Death Of A Salesman

Biff / Willy - Turning Points

A major turning point in the story Death of a Salesman occurs on pages 1394 and 1395. The scene is Willy walking into Charley's office and he sees Bernard (Charley's son) waiting in the waiting room. Willy sits next to Bernard and starts to have a conversation with him. The conversation starts out casual, then Willy asks Bernard where did he go wrong with Biff (Willy's son). Bernard tells Willy that Biff was prepared to attend summer school and Willy was surprised. Bernard asks Willy if Biff came up to see him in New England. Willy replied, "Yeah, he came to Boston. What about it?" He tells Willy that when Biff came back he wasn't the same and it was then that Bernard knew that Biff had given up his life. When Bernard asked Willy what happened up there Willy got angry and said that nothing happened. After that conversation Willy started to play back in his mind the events that occurred the day Biff came to see him in Boston.

On page 1407 Willy is in the hotel room with his mistress and they hear a knock at the door. The woman tells Willy, "Aren't you going to answer the door? He'll wake the whole hotel." After trying to divert her attention Willy tells the woman to hide in the bathroom while he answers the door. Willy opens the door and sees Biff standing there. He asks his son why he came to Boston and his son replies that he flunked math and doesn't have enough credits to graduate. They talk a little more then a laugh is heard from the bathroom. The woman comes out of the bathroom and Willy tries his best to get rid of her. He tells Biff that she just needed to borrow his shower. Tears begin to fall down Biffs face and Willy is still trying to come up with excuses. Biff calls his dad a liar and a fake and he leaves.

This event