“She 's got a dream! He 's got a dream! They 've got a dream! We 've got a dream!. . . Yes way down deep inside, I 've got a dream!” (Tangled). Every person has a dream for their life, something they want to accomplish or a position they want to ascend to. Whether it be farming the country side or being President of the United States, every one’s dream is different. Willy Loman knew he wanted the American Dream. He wanted to be happy, well liked and to own his house and appliances. The only way Willy thought was possible to achieve that dream was by being a salesman. Biff Loman, Willy’s oldest son, thought he wanted to be just like his father, but through a series of events involving his father, he discovered his own dream. …show more content…
Biff grew up watching his father and wanted to be just like him in every way. He wanted the American Dream, but it took him many years through many obstacles and adventures to realize that his own dream was entirely different. “Biff: Dad, I don’t know who said it first, but I was never a salesman for Bill Oliver. . . I was a shipping clerk” (106). When Biff went to see Bill Oliver, he realized that he was nothing more than a shipping clerk. He understood that being a salesman was not his strength in life. In his frustration, Biff stole Bill’s fountain pen and ran away. “ Biff:. . . I ran down eleven flights with a pen in my hand today. When I suddenly stopped. . . I saw the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and the time to sit and smoke. . . What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there. . .” (132). During the last argument with Willy, Biff reveals his mistake, but also the fact that he loves being out west, working in the sun. Being a salesman would not make him happy, but he had finally come to the realization of what does make him …show more content…
Willy Loman’s ego triggered Biff to get a false perspective on life. Biff failed math in high school, due to his father’s lies and influence. Since he could not go to the University of Virginia as planned, he headed to texas to work on a ranch. Upon return, Biff learned that his father has been fired from his job of 36 years. He saw that the American Dream is not a possible goal, but still attempted to follow his father’s dream. Attempting to start a business, Biff decideed to visit an old boss of his to ask for loan. When he got there, he realized that he was nothing
At his father's funeral, Biff has compassion for his father and remembers that "there were a lot of nice days;" his father did have good intentions but "had the wrong dreams" (1778). He realizes the futility of trying to live up to his father's unrealistic expectations, and Cory has the same realization in Fences.... ... middle of paper ... ...
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
But they were both able to understand that people must sometimes put aside the dreams for the better cause. The death of Willy shows Biff what can happen if you get obsessed with your dream. Likewise the lose of the money from the death of Walter, Sr., shows Walter, Jr., what will happen. Both of them finally understand in the end that life is not about money, power and possessions, but about family and friends. Family and friends will be there in your times of need and in your times of success, and will always love
Through a series of events, Biff gradually comes to a realization of what is necessary for success. First, we are shown a part of his childhood where Biff is told that "the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead." This idea appears in direct contrast to Bernard, one of Biff's childhood friends, who works and studies hard. Biff decides that Bernard will not succeed because he is "only liked, not well-liked," and being well-liked is the cornerstone of success. Nonetheless, later in the play we see that Bernard has become very successful, underscoring one of the messages in the play, that success is not just a result of popularity. Second, we are shown a scene in Boston soon after Biff has just failed math for the year. He discovers his "heroic" father having an affair. Biff comes to the painful realization that his father's values, his views, and everything that Biff had made the foundation of his life, are all completely "fake" and "phony." Unfortunately, he has nothing with which to replace it. Lastly, Biff decides to leave to try and find himself, but an argument develops between Biff and Willy. Biff begins to see himself as like his father, "nothing," just an average man trying to make a living, and quite possibly failing. Biff's earlier image of his father's greatness has crumbled entirely, leaving a lost young man trying to find his way. Biff realized that he now needs to find his own values in life. He has finally tasted reality and now must dive head first into the pot, without any real preparation.
...me speech about becoming successful as he did from when before he was fired. It wasn’t his self-worth delusion that was the main one, it was the one about his legacy that he would pass on toward his children, mainly and maybe only Biff. When this delusion of how well that his teachings were going is thrashed and loses the support of another character, when at the end of novel Biff declares that Willy’s path that he kept trying to set for Biff was just not working so Biff was going to set out on his path, that is when Willy collapses. It was after this admission of Biff’s that Willy went and killed himself.
Happy, Biff’s younger brother, has always felt neglected by his father, because he was not as a...
Willy doesn’t want to accept that he is not successful anymore, he still recognize his son as handsome heroes. Biff as the football star when he was at high school and Happy an...
In addition to that, the fact is pointed out by his own son, who turns out to be wiser than him. Unlike Willy, Biff finds out who he is, and that the American Dream is not for everyone. Work Cited:.. Miller, Arthur. The.
Biff’s story was told in an honest way because he couldn’t deal with lies anymore. His endurance with all the cover-ups was over. He honestly admitted that his father’s job has been on the downside and implicitly agreed it was a suicide, but we still see his respect for his deceased father because Biff only vague...
In the restaurant, Willy, Biff and Happy are discussing Biff’s encounter with Bill Oliver, the man Biff goes to see about getting money to start his sporting goods business. During the conversation, Willy begins being drawn into a delusional flashback with The Woman, and he is unable to continue his discussion with his sons:
was and dreams of the great man Biff can be, he just fails to realise
He does not want to end up like his father; he is determined to break through the lies surrounding the Loman family in order to introduce some realism into his life. Biff's break through comes when he returns home with his father from `Frank's Chop House'. He realises that to reclaim his own identity he must expose his father's false illusions. Biff: " Pop! I'm a dime a dozen, and so are you!"
...before something happens?” (Miller 133). Biff is getting frustrated with Willy because he is trying to turn his son into somebody that he does not want to be. Willy’s tragedy is due to the fact that the truth for him is far fetched, since he is always seeing life in a flashback, which leads to his demise.
Stewart, Summer. "Death of a Salesman: Biff's Struggle." Yahoo Contributor Network. Yahoo, 19 June 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
The American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Material happiness provides the ambition behind seeking the "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman." In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman's determination to live up to his "American Dream" and to seek material happiness only takes his life. What is the "American Dream"? The "American Dream" cannot be defined. I know that my "American Dream" consists of a Porsche, a large house, and a happy family.