reveal Willy is edging ever closer to suicide, convincing himself that Biff will find success “with twenty thousand behind him” – the value of Willy’s life insurance policy.
Ben's tone of voice
Ben's tone of voice
- Ben’s words become more metaphorical as Willy comes closer to his final decision:
- Willy will have to enter a “dark” jungle (death) in order to find his “diamonds” (the insurance money).
- Ben’s tone is urgent, insisting it is “time” to act.
Reality and illusion
Reality and illusion
- Willy cannot differentiate between reality and illusion or past and present any longer and, in a darkly ironic moment, even interprets Linda’s appeal that they accept Biff’s leaving (“I think this is the only way, Willy”) as confirmation that he is making the right decision in killing himself.
Staging
Staging
- Miller’s innovative staging, ensuring past and present collide together in front of our eyes, adds to the horror of the scene: we see Willy’s final tragic fall but, like his family, are powerless to prevent it.
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
Jump to other topics
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
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