Relationship Between Biff And Happy In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

1014 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis,themes,symbolism,characters of death of a salesman by arthur miller

In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller paints the relationship of Willy and his two sons, Biff and Happy, through the dreams of living a successful life but achieving that success in the wrong manner. He wants his kids to live a better life than he had to but he had no clue on how togain this success the correct way. This wrong teaching built a wedge in their relationship with neither being successful and their father never letting them hear the end of it. His high expectations deemed foolish with his many failures at life and even indulging in an affair, guiding his sons down the wrong path of life. Willy’s dreams of having a successful life in the future are lived through the ones of his children because he couldn’t find a way to achieve …show more content…

He leads his sons to believe the same ludicrous keys to success, pointing them in the same direction of failure. Everyone but Willy sees fault in his judgement as “his old friends, the old buyers that loved him so and alwaysfound some order to hand him in a pinch -- they’re all dead, retired” (Miller 32). With these factors counting against him, Willy still has not realized his life is at a standstill, not moving at all and he’s failing. His entire life he’d depended on the help of other people. Although he wants his sons to live a successful life, he’s teaching them the wrong points of gaining that particular lifestyle. He allows them to believe his life is the perfect example of the American Dream Despite the guidance of their father, Biff seems to have the working world figured out. He’s spent his entire life trying to figure out his purpose through different kinds of work “for the sake of a two week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors with your shirt off. And always have to get ahead of the next fella. And still-- that is how you build a future” (Miller …show more content…

PeninstenAP Literature18 December 2017brother on how to deal with Biff but insists he’ll turn out “to be a worm like Bernard” (Miller 22). Him being a worm landed him the riches and success Willy could only dream of. Bernard earned his achievements through education which is what he want for Biff because he actually has a chance but Willy can’t seem to see that. He regretted not attending Alaska with his brother but this is where his fault of finding success comes in. He thought success comes in the form of luck rather than hard work. He admits “that man was a genius” (Miller 22). He idolized him but also hated him for his lifestyle at the same time. He was jealous. He believed he should be living the same life but instead he lived the horrid realities of his life.Willy made a lot of mistakes in his life which set the tone to all of the relationships he encountered throughout his life. He decided to live a life full of lies and dreams and dependency on the likes of others but chose to blame others for his faults. He taught his sons the wrong routesto success, forcing them in the same miserable life he lived of never being satisfied. Willy did a lot of dreaming but fell short of turning them into a

Show More
Related

  • Willy's Misconception of Himself in “Death of a Salesman”

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play, “Death of a Salesman” written by Arthur Miller, presents Willy Loman, as a salesman, who fails to earn a living and slowly loses his mind. Willy continuously seeks the past to find out where he went wrong. During his years in life, Willy wanted his two sons, Biff and Happy to become someone they’re not; Willy wanted them to become a salesman like him. However, because of his obsession in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, he created a life full of lies for himself and his sons. In the end because of “his misconception of himself as someone capable of greatness” leads to his downfall and the end of his life (Death of a Salesman).”

    Read More

  • Biff And Willy Loman In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is stated by Standage that, “Sandage believes Willy Loman was a success. But the message of the play, he says, is that “if you level off, you have to give up. You might as well not live”” (Baird 25). This is quite ironic because all Willy does is push to be successful and he when he can’t he puts expects his son’s to follow through so he gives up. He constantly reminds them, “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead” (Miller 67). This is also ironic because Willy is the man who creates personal interest in the business world, but when everyone passes away he is left with nothing but the past to remember. This false reality that Willy creates for Biff brings on the conflicts between the father and son duo due to the fact that Biff fails as a result of the way he was raised. So by the time Biff goes to interview for his first job he thinks that his success will come with no effort

    Read More

  • Biff's Changing Perception in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    475 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Death of a Salesman, Biff's perception of society is altered through a chain of events throughout the play.  His unrealistic expectations about how to succeed, learned from his father, eventually caused the destruction of his fantasies.  His concept of an ideal society, where being liked is what is needed to succeed, is harshly changed to a reality where he must realize that hard work and devotion are necessary to prosper.

    Read More

  • Willy's Tragic Flaw and the Effect it Has Upon his Sons in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Willy's Tragic Flaw and the Effect it Has Upon his Sons in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Willy's Death In Death Of A Salesman

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Willy’s death was ironic due to all the of consequences that he faced each point of his life; however, he wanted to leave money behind by his $20,000 insurance policy for his family to prove he finally made success in life. After Willy death, Biff realized his true beliefs and changes his life’s path to the right direction. Happy on other hand, followed his father’s footsteps and aimed to become successful as a businessman. I believed that Willy’s character lead himself to his failures and miseries with his wife, his two sons, and his career. What Willy pictured in his mind of himself was not completed by his wrong ambition of being successful. “We’re free and clear. We’re free…. We’re free” (Death of the Salesman, Requiem. lines 66-67). Willy’s wife and sons were not a bit disappointed or saddened by the news of their father. Willy’s death defined a symbol of a new beginning for his family. Throughout my research I discovered all Willy wanted to be was a devoted husband, a father that his sons can be proud of, and a successful salesman; however Willy was unsuccessful in not completely to fulfill his dreams so his death brought him and his family a break from the

    Read More

  • Father-son Relationships and Conflicts in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    During most father-son relationships, there are certain times where the father wants to become more of a "player" in his son’s life than his son believes is necessary. The reasons for this are numerous and can be demonstrated in different ways. Miller is able to give an example of this behavior through the actions of Willy Loman. When Biff comes home to recollect himself, Willy perceives it as failure. Since Willy desperately wants his oldest son, Biff, to succeed in every way possible, he tries to take matters into his own hands. "I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time" (16). The reason that Biff came home is to find out what he wants in life. Because Willy gets in the way, matters become more complicated. Partly due to Willy’s persistence in Biff’s life, they have conflicting ideas as to what the American dream is. Willy believes that working on the road by selling is the greatest job a man could have (81). Biff, however, feels the most inspiring job a man could have is working outdoors (22).

