Death of a Salesman Page #5

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- All right.

Next time I'll bring a deck

with five aces.

- I don't play that kind of game.

- You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

- Yeah?

- Yeah!

- Ignoramus.

- So, you're William?

Oh, Ben.

I've been waiting for you so long.

What's the answer?

How did you do it?

There's a story in that.

- Is this Ben?

- How do you do?

Where have you been?

Willy's been wondering...

Where is Dad?

How did you get started?

- I don't know how much you remember.

- I was just a baby, 3 or 4 years old.

- Three years, eleven months.

- What a memory.

I have many enterprises

and I've never kept books.

I was sitting under the wagon.

What was it, Nebraska?

South Dakota and I gave you wildflowers.

- I remember you walking down some road.

- I was going to find Father in Alaska.

In those days

I had a very faulty view of geography.

I discovered after a few days

I was heading south.

Instead of Alaska I ended up in

Africa. - Africa? - The Gold Coast!

- Principally, diamond mines.

- Diamond mines!

Yes, but I'm afraid

I only have a few minutes.

Boys, boys, listen to this!

This is your Uncle Ben!

A great man!

Ben, tell my boys.

Why, boys, when I was 17

I walked into the jungle.

When I was 21, I walked out.

- And by God, I was rich!

- See what I've been talking about?

- The greatest things can happen.

- I have an appointment in Ketchikan.

Tell about Dad.

I want my boys to hear.

I want them to know

the stock they spring from.

All I remember is a man with a big beard.

I was sitting on Mama's lap around the fire.

- There was some kind of high

music. - He played the flute.

- The flute, that's right. - Father was

a very great, very wild-hearted man.

He'd start in Boston

and toss the whole family in the wagon,

and he'd drive the team

right across the country.

Through lowa, Michigan, Illinois

and all the western states.

We'd stop in the towns and

he'd sell the flutes he made on the way.

A great inventor, Father.

With one gadget he made more in one week

than a man like you makes in a lifetime.

That's the way I'm bringing them up,

rugged, well-liked, all around.

- Yeah? Hit me, boy, hard as you can.

- No.

Oh, come on, get to me.

Go ahead, show him.

Like I taught you.

Give him the old shoulderjab.

Hey!

- How's that?

- Very good, Willy, very good.

- Shake hands, boys. Attaway.

- Look out, Biff.

Never fight fair with a stranger, boy.

You'll never get

out of the jungle that way.

It was an honour and a pleasure

to meet you, Linda.

Have a nice trip.

Oh, and good luck with your, uh...

What do you do?

- Oh, uh, selling.

- Oh, yes, really?

I don't want you to think...

It's Brooklyn, but we hunt too.

- Really, now?

- There's snakes and rabbits

That's why I moved out.

Biff can fell any one of these trees.

Go over to where they're building

the apartment and get some sand.

We're gonna rebuild the front stoop.

Watch us.

I lost weight, Pop, you notice?

They steal more

they'll put the cops on them.

- Don't let Biff take any more.

- The load they brought last week,

at least a dozen six by tens,

won'th all kinds of money.

If that watchman sees them...

I got a couple of fearless characters.

Willy, the gaols are full

of fearless characters.

- And the Stock Exchange.

- Uncle Willy!

Uncle Willy,

the watchmars chasing Biff!

Shut up.

He's not stealing anything.

Where is he?

Oh, there's nothing wrong.

What is the matter with you?

Nervy boy, good.

Nerves of iron, that Biff.

I don't know what it is.

My New England man comes back

and he's bleeding.

- Couldrt sell a nickel for five cents.

- It's contacts, Charley.

- I got important contacts.

- Glad to hear it, Willy.

Come in later,

we'll shoot a little casino.

I'll take some of your Portland money.

All business is bad, it's murderous.

But not for me, of course.

- I'll stop by on my way

back to Africa. - Ben, wait.

Can't you stay a few days, huh?

You're just what I need, Ben.

You know, I have a fine position here,

but Dad left when I was such a baby,

I never had a chance to talk to him.

I still feel

kind of temporary about myself.

- I'll be late for my train.

- Ben, my boys. Can't we talk?

See, they'd go

into the jaws of hell for me, but I...

You're being first-rate with your boys.

Outstanding, manly chaps.

Ben, that's good to hear

because sometimes I'm afraid

I'm not teaching them

the right kind of...

How should I teach them?

William, when I walked

into the jungle, I was 17.

When I walked out I was 21.

And by God, I was rich!

Was rich!

That's just the spirit

I want to imbue them with,

to walk into a jungle...

Oh, boy.

I was right. I was right. I was right!

- I was right!

- Willy?

Willy, dear, did you get some cheese?

It's awful late, darling.

Come to bed.

You gotta break your neck

to see a star in this yard.

Are you coming up, Willy?

Whatever happened

to that diamond watch fob?

When Ben came from Africa that time,

didn't he give me a watch fob

with a diamond in it?

You pawned it, dear, 12, 13 years ago

for Biff's radio correspondence course.

That was a beautiful thing.

I'll take a walk.

But in your slippers, Willy?

What a man, huh?

Now, there was a man won'th talking to.

- But in your slippers!

- I was right.

I was, I was right!

- I was right.

- What is he doing out here?

- Shh!

- God Almighty, Mom.

- How long's he been doing this?

- Don't. He'll hear you.

What the hell is the matter with him?

- It'll pass by morning.

- Shouldn't we do anything?

Oh, my dear,

you should do a lot of things.

There's nothing to do.

Go to bed.

- I never heard him so loud, Mom.

- You'll hear him.

- Why didn't you write me about this?

- How would I?

For over three months

you've had no address.

I was on the move.

I thought of you all the time.

But he likes to have a letter

just to know there's still

the possibility of better things.

- He's not like this all the time.

- When you come home he's the worst.

When you write you're coming,

he's all smiles, he talks about

the future, he's wonderful.

The closer you come the more shaky

he gets and by the time you get here,

he's arguing,

he seems to be angry at you.

I think it's just because he can't

bring himself to open up to you.

- Why are you so hateful to each other?

- I'm not hateful.

Oh! You no sooner walk through

that door than you're fighting.

I don't know why.

I mean to change, Mom. I'm trying.

- Are you home to stay now?

- I don't know.

- I'll look around.

- You can't look around all your life.

I just can't take hold.

I can't take hold to some kind of life.

Biff, a man is not a bird

to come and go with the springtime.

Your hair.

Your hair's getting so gray.

It's been gray

since you were in high school.

- I just stopped dying it.

- Well, dye it again, Mom.

I don't want my pal looking old.

You are such a boy!

You think you can go away for a year?

You've got to get it into your head now.

One day you'll knock on this door,

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