To Die the Death of a Salesman...

It seems as though that's what Willy wanted after all: to die the death of a salesman. He wanted to be so loved and respected that, when he died, there would be countless people at his funeral, just like at that 84-year-old's funeral. I guess, in a way, he did die the death of a salesman, driving somewhere in his car--though it's more of a suicide than anyone else. I feel like I should pity him for the miserable life he lived, especially at the end, when all of his dreams wrenched themselves out of his grasp just before they could be realized. But, no, I can't pity him. He worked too hard to deceive himself and others, so much so that he couldn't even tell his lies from the truth, and he took his guilt out on everyone else.

I see Hap in almost the same way--he's a self-deceiver to the core, and I'm sure it will lead him to nearly the same end as his father. On the other hand, I have fairly high hopes for Biff and Linda. Linda may have had her head in the sand a lot of the time, but she wasn't really the one to bury it there, and she may yet have the chance to be happy. I'm almost certain that Biff will, because he's found out who he is and what he's going to do it, and he is no longer going to compromise it to please anyone. Biff will be a strong man after all.