Biff Loman In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

In Arthur Miller’s Play, Death of a Salesman, the dreams of the major characters are the central focus of the entire plot. Throughout the whole play, the Lomans can not seem to find balance. Whether it is Willy, the father, who (wrongly) considers himself a valuable businessman and has dreams to unrealistic standards. Or, Linda, Willy’s wife, who is a very devoted, loyal and caring wife. A wife that knows that Willy has not yet achieved what he wants to be in life and she still continues love him even though he is suicidal. Or, Happy, Willy’s youngest son who is exactly like his father but does not realize it. With constant lies, scams, and tricks, Happy starts to follow in the footsteps of his dad. Or lastly, Biff, Willy’s oldest son, who

Biff has gone through dozens of jobs searching for happiness. Whether it is working on a ranch out in Texas or trying to collect money from Bill Oliver to start a business, Biff can not seem to hold them because of Willy. Although Biff prefers the farm work he did in the west, he has gone through several jobs and feels he is not making anything of himself. Willy wants Biff to be a business man but Biff is happy working on farms and ranches. Willy has a preconceived idea of Biff becoming a businessman when in reality, Biff wants nothing to do with that lifestyle Biff fantasizes about moving to the west and working with his hands. But because Biff hates the competitive world of business, he can not seem to find peace in pleasing his father. Once Biff stole from Oliver, the first time, he got fired. That led him to search for other jobs elsewhere. Biff’s wandering is the result of his insecurities and his failure to understand his own needs and desires. Linda states, “Biff, you can’t look around all your life, can you?” Biff says, “I just can’t take hold, Mom. I can’t take hold of some kind of a life.” Linda states, “Biff, a man is not a bird, to come and go with the springtime.” (Miller 1472). This piece of their conversation proves that even Biff’s mom sees how he wanders through life. Biff continues to wander throughout life trying to find happiness and contentment in his life from job to job

Biff starts to realize that he has been living in a fantasy world, imagining things like being extremely important, and a favored salesman of Oliver’s, when in fact, he is just a nameless shipping clerk. This is where Biff begins to question himself. Biff has been built up his whole life by Willy and it is starting to catch up to him. Biff has to decide for himself now instead of letting Willy’s praise or criticism affect his life choices. This is a very hard thing for both Willy and Biff because Biff wants to leave and go live out his life the way he chooses without having to constantly try and live up to his father’s standards while Willy is having trouble letting him go. Biff states to Willy, “Will you let me go, for Christ’s sake? Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?” (Miller, 1514). Biff finally starts to realize, after years and years, that the real Biff, away from his father’s false hopes and dreams, no longer lives through