First Impressions of Happy and Biff

First Impressions of Happy and Biff

Before we (the audience) are actually introduced to the Loman

brothers, Biff and Happy, we hear about them from their parents and we

learn a little about them.

We learn that an argument arose, when Willy asked Biff if “he was

making any money?”, this criticism evidently hit Biff hard and appears

to be a sensitive subject as Willy says he became “a moody man”.

We also learn and Willy disapproves of Biffs’ career as a farmhand,

although Linda tries to defend her elder son by saying that he needs

to “find himself” Willy continues to say “not finding yourself at the

age of thirty-four is a disgrace” and concludes by labelling his son

as “lazy”, he sees Biff as an underachiever. There is clearly tension

around the subject of what Biff is doing with his life.

At this stage Willy and Linda do not mention their younger son Happy,

which indicates, even at this early stage in the play that Biff is

perhaps the favoured son.

In terms of their relationship with their parents, Biff is the clear

favourite son. In spite of Biff disappointing his father by being a

farmhand and not a businessman, Willy saw big things in his future, in

part due to the popularity in his youth (a quality Willy frequently

juxtaposes with success); also Willy perhaps tries pushing Biff to

achieve the success that he did not accomplish in his own life.

Happy is overlooked somewhat, although he tries to get his fathers

attention, he cannot compete with Biff, the golden boy. Even though

initially it seems that Happy is the Loman son with the lifestyle that

would be favoured by Willy, “My own apartment, a car, and plenty of

women.” However, womanising Happy claims that this is what he has

always wanted, yet “still, goddammit, I’m lonely” he is lonely in

life.

Both Loman sons define success as making money, perhaps this is as a