Death of a Salesman is a powerful and provocative play written by the renowned American playwright Arthur Miller.

The play centres around two main characters; Willy Loman, a troubled salesman, and Biff Loman, his eldest son. Throughout the play there are many emotional scenes, often involving a conflict between Biff and Willy. uch conflicts arise due to Willy!s unachievable ambitions, which Biff view as ridiculous. "ne scene in particular # the final conflict between father and son # highlights these issues, and is also a great e$ample of Miller!s use of innumerable techni%ues to convey emotion very effectively. &n this penultimate scene, Biff and Willy have an incredibly tense argument as Biff reveals he is tired of trying to succeed in his fathers ambitions # whilst sacrificing his own # and decides that he should leave the household once and for all. Before this scene, Willy, Biff and 'appy # his younger brother # had attempted to discuss Biff!s interview and (ob prospects with businessman Bill "liver. When Biff reveals to his father that he did not in fact meet with Bill "liver, tempers flair, and in the end, both Biff and 'appy leave Willy alone in the restaurant. &t is because of this that relationships are already tense before the main confrontation. The scene begins with the two brothers entering the house after leaving the restaurant. &mmediately, the scene is set, as Linda, their mother, throws down some flowers that happy gives her. This perfectly reveals a tense atmosphere and is the first instance of intense emotion in the scene. After this, Biff approaches Willy and calmly tells him that it will be for the best if he leaves. Willy reacts to this badly, saying in return, )May you rot in hell if you leave this house*+ This clearly indicates that Willy still dreams that Biff will become successful in the city, despite the fact that Biff only wants to wor, on a farm, earning a small wage. Biff implies this when he says, )-op* &!m a dime a do.en, and so are you*+ Biff is telling Willy that, li,e his father, he is not cut out for business, and that he is a labourer, not someone superior to the rest. Willy is evidently offended by this, as the stage directions tell us that he then turns on Biff )in an uncontrollable outburst+. This stage direction is a clear indication of the intense emotion to be felt, and it is detail li,e this that would ma,e the scene so e$citing to watch. Willy!s reply to Biff!s statement also tell us more about Willy!s thoughts and ideas, and help us as readers to understand his character. 'e says/ )& am not a dime a do.en* & am Willy Loman and you are Biff Loman*+ 'ere Willy demonstrates his incredibly inflated sense of importance, not only for himself but that of his family too. &t also tells us that Willy is incapable of seeing things from Biff!s point of view, and that he cannot accept the truth. This is closely lin,ed to one of the themes in the play/ the American dream, as it e$emplifies Willy!s high hopes and e$pectations of Biff. &n this sense, it also lin,s to another theme in the play, dreams versus reality, as Willy still cannot come to terms with not only Biffs )failures+, but also his own. Willy may act in this way because he is genuinely deluded, or also because of the pressures of society!s e$pectations that surround him in the business world.

&t is this inflated sense of self0importance that Biff despises so much and views as

wrong. )1ou!re practically full of it, we all are2+ he says, when 'appy lies about his position at his wor,place. This reveals that Biff finally wants to spea, the truth for once. Biff furthers his statement when he )throws+ down the piece of rubber tubing Willy had intended to use for suicide. We are told then that Willy attempts to remove the tubing, but Biff stops him. The fact that Biff does not allow him to cover the tubing # and his true intentions # indicate that he wants to e$pose the truth. This scene is crucial in helping the reader understand the characters of both Biff and Willy, and can be seen as the clima$ of the play. Willy is now outraged and cannot contain his anger. 'e calls Biff a )vengeful, spiteful mutt*+ This is a very good indication of the anger being felt by him, as this is a horrible way to tal, about his own son. &t also tells us that Willy believes that Biff has deliberately made a mess of his own life in an attempt to get bac, at him. The )spite+ that Willy tal,s of is imaginary, as Biff does not in fact hate him, and he refrains from revealing the truth about why their relationship crumbled, and thus the reason for the )spite+. By revealing the full truth about Willy!s affair with )The Woman+ Biff would hurt Linda, and as he loves her so much he cannot bear to see her upset. This is also the reason that he sacrifices his own dreams for Willy!s delusional ones. The penultimate scene in Arthur Miller!s )3eath of A alesman+ is arguably the most intense and heated scene in the whole play. &t helps the reader gauge a better understanding of numerous characters, whilst also provo,ing emotions. &t is a perfect e$ample of the masterful way in which Miller uses numerous techni%ues to create these emotions and thus add to the plays underlying message.