*Death of a Salesman--Day 1.

The opening of the play “Death of a Salesman” illustrates a home of lesser quality. The home is lit only by the “blue light of the sky” which illuminates a scene of a kitchen that has the basic necessities, but no “fixtures.” Beyond the kitchen, is a “draped entrance” that contains a living room, and then a bedroom, “furnished only with a brass bead stand and a straight chair.” The simplicity of the home does not necessarily denote that the family that occupies the space is pitiable, but perhaps that the family is just unadorned people. To the viewer, the home is “transparent” and the roof-line is “one-dimensional” again denoting the simplicity of the family.

As the reader is introduced to the first character, Willy, an “exhausted” man of “sixty years of age” the reader gains insight of the lack of mentality Willy has. While driving, Willy all of the sudden begins “goin’ off the road” from daydreaming. Confusion emerges when Willy starts speaking of his “lazy bum” son Biff for not working, but then a couple of lines later, Willy goes on speaking of how Biff is “such a hard worker” and if there is one thing about Biff, it’s that “he’s not lazy.” Ironically, Willy then complains to his wife how he is “always being contradicted”, yet Willy contradicts each statement he makes. As soon as Willy spoke about opening the windows in the truck, he soon says that the “windshields don’t open on the new cars” and then goes on reminiscing about how he believed he was driving his “chevvy” today. The reader begins to wonder what is wrong with Willy and why his mental state is so amiss.

Another contradiction within the play thus far is the character, Happy’s, name. The reader would think that someone with the name of “Happy” would be joyous and content with one’s life; however, Happy is unstable with the life he is living thus far. Although Happy has a nice job, he doesn’t enjoy what he does, and only finds peace in sleeping around with women. Happy has gone as far as sleeping with a girl that is “engaged to be married in five weeks.” Although Happy feels “disgust” with himself, he also gains satisfaction , as if it is a sort of “competition” and Happy has won and overachieved what the “vice president” has accomplished.

Happy’s brother, Biff, also does not feel satisfaction from his life. No matter the job Biff has, he has not felt content with his accomplishments. Thus far, the story has been a constant struggle with self happiness and achievement.