ACTⅡ(Excerpt)

Arthur Miller

CHARACTERS

Willy Loman Father

Linda Mother

Biff The Elder Son

Happy The Younger Son

Scene: The action takes place in Willy Loman’s house and yard.

Biff [taking the hoe from WILLY]: I’m saying good-bye to you, Pop. [WILLY looks at him, silent, unable to move.] I’m not coming back any more.

Willy: You’re not going to see Oliver tomorrow?

Biff: I’ve got no appointment, Dad.

Willy: He put his arm around you, and you’ve got no appointment?

Biff: Pop, get this now, will you? Everytime I’ve left it’s been a fight that sent me out of here. Today I realized something about myself and I tried to explain it to you and I — I think I’m just not smart enough to make any sense out of it for you. To hell with whose fault it is or anything like that. [He takes WILLY’s arm.] Let’s just wrap it up, heh? Come on in, we’ll tell Mom. [He gently tries to pull WILLY to left.]

Willy [frozen, immobile, with guilt in his voice]: No, I don’t want to see her.

Biff: Come on! [He pulls again, and WILLY tries to pull away.]

Willy [highly nervous]: No, no, I don’t want to see her.

Biff [tries to look into WILLY’s face, as if to find the answer there]: Why don’t you want to see her?

Willy [more harshly now]: Don’t bother me, will you?

Biff: What do you mean, you don’t want to see her? You don’t want them calling you yel low, do you? This isn’t your fault; it’s me, I’m a bum. Now come inside! [WILLY strains to get away.] Did you hear what I said to you?

[WILLY pulls away and quickly goes by himself into the house. BIFF follows.]

Linda [to WILLY]: Did you plant, dear?

Biff [at the door, to LINDA]: All right, we had it out. I’m going and I’m not writing any more.

Linda [going to WILLY in the kitchen]: I think that’s the best way, dear. ’Cause there’s no use drawing it out, you’ll just never get along.

[WILLY doesn’t respond.]

Biff: People ask where I am and what I’m doing, you don’t know, and you don’t care. That way it’ll be off your mind and you can start brightening up again. All right? That clears it, doesn’t it? [WILLY is silent, and BIFF goes to him.] You gonna wish me luck, scout! [He extends his hand] What do you say?

Linda: Shake his hand, Willy.

Willy [turning to her, seething with hurt]: There’s no necessity to mention the pen at all, y’know.

Biff [gently]: I’ve got no appointment, Dad.

Willy [erupting fiercely]: He put his arm around...?

Biff: Dad, you’re never going to see what I am, so what’s the use of arguing? If I strike oil I’ll send you a cheque. Meantime forget I’m alive.

Willy [to LINDA]: Spite, see?

Biff: Shake hands, Dad.

Willy: Not my hand.

Biff: I was hoping not go this way.

Willy: Well, this is the way you’re going. Good-bye.

[BIFF looks at him a moment, then turns sharply and goes to the stairs.]

Willy [stops him with]: May you rot in hell if you leave this house!

Biff [turning]: Exactly what is it that you want from me?

Willy: I want you to know, on the train, in the mountains, in the valleys, wherever you go, that you cut down your life for spite!

Biff: No, no.

Willy: Spite, spite, is the word of your undoing! And when you’re down and out, remember what did it. When you’re rotting somewhere beside the railroad tracks, remember, and don’t you dare blame it on me!

Biff: I’m not blaming it on you!

Willy: I won’t take the rap for this, you hear?

[HAPPY comes down the stairs and stands on the bottom step, watching.]

Biff: That’s just what I’m telling you!

Willy [sinking into a chair at the table, with full accusation]: You’re trying to put a knife in me — don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing!

Biff: All right, phony! Then let’s lay it on the line. [He whips the rubber tube out of his pocket and puts it on the table.]

Happy: You crazy —

Linda: Biff! [She moves to grab the hose, but BIFF holds it down with his hand.]

Biff: Leave it there! Don’t move it!

Willy [not looking at it]: What is that?

Biff: You know goddam well what that is.

Willy [caged, wanting to escape]: I never saw that.

Biff: You saw it. The mice didn’t bring it into the cellar! What is this supposed to do, make a hero out of you? This supposed to make me sorry for you?

Willy: Never heard of it.

Biff: There’1l be no pity for you, you hear it? No pity!

Willy [to LINDA]: You hear the spite!

Biff: No, you’re going to hear the truth — what you are and what I am!

Linda: Stop it!

Willy: Spite!

Happy [coming down toward BIFF]: You cut it now!

Biff [to HAPPY]: The man don’t know who we are! The man is gonna know! [To WILLY] — We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house!

Happy: We always told the truth!

Biff [turning on him]: You big blow, are you the assistant buyer? You’re one of the two assistants to the assistant, aren’t you?

Happy: Well, I’m practically —

Biff: You’re practically full of it! We all are! And I’m through with it. [To WILLY] Now hear this, Willy, this is me.

Willy: I know you!

Biff: You know why I had no address for three months? I stole a suit in Kansas City and I was in jail. [to LINDA, who is sobbing] Stop crying. I’m through with it.

[LINDA turns away from them, her hands covering her face.]

Willy: I suppose that’s my fault!

Biff: I stole myself out of every good job since high school!

Willy: And whose fault is that?

Biff: And I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That’s whose fault it is!

Willy: I hear that!

Linda: Don’t, Biff!

Biff: It’s goddam time you heard that! I had to be boss big shot in two weeks and I’m through with it!

Willy: Then hang yourself! For spite, hang yourself!

Biff: No! Nobody’s hanging himself, Willy! I ran down eleven flights with a pen in my hand today. And suddenly I stopped, you hear me? And in the middle of that office building, do you hear this? I stopped in the middle of that building and I saw — the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I try ing to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! Why can’t I say that, Willy? [He tries to make WILLY face him, but WILLY pulls away and moves to the left.]

Willy [with hatred, threateningly]: The door of your life is wide open!

Biff: Pop! I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you!

Willy [turning on him now in an uncontrolled outburst]: I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!

[BIFF starts for WILLY, but is blocked by HAPPY. In his fury, BIFF seems on the verge of attacking his father.]

Biff: I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash-can like all the rest of them! I’m one dollar an hour, Willy! I tried seven states and couldn’t raise it. A buck an hour! Do you gather my meaning? I’m not bringing home any prizes any more, and you’re going to stop waiting for me to bring them home!

Willy [directly to BIFF]: You vengeful, spiteful mut!

[BIFF breaks from HAPPY. WILLY, in fright, starts up the stairs. BIFF grabs him.]

Biff [at the peak of his fury]: Pop, I’m nothing! I’m nothing! Pop. Can’t you understand that? There’s no spite in it any more, I’m just what I am, that’s all.

[BIFF’s fury has spent itself, and he breaks down, sobbing, holding on to WILLY, who dumbly fumbles for BIFF’s face.]

Willy [astonished]: What’re you doing? What’re you doing? [To LINDA] Why is he cry ing?

Biff [crying, broken]: Will you let me go, for Christ’s sake? Will you take that phony dre am and burn it before something happens? [Struggling to contain himself, he pulls away and moves to the stairs.] I’ll go in the morning. Put him — put him to bed. [Exhausted, BIFF moves up the stairs to his room.]

Willy [after a long pause, astonished, elevated]: Isn’t that — isn’t that remarkable? Biff — he likes me!

Linda: He loves you, Willy!

Happy [deeply moved]: Always did, Pop.

Willy: Oh, Biff! [Staring wildly] He cried! Cried to me. [He is choking with his love, and now cries out his promise] That boy — that boy is going to be magnificent!

After You Read