What is Linda's reaction to Willy's complaints about himself?

In Act 1, Willy is criticizing himself and his abilities. He says people laugh at him, overlook him, don't take him seriously, and think he is fat. Linda is patient and calmly listens. She responds with reassurance when she says, "But you're doing wonderful, dear" and "You're the handsomest man in the world." Linda always exudes calmness and has a positive attitude.

What reason does Willy give that he can't work in New York?

He claims he isn't needed in New York. He says, "I'm the New England man. I'm vital to New England." When Linda pushes the issue further and tries to emphasize that Willy is getting too old to travel so much, he claims that if his original boss was still alive, he (Willy) would be the lead salesman in New York by now. He claims that Wagner's (his old boss) son Howard doesn't appreciate him and, therefore, never gave him a promotion.

In the first scene with Linda, Willy contradicts himself twice. About what does he contradict himself?

Willy is telling Linda about his drive home. First he says that he was driving home "goin' sixty miles an hour," but later he says that he saw everything on his way back because he was driving "ten miles an hour."

Then, later, when they are talking about their son Biff's struggle with figuring out what he wants to do in life, Willy exclaims, "Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace." Later, when still talking about Biff, he says, "Certain men just don't get started till later in life." He quickly changes his tone about Biff's struggles and contradicts his beliefs about his son.

What seems to be the problem between Biff and Willy?

Biff is struggling to figure out what he wants to do with his life and how he fits into society. He feels like he doesn't "fit" in with city life. He says that he feels more like himself when he is working in nature. For example, he felt happy working on the ranch even if he wasn't making a lot of money. Biff has struggled ever since he failed math class, which prevented him from graduating high school and receiving a college football scholarship. Willy cannot accept what makes Biff truly happy. He is stuck on Biff following in his footsteps in sales and potentially making a lot of money. Willy seems stuck in the past and cannot let go of Biff's "glory days" of when he was a well-known high school football player.