    Read More

  • Man vs. Himself: Betrayal and Abandonment Shown in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    This motif of abandonment and betrayal is carried through to Willy’s son, Biff. Biff feels betrayed whe...

    Read More

  • Willy Loman's Descent Into Insanity

    2098 Words  | 5 Pages

    Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman follows protagonist Willy Loman in his search to better his and his family’s lives. Throughout Willy Loman’s career, his mind starts to wear down, causing predicaments between his wife, two sons and close friends. Willy’s descent into insanity is slowly but surely is taking its toll on him, his job and his family. They cannot understand why the man they have trusted for support all these years is suddenly losing his mind. Along with his slope into insanity, Willy’s actions become more aggressive and odd as the play goes on. Despite Willy and Biff’s “family feud”, his two sons Happy and Biff truly worry about their father’s transformation, Happy saying: “He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you about dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s – happening to him. He – talks to himself” (Miller 21). Willy, as a father, cares about his children but he wishes they would do better. He believes Biff should have been an athlete. According to Harrington, “Even figuratively, Willy is haunted, and particularly in Biff’s failure to achieve success as a sports figure” (108). This haunting is part of what led to Willy’s slow plunge into madness. As Willy’s career in sales fails, he also fails, even failing his family. Heyen adds: “He didn’t have anything of real value to give to his family, or if he did, he didn’t know what it was” (48). His debilitating flashbacks and delusional hallucinations with Uncle Ben cement his horrifying realizations that he has let down his family. Willy Loman blames the economy for his downfall in his career. In one of his more extreme outbursts he exclaims, “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control. ...

    Read More

  • Character Analysis in Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although Willy’s relationship with Biff was scarring, conceivably his relationship with Happy was even more tragic. Happy was ignored by Willy. Where Biff could not measure up to Willy’s high expectations, nothing was expected of Happy at all. Happy tried unsuccessfully to get his father’s attention by calling Willy’s attention to his having lost weight. Willy does not respond. Interestingly enough, Happy is the son who is following in his father’s footsteps but again, Willy does not notice. Where Biff will never measure up to Willy’s expectations for him, Happy will never measure up to the expectations he has for himself.

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman Willy Character Analysis

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play, The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,Willy Loman, an unsuccessful businessman struggling to support his family is completely out of touch with reality throughout the plot line. Many characters throughout this play and their interactions with Willy have shown the audience his true colors and what he thinks is important in life. His constant lying and overwhelming ego certainly does not portray his life in factual terms, but rather in the false reality that he has convinced himself he lives in. Being raised by Willy, Biff and Happy are becoming failures and have no motivation to work hard to achieve anything in life. Throughout this novel, Biff has a few recurrences with stealing.

    Read More

  • Biff And Happy In Death Of A Salesman Research Paper

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    This provides the reader with evidence that the ideas that Willy presented to his sons would make history repeat itself in the next generation.   Unlike his brother and father Biff Loman feels compelled to seek the truth about himself. He is Willy's pride and joy, being the first-born; Biff is the personification of all of Willy's dreams, he would be respected and "well liked".   As a teenager, Biff worshipped his father. He was everything Willy wanted him to be -- star athlete, popular with the girls, "well liked" by everyone, he was   "Like a young god.

    Read More

  • Comparing Death of a Salesman and The American Dream

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miller’s Willy shows many times that his idea of success goes no deeper than the superficial by teaching his sons the wrong path to a successful life. When Biff was in high school, Willy had already started to teach his son the false values in which he believed. When Willy found out Biff had stolen a football and was caught by his coach, who did not get angry, Willy responded by using the incident as an example of the importance of his philosophy.

    Read More

  • Willy's Struggle for Identity in "Death of a Salesman"

    1480 Words  | 3 Pages

    Willy's search to find his mistakes of his life failed because, even though he found out what happened to Biff, he did not search for the right thing: his identity. Willy found out that his affair made Biff envision his father as a fake and phony, but he did not realize that a salesman was not the right job for him. When Willy died, no one came to his funeral (Act II. Scene I). This just showed that Willy was not the man he thought he was. He thought he was a great salesman with an unlimited amount of friends, but, when he died, no one was at his funeral but his family (Act II. Scene I). It showed that Willy was just a simple craftsman, who only needed attention and love from his family, and did not need fame or to be well-known ("Arthur Miller and Others," 311-314)

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman American Dream Analysis

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    This thought coupled with a conviction that the smallest unusual and most unpretentious can move to the best statures is the main structure the point of convergence of Willy's influence. Obviously, Willy's form of the American Dream never works out. In spite of his child's notoriety in secondary school, Biff grows up to be a stray and a farm hand. Willy's own particular profession vacillates as his deals capability level lines. When he tries to utilize "identity" to approach his supervisor for a raise, he gets terminated.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    456 Words  | 1 Pages

    Willy is a salesman. Willy believes that success comes from being well liked and popular and has tried desperately to instill his notions to his two boys Happy and Biff, Willy's biggest aspirations in life. His wife Linda is extremely supportive and is Willy's only connection to reality. While raising his boys and trying to instill his "American Dream", he fails to teach them any sense of morality, leading them down to what he feels is the wrong path. At one point, he defended Biff for stealing just because he was an amazing football player.

    Read More

More about Relationship Between Biff And Happy In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Open Document