Psychological and Emotional Condition of Willy Loman
When the play starts, Willy has just returned from a drive. He is not only physically tired but also mentally disturbed. Many things which he badly expects to happen does not happen which makes him unstable. This condition of his instability is evident by his strange actions. He narrates to Linda his condition throughout his travel. He says that while driving, he suddenly realised that he was moving at a speed of sixty miles an hour and could not remember anything about the previous five minutes. As he was observing the scenery, he completely forgot that he was driving and went off road. Again another five minutes he was lost in some strange thoughts. Then the reason is revealed which is that Howard, Willy's boss, wants Willy to retire from job while Willy is in dire need of money.
Another thing which worries Willy is Biff's career. Even after ten years he has not managed to make even thirty five dollars a week. Willy always ponders over Biff's promising past name and fame. He reminisces Biff's victory in Ebbets Field game. Willy was so confident of Biff that even when Bernard came to warn Biff of failing in Maths, Willy was not moved at all. Happy converses with Biff saying that once Willy reacted to traffic signals in an opposite manner though his vision is absolutely right. And for a long time Willy talks to himself, sometimes very loudly, mostly as if talking to Biff. Willy recollects the great relationship he had with his sons especially with Biff which was shattered miserably when Biff witnessed Willy with a woman. Now, he has become so impatient that when Biff starts to say something about his career, Willy is immediately out on his high assumptions leading to bitter disappointments as he does when Biff proposes the idea of selling sporting goods and as he does when Biff is about to explain his unrecognised encounter with Bill Oliver, which discourages Biff to take up anything lesser than that. Likewise, any occasion of emotion takes Willy to the extremes. At last, Biff tries to convince him that he is not of the temperament which Willy supposes Biff to be of; by breaking down at him. This makes Willy believe, supported by the affirmation given by Linda and Happy that Biff still loves him. Ultimately, to make Biff use Willy's life insurance money for his business, he commits suicide by smashing his car against something.
Willy is reminded of his affair with a woman in Boston. It is inevitable for Willy to forget her. But yearns to satisfy Linda of all the troubles she had to face because of his insufficient earning. He and Linda discuss about the pending payments which they have to make. This is another tension which Willy bears in his mind. He keeps on promising her that one day he'll compensate for everything she had missed in her life.
Willy, a number of times, starts conversing with his dead brother Ben about each other's businesses. Ben had offered Willy to join him in the expedition of diamonds. Willy had refused to go with him and preferred to become a successful salesman but on seeing Ben become rich in no time and he himself being on the same plane in his life he regrets for having not taken the decision to go with him.
There's another person in real time, Charley, a friend of his, from whom he regularly borrows money, thereby adding another tension to his mind of paying him his debts, though he never did. Owing to his egotistic and seemingly jealous attitude towards Charley, he even refuses, when Charley offers him, the job he would like.
Willy was very sensitive and dreamt blindly about himself and Biff leading to killing himself tragically, sadly never having experienced even a glimpse of his dreams.
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