They come down to the kitchen and catch up talking, they remember the good ‘ol days when they were younger. Happy is the younger brother, he is successful and confident. Biff is not doing as well as Happy, but has dreams of owning his own land and having a ranch. Willy begins having flashbacks and expressing his worries about the boys while talking to himself around the house. Willy and Biff fight a lot because Willy doesn’t like the fact his son cant hold a job down.
When Willy has a flashback of when Ben visited him and they discuss about their father, Willy says to Ben that “I still feel kind of temporary about myself?”(Death of a Salesman, 51). From the quote, Willy gives the reader the clue that he wanted his father to play as an important figure in his life but was not present in his life Since his father left him it has caused a negative psychological impact on Willy. This includes Willy always trying to be a friend to his sons oppose to playing the role of a fatherly. This can be clearly proven when Biff steals the football. During this scene, Willy says to Biff that ““I want you to return that.
Setting is an important part of Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, because it gives insight into the characters of Willy Loman and his son, Biff. Willy doesn’t like the city that grew around his house because it makes him feel trapped and closed in. Talking to his wife one night, he said, “The way
When Willy arrives, he refuses to listen to Biff, which angers him. Happy tries to get Biff to lie to his father, which Biff slightly does. Willy falls into another flashback hallucination, one in which his son discovers his affair with a potential customer in Boston. From that moment on, Biff had never looked at his father the same. Back in the Lowman residence, Linda scolds her sons for abandoning her father back at the restaurant.
He works long hours at a job he’s not good at and doesn’t truly enjoy, and he expects this kind of life for his sons. As Biff continues to not live up to his expectations, they clash constantly Biff’s failure to live his father’s dream life causes Willy to express constant disappointment in the man he’s become. Willy raised him to grow up sailing through life, believing that he can get by on being well-liked and admired. When this never culminates in the life Biff wanted, he has no idea of the direction he needs to go in. He can never hold down a job and develops a kleptomania habit.
Troy filed a complaint at his job about how the white men were always driving and the African-American men were lifting. Willy was not selling as he once did and when he asks his boss to stop traveling because he is tired, he is then fired. Both characters feel trapped by their obligations, seek relief in extramarital relationships, and reap the negative repercussions. In Death of a Salesman, Willy’s son discovers his affair in Boston, altering their relationship. Troy produces a daughter with his mistress, ending any emotional relationship with his wife.
Delusions of Grandeur – An Expository Essay Death of a Salesman Willy Loman’s greatest weakness – and the reason of his unhappiness lie in the facade he has created within himself. Without a father figure to instill reason in him and leave a legacy of any kind, he fixates himself upon the only character that will leave him a lasting impression – his enigmatic brother Ben. As a result, the ideals imbued in young Willy – money, recognition, and ambition, lead him to accept a warped version of The American Dream: the belief that being well-liked and respected warrant success. However, when he fails to sell these values to his young son Biff, he discovers just how disparate dreams and reality are, and brings down his entire family along with himself. Willy’s beliefs and actions stem from his fear of being alone.
Likely a result of these early experiences, Willy develops a fear of abandonment, which makes him want his family to conform to the American Dream. His efforts to raise perfect sons, however, reflect his inability to understand reality. The young Biff, whom Willy considers the embodiment of promise, drops Willy and Willy’s zealous ambitions for him when he finds out about Willy’s adultery. Biff’s ongoing inability to succeed in business furthers his estrangement from Willy. When, at Frank’s Chop House, Willy finally believes that Biff is on the cusp of greatness, Biff shatters Willy’s illusions and, along with Happy, abandons the
Biff returns from the west to visit his family although he doesn’t know how long he’s going to stay. Happy is glad to see him, but Willy seems strangely irritated. He talks to old friends he imagines to the chagrin of his family, but no one has the heart to confront him about it. Willy has a flashback of a time when Biff and Happy were promising high school students. In the flashback, Willy gives his sons a punching bag.
He lacks education but is perceptive, additionally a good business man. He is hard working, very committed to his business and easy going. He gets on well with kids in the neighbourhood, such as Bert, who visits Joe and plays “jail” with. As the play progresses, Joe Keller's character is seen a mass of contradictions to the audience. He is thoughtful one moment and conniving the next; he's willing to sacrifice for his family, but he's also willing sacrifice someone else's family for the benefit of his own, and he is unwilling to take responsibility for his own actions.