Willy Loman An insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman. Willy believes wholeheartedly in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, but he never achieves it. Nor do his sons fulfill his hope that they will succeed where he has failed.

He saw a big charm between his erstwhile dream-chasing life and his present predicament. To redeem himself from the reality regarding the emptiness and futility of life, Willy Loman committed suicide. Perhaps Willy Loman committed suicide in order to revenge his sons who neglected their father.

Willy has been secretly borrowing money from Charley in order to pay the bills. Linda blames Biff and Happy for abandoning their father in order to pursue their own selfish desires. Biff agrees to stay at home and help out financially, but Linda refuses unless he and Willy can reconcile their differences.

Willy’s Tragic Flaw In classical tragedy, the main character frequently suffers from the tragic flaw of hubris, or excessive pride. But the tragic hero of Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, doesn’t necessarily suffer from pride. Instead, he suffers from a false vision of what helps a man achieve the American dream.

Linda finds it hidden behind the fuse box in the cellar, and the “new little nipple” she finds on the gas pipe of the water heater leads her to the conclusion that Willy had planned to inhale gas.

Stockings. The rubber hose is a symbol of Willy’s impending suicide. When Biff mentions that she should have removed the rubber hose from behind the fuse box, she tells him that she would be ashamed to confront Willy about her discovery.

Stockings assume a metaphorical weight as the symbol of betrayal and sexual infidelity. New stockings are important for both Willy’s pride in being financially successful and thus able to provide for his family and for Willy’s ability to ease his guilt about, and suppress the memory of, his betrayal of Linda and Biff.

The rubber pipe makes its first appearance in the play when Linda Loman (Willy’s wife) speaks of finding it in the basement to her son, Biff Loman.

Biff never went to summer school because he caught his father having an affair, which upset him a great deal. Biff had previously failed to graduate…

Why is Willy home? Why is Linda alarmed that he’s home? Willy is home because he felt he was going to crash because he couldn’t concentrate on the road. Linda is alarmed because last time he came home early he actually crashed and she was scared it happened again.