Outline THESIS: In Death of a Salesman, Willy believed that his sons betrayed his dream and dedication to make them better candidates to suit his “American Dream” due to his infatuation with the idea of the “American Dream” coming to people who are “well liked and personal attraction”, but in actuality, he betrayed his wife Linda and Willy feels guilty for it. I. Willy believed that Biff is betraying his “American dream” for wanting a simple life and Happy is living Willy’s dream, but he also wants to escape it. i. “How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand?” ii. “Sure, maybe we could buy a ranch. Raise cattle, use our muscles.” iii. “That’s what I dream about, Biff. Sometimes I just want to just rip my clothes off in the middle of the store and outbox the goddam merchandise manager” II. Biff knows of Willy’s betrayal towards Linda but she is oblivious. He figured out that his mother’s stocking was used during the affair, which enrages Willy, but Biff didn’t have the heart to tell his mom. i. “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out!” ii. “Just don’t lay it all at my feet. It’s between me and him-that’s all I have to say.” iii. “She’s nothing to me, Biff. I was lonely, I was terribly lonely.” III. Willy thinks that Biff wants to betray Willy’s dream out of anger because Biff knows about Willy’s betrayal towards Linda, but Willy also feels like the world is falling on him. i. “You don’t want to be anything, is that what’s behind it?” ii. “The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell. And the funny thing is that you’re a salesman, and you don’t know that.” iii. “Spite, Spite is the word of your undoing! And when you’re down and out remember what did it.” IV. Linda knows ... ... middle of paper ... ...o anything-even death as depicted by Willy in Death of a Salesman. He was first feeling upset, angry, paranoid, and even delusional which are symptoms of depression that needs attention from a psychologist or a friend that could comfort him to prevent thoughts and actions of suicide. In the end, he ended his life because he was internally hurt and when he opens up his guilt, anger had risen against him, feelings of pain, helplessness, and the misery inside of his heart was unbearable. Suicide is a tragedy that now his family would have to live with for the rest of their lives, that’s the biggest sellout of Death of a Salesman, but in actuality, the biggest let down personally was how everyone was adding salt to his wound while he was cutting his heart open begging for help and the ones that added alcohol to his grief was the people he held as the dearest-his family.
The relationship between Biff and Willy is not good. Since Biff found that his father Willy was cheating to her mother he left the home. In the play The Death of a Salesman Willy Loman and Biff seems they don’t like each other. Although Willy love his son Biff. When Biff was young Willy was always there supporting Biff in everything and was very proud of him. And he was the son that Willy had attached him dreams upon. According to the statement “I am not the leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were anything but a hard working drummer who landed in the ash-can like all the rest of them”. Biff’s observation was that he sees his father as a failed to achieve, although he work hard to success. Willy loves Biff his oldest son since he was at school. In his mind he was thinking that Biff will become a successful man in life, but it didn’t happen’. Biff is a man who got the job but fail to keep his job. That makes Willy become frustrated. But Biff he tried to find himself. Here Biff compare his self and Willy’. Willy is the hard worker trying to achieve an American dream, and when he look at Ben his brother who achi...
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 Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, the character Willy Loman is an average modern American man with a superficial American Dream: to be liked, to succeed over everyone else, to be a great salesman. Willy has a misguided love for his family and a yearning for success. As his life takes its course, it peaks in his son’s high school years when he was a football star, and then sadly concludes in his suicide. A life full of
Linda does not lose respect for Willy for his actions as much as Biff does. Biff cares about his mother dearly and does not like to see her being yelled at. He grinds his teeth when he sees his father yell at his mother, because he knows that if he argues, there will be that much more tension between him and his father. However, Biff cannot take it much longer because he is losing respect for his father. He knows his father should never get physical with his mother, and he finally takes action before it gets violent. He grabs Willy by the arm and screams at him not to yell at her. Willy gets angry at first, but then goes to bed guilt-ridden.
“American Sociology 's Investigations of the American Dream: Retrospect and Prospect” is an article that discusses the sociology and the different views that people have on the American Dream. According to this article, sociology has developed a history of studies dealing with each person’s American way of life, and the role the American dream has played on society. Because each person has a different dream they take on different roles in society. Everybody has a different job and contributes differently to society. This article is related to Death of a Salesman because of Willy’s version of the American Dream. He says to Happy and Biff, “I’ll show you all the towns. America is full of beautiful towns and fine, upstanding people. And they know me, boys, they know me up and down New England. The finest people. And when I bring you fellas up, there’ll be open sesame for all of us, ‘cause one thing, boys: I have friends” (Miller 1440). Willy refers to the people as being kind hearted and having respect for anyone who appears physically attractive. Willy believed that in order to achieve success you must appear physically attractive and work in the business field. The role he played in society was a failed business man who struggled to be successful. He had a hard time fitting in with society creating a difficult lifestyle for
Willy just thinks that no matter what Biff does he is doing it right. He can’t escape his dream world.
In 1949, the pinnacle of contemporary American playwright, Arthur Miller, published his works “Death of a Salesman”. After the advent of this play, not only caused a sensation in the theaters in the United States, but also became the Western model of modern tragedy as one of the most important drama after America's World War II. Miller was twice won the “New York Drama Critics Award” and also awarded the “Pulitzer Prize.”[
Biff is home for a visit and is talking with his brother, Happy in their room just as they did when they were young boys. Willy has come home prematurely from a business trip and is downstairs when the boys overhear him talking to himself in a sort of quasi-reality. In the meantime, the two boys discuss the past. It is interesting here that the roles of the two boys with respect to each other seem to have reversed. Happy was the shy one growing up and Biff had all the courage and self-confidence. Now, Biff appears to have been beaten down by life and is on the brink of the se...
In the play, Miller introduces the readers to the way that Willy looks at Biff, the oldest one of his two sons and how he loves them both, but feels frustrated at their outcomes in life and talks about it with his wife, Linda, throughout the play. “Willy's son Biff adored Willy when he was young, he believed all Willy's stories, and even subscribed to Willy's philosophy that anything is possible as long as a person is ‘well-liked.’ The realization that Willy is unfaithful to Linda forces Biff to reevaluate Willy and Willy's perception of the world. Biff realizes that Willy has created a false image of himself for his family, society,
This motif of abandonment and betrayal is carried through to Willy’s son, Biff. Biff feels betrayed whe...
Willy and Happy are very similar people. However Biff does not agree with the way Willy and Happy handle situations, which results in several conflicts between Biff and Willy throughout much of the play. Willy describes Biff as being lost saying, “Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such – personal attractiveness gets lost,” (Miller 16). Even though Willy believes Biff is the lost one, in reality, Willy is lost throughout most of the play (Eisinger 2). Willy does not really know himself. Willy always puts on a show for others and does not be his true self, which portrays the feeling of being lost within himself.
...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.
Willy strives to make money in this story but is largely unsuccessful. He is also very insecure so he turns to lies and his life spirals downward. Willy commits suicide in the end. Donald Smith states that Willy was, “still harboring misguided hopes about success for Biff. It seems Willy would rather kill himself than accept the fact that really, honestly, all his son wants is some shirtless sweaty time in Midwestern haystacks.” Which is why Willy committed suicide. Willy was also a kind of lost man with the wrong dreams. Biff even said after Willy’s suicide, “He had all the wrong dreams. All, all wrong….He never knew who he was.” Willy had the wrong dreams and didn’t know who he was which is also lead to his downfall.
Biff reveals that not just Willy, but all the family has been lying about their success. He begs to his father, asking him to give up on his dream of Biff being a massive success. Biff seems to accept something that Willy never could, he isn’t special. He shouts to Willy that he “is a dime a dozen and so are you”. Willy becomes infuriated at the notion that he is a common man and cries out “ I am not a dime a dozen, I am Willy Loman!” The confrontation ends with Willy weeping, realizing that Biff truly does love him. However, Biff’s efforts were in vain as Willy also exclaims “That boy is going to be magnificent”. Willy is not able to cope with the idea that both he and his son are not destined for greatness. And in his final act, he commits suicide, in an attempt to supply his son with the life insurance money. Or perhaps more importantly, to supply him with an opportunity to achieve the dream he never
First of all, Willy’s mental illness is the main factor that causes the conflict between him and others. Willy is a kind father, who loves and takes care of his son, but his attitude indirectly makes the situation turn negative. Willy wants Biff to be successful in business. More than anyone, Biff understands himself as well as what he wants. The climax of the conflict begins at this point.