efore they eventually fire him. The salesman' idea suggests that Willy really is and has nothing; a salesman hawks the wares made and owned by others. Willy does not own his home or refrigerator, and both his car and refrigerator need repairs (junk). This is key because as the first act progresses Willy evidently has no sense of accomplishment or ownership. Willy, himself, is becoming all used up. This confirmed by several comments: Willy"Figure it out. You work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there's nobody to live in it"Linda"Willy I made the last payment on the house today...and there'll be nobody home...we're free and clear"Willy "Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it's broken! I just finished paying for the car and it's on its last leg" Willy"The refrigerator consumes belts like a goddamn maniac! They time those things. They time so when you finally paid for them, they're used up."Recognizing this, Willy develops an attitude that centers around a theory of personal attractiveness and of being well-liked. He believes that if a person is well-liked and has great a deal of personal attractiveness then success will undoubtedly follow. Willy reinforces this theory by constantly reminding himself of a salesman he met a long time ago named David Singleman; Singleman was able to go into a town, pick up a telephone and make several sales without ever leaving his hotel room. When Singleman died, people from all over the country came to his funeral. This is quite a dichotomy, we discover, from Willy's life, since no one comes to Willy's funeral despite his relentless pursuit of Singleman's lifestyle. We discover early in the play that Willy believes his son Biff possesses these qualities. This fact eventually haunts Willy since he cannot escape the reality that Biff is a failure: going from job to job, from jail to jail, and especially from the philosophy that being well-liked will not excuse ...
