Compare And Contrast Biff And Willy In Death Of A Salesman

While they both have an idea about the American Dream, Biff and Willy have different interpretations of what that dream is. In the play Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, Biff is an unemployed thirty-four year old still living at home with his parents. On the other hand, Willy gets up and goes to work everyday to try to support his family. Although one has a job and the other doesn’t, they are both considered to be unsuccessful by societies’ standards. Even though Biff and Willy have some noticeable differences, they do have many similarities when it comes to father figures, successful