character profiles continued

Biff:
- Is the one who forces Willy to face reality with statement that they are both 'a dime a dozen', which shatters Willy's illusions.

- When Biff eventually frees himself from the psychological burden placed on him by Willy, and comes to realise that he is not 'a leader of men' (p.105), we might expect him to be capable of greater happiness. However, Biff is presented as not fully understanding how to live his life free from the illusions placed on him by Willy, or realising how such illusions were insinuated into his own life by his father.

- It would be expected that Biff would free himself form the guilt of his past actions and blame Willy for his failures rather than himself, however this is not the case. This could be the reason that Biff does not fully counteract the sense of doom imposed by Willy's death.

- Biff has no programme for the future, however by the end of the play he is an ordinary man with no pretensions. He appears to have the clearest understanding of what has gone wrong in the family, and in this sense represents some hope for the future: an optimistic audience might believe that he has learnt from his father's mistakes, will use the life insurance money, and be successful. On the other hand, a pessimistic observer that Biff did not learn from Willy's mistakes, and went on to squander the money.

Linda:
- A staunch defender of everything that Willy stands for, although she is also acutely aware of his nature: 'I know he's not easy to get along with- nobody knows that better than me- but...' (43).

-According to the stage directions, she is usually cheerful and has developed an 'iron repression' of the objections she may have to Willy's behaviour. Ultimately, she is willing to excuse everything he does.

-Perhaps dependent on how an actor playing Linda portrays, some might see her as simply a spineless recipient of Willy's 'little cruelties' and her sons' immaturity who has now worthwhile substance of her own.

- In keeping with the gender roles of the time, Linda is not allowed an opinion: when she and Willy are d