Biff's Life example essay topic

For many families it is usually the first-born son that carries the burden of all the family's hopes and dreams. This is also true for the Loman family in the case of Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman is a salesman whose life is filled with unrealistic and unreachable goals. For his entire life, Willy has been striving for an impossible dream; his whole life has been a delusional fantasy. Subconsciously, he realizes that his hopes are fading and his career is in jeopardy so he places all these unfulfilled objectives on his first son Biff's shoulders. Willy barely pays any attention to his second son, Happy, as he showers Biff with praise and encouragement.

He wants Biff to be popular, well-liked and at the top. Biff achieves this goal in high school when he becomes the star player and captain of the football team. He receives scholarships from three universities, is adored by the girls, and is popular with the boys. He has everyone following his orders and idolizing him "like a young god" (68). Willy would often voice his approval of anything Biff does, even if it is something morally wrong, saying that he has "all kinds a greatness" (67) in him. Biff is told incessantly about how special he is and what great potential his future holds.

It is not until the end that Biff learns and admits he is not a "leader of men" (132), but is "a dime a dozen" (132). Willy is so optimistic that he once told Biff he is going to come home "captain of the All-Scholastic Championship team of the city of New York" (88). When Biff's life falls apart and he strays from the road to success, Willy finds that his self-deceptions are floundering. Willy begins to push Biff even harder, saying that "the man who makes an appearance in the business, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead" (33), even though all Biff wants is to find himself and to find happiness.

Biff believes that they belong in the countryside working their own land, for "there's nothing more inspiring or - beautiful than the sight of a mare and a new colt" (22). As an adult, Biff is unable to hold a steady job, and is like birds who "come and go with the springtime" (54). Everything that he does seems to head to failure and defeat. Happy is the one who appears to be leading a prosperous life with his "own apartment, a car, and plenty of women" (23), but Willy does not view his accomplishments in light.

Instead he focuses on Biff and his matters. Even in their youth, Happy was the "forgotten" son, having to expend immense effort to capture a second his father's attention. When they were younger, Happy repeatedly mention that he is losing weight, now he announces several times that he is getting married, but both his parents brush him off, telling him to go to sleep or changing the subject. Willy only appears to show interest over Biff's affairs and the paths that he is taking. Whether or not Happy is making it in life seems to be of no serious concern. The only satisfaction Biff gets out of life is through manual labour working in the great outdoors, but Willy does not believe this is sufficient.

A man must conquer in the business world of the bustling cities. Although he is unable to comprehend the differing spectrum of his and Biff's dreams, he is also unwilling to listen to explanations so he grows more and more bitter with each coming day. Willy never gives up on his eldest son though; even in death he is thinking of how Biff can get ahead for "a star like that, magnificent, can never really fade away" (68).