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Another important musical motif is the music played during Willy s most despicable act. Throughout the play, a woman appears on the stage as a reminder of Willy s evil deed. It is not until later that the audience learns of Willy s infidelity. Although surprising, the encounter with the prostitute was definitely planned by Miller as one of the key turning points in Willy s life. The music played during the appearance of the woman and during the hotel room scene helps to emphasize Willy s sexual desires and needs. It also helps to create a sense of danger when Biff appears outside Willy s room. It is also this music that is heard when Willy warns Biff about making promises to girls and how dangerous it can be (16). Linda s musical themes are however, in stark contrast to those of the prostitute.

When Linda sings her lullaby to Willy in their bedroom, she contrasts the sensuous music of the prostitute. The raw theme of sexual desire contrasts with Linda Loman s theme (Lounsberry 2). Linda is will stand by Willy s side no matter what because she is his wife (Garrison). Her lullaby begins as a soft, soothing tune. It helps Willy to relax and remember his love for her. However, just as their relationship has grown to become, Linda s melody starts to become monotonous. Linda soon looses Willy s attention and he drifts away. This is a perfect foreshadow of the hotel room scene, where Willy rekindles his sexual interest with a prostitute, rather than Linda.

Whistling also presents itself as an important musical theme in the play. The conflict between selling and living in the outdoors is perfectly contrasted by the motif of whistling. Many people, as it is said in the popular Disney tune, whistle while they work (Lounsberry 2). However, whistling is more associated with outdoor activities than business. Therefore, because Biff Loman likes to whistle, he is associated more with nature that with business (2). Willy often tells Biff that whistling is unacceptable in the world of business, emphasizing Willy s desire to have Biff go into business. Happy tries to refute Biff by telling him that no one hires a man who whistles in an elevator. Ironically, when Willy goes into his boss office looking for a promotion in the business, Wagner does none other than play a recording of his daughter whistling and whistles along with it. Wagner s actions are almost in direct opposition to Willy and Happy s beliefs about whistling, thus proving that Biff was right all along (Lounsberry 2). Whistling does not offend the boss as much as it may appear. In fact, maybe Will and Happy could have gotten farther if they learned to whistle in the elevator.

Near the end of the play, Willy is faced with all of his failures as he tries to think of a way to keep his family going. All Willy can think about is becoming rich and helping his family to survive. After careful consideration, Willy decides that killing himself and allowing his family to collect on his insurance is the only way. In her essay Conceptualizing Death of a Salesman as an American Play, Susan Smith reports that here again, the light, airy sounds of the flute are heard, calling Willy back to the life of nature that he always dreamed of living (7). Willy then jumps into his car and speeds off, as the flute becomes louder and louder.

The dynamic story of Death of a Salesman would be impossible to tell without the cleverly designed sets. Examining the scenic choices opens the way for discussion of Miller s play-within-play layering of temporal and special memoirs (4). The sets in the play help to bring out the simplicity and struggle In Willy s life. Before the play opens, the audience is able to view possibly one of the most blatantly obvious expressionistic devices in the show. During the overture, a large scrim covers the stage. On the scrim is an image of the open face of Willy Loman. This face is an invitation by Miller for the audience to come inside the mind of Willy Loman so they can better understand his situation. In fact, Miller s first title for the play was The Inside of His Head (Lounsberry 3). For the Broadway production, Miller decided to use transparent scenery as a more subtle way of showing Willy s imperfections. However, the open face is still used in some productions in conjunction with the scenery, to show Willy Loman as the confused and troubled person that he really is.

Some of the first and most obvious pieces of expressionism in the set are the transparent lines between the Loman house and the city around it. The juxtaposition of the burning, angry, distorted city with the dreamlike, transparent house is the frame for the action, which in turn frames other sites of action (4). It is almost as if the house becomes the city in a smooth transition. On every side of the Loman s small house, the city is closing in. Willy often recalls the empty space and woods around their house that is now all covered with apartment buildings. The transition from the Loman house to the buildings allows the audience to see the pressure the city and possibly business, is exerting on Willy and his family.

The furnishings in the Loman household also reveal a great deal about Willy s character. The very little amount of furniture also contributes (Lounsberry 3). Perhaps the most important of the furnishings are the three chairs in the center of the kitchen. Realistically, the family table should have four chairs, one for every member of the family. The fact that Willy s table has only three emphasizes both the importance Willy places on his sons, and his disregard for Linda as an important member of the family (3). Near the end of Act I, Willy goes to the refrigerator to get some milk, only to find that the refrigerator has broken down. Willy s source of life, the refrigerator, had broken down,

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