Arthur Miller Quotes

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. In the first scene of the play, Willy Loman explains to his wife Linda why he couldn’t make it to his sales calls that day in New England. The 63-year-old salesman is exhausted traveling from New York to England for his job. Having returned home early to New York, the mentally and physically spent Willy’s words foreshadow his suicide later in the play. They also highlight how he constantly falls short in his desperate attempts to achieve his unattainable American Dream of prosperity and success.