How Does the Beginning of Act 2 Further Our Understanding of the World That Willy Loman Inhabits?

Towards the end of Act one, Miller really uncovers the faults in the Loman family, revealing Willy’s suicide attempts, and Biffs failures. On the last couple of pages the lying characteristics of the Loman’s kick in, where Biff, Happy and Willy discuss an idealistic future for themselves; ‘We form to basketball teams, see? … We play each other… sell sporting goods’. This ‘Million dollar idea’ is incredibly unrealistic, and the way in which they discuss this tells us that this conversation is an attempt to try and cover up the faults of the family. So as the end of Act 1 ends with a suicide, it completely contrasts with the beginning of Act 2 where it is more uplifting with ‘[laughing]’included in the stage directions (and not as an attempt to confused and harass Willy). The music introducing the beginning of Act 2 is also ‘Gay and Bright’ which certainly contrasts with when Miller reveals the suicide during the end of Act 1. However there is still a fake aspect included, where Willy cannot be upfront about his loss of work and is more optimistic by saying ‘Sleeping until 10’   instead of confronting the fact that he has now lost his job and can sleep in.

The relationship between Willy and Linda seems to have improved also, where Willy seems to compliment and respect her more; ‘No, take a rest’. Willy looks ‘so rested’ contrasting to the words used at the beginning of Act 1 which were ‘terrible’. Then, later on in this scene, Willy and Linda have an argument over the once covered stockings. This shows as soon as the past is reminded to the characters, the emotions change drastically from ‘laughing’ to ‘it gets me nervous’, and the stockings represent the mistakes which the Loman’s make are constantly being brought up in their daily lives.

Linda stays similar to what she was like in Act 1 because she is still maternal ‘can I get you some eggs?’ and ‘getting him into the jacket’. Also at the beginning of this Act we are more conscious of the way in which Willy’s...