How Is Happy Loman And Willy Alike

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The saying, like father like son, is typically praise, but In The Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, it is evident that it may have a negative effect on a man’s life. In the play, Happy Loman is similar to his father, Willy, in that he is stuck in his dream world, has a false sense of confidence, and is desperate for attention. This resemblance is portrayed in the play through different instances where Happy and Willy demonstrate these characteristics in nearly identical ways. Happy’s purpose in the play is to resemble a young version of his father, and to show how Willy’s “legacy” has been passed on. Happy resembles Willy, because he is still stuck in an imaginary world of his own making. An example: is when Willy meets with Howard, his …show more content…

This false confidence is portrayed by Willy in the beginning of Act 2, while he eats breakfast with Linda. Linda speaks of how Biff had just left the house to have a business meeting with Oliver, and how much he has changed. Willy continues, saying he noticed it too and imagines a nice life in the future: “You wait, kid, before it’s all over we’re gonna get a little place out in the country, and I’ll raise some vegetables, and a couple of chickens… […] I could build two guest houses, so they’d both come. […]” (72). This false confidence from Willy may temporarily give him and his wife a positive mood, but it does not do him any good in the long run. He uses this false confidence to make his wife happy, and to put away her worries. Willy almost sounds like Lennie from Of Mice and Men, which further emphasizes how detached he is. He is also tricking himself into thinking that he is doing well, which has a negative effect. Happy also exhibits this false confidence in Act One, when talking with Willy. After Willy is questioning how he is going to make money, Happy assures him that he will be taken care of: “Pop, I told you I’m gonna retire you for life” (41). Happy has the same false confidence as his father, going as far as telling him he will retire him for life. Willy ironically does not believe him, saying, “You’ll retire me for life on seventy goddam dollars a week?” (41). This is a clear …show more content…

Willy demonstrates his desperation for attention when he has his hallucinations of Uncle Ben. After Willy is fired by Howard, and he is still in awe, Ben appears. Willy then proceeds to talk to him: “Oh, Ben, how did you do it? What is the answer? […] Ben, I’ve got to talk to you” (84). Ben then replies, “Haven’t the time, William”, Willy then responds with, “Ben, nothing’s working out. I don’t know what to do. […] No, wait!” (85). This desperation for attention turns out to be a personality trait of Willy. Willy pleads for Ben’s advice, and is constantly trying to get his attention, even though Ben has to ‘leave’. Ben is Willy’s older brother who has died. He, unlike Willy, has experienced a lot of success in the selling world. Willy is driven by Ben, and therefore tries to extract the keys to his success. Willy feels neglected when Ben does not speak with him, even though he is merely a hallucination. From this, one can ask to him/herself: what is more pathetic than one’s hallucination not wanting to speak with them? This shows that Willy not only does not have friends and is not liked, but he also cannot imagine having friends. Willy’s desperation also rubs off on Happy. In the beginning of the play, when Willy, Happy, and Biff are conversing together outside by the car, Happy notices that Willy is mainly focusing on Biff. He is jealous, and tries to get his father’s attention, saying

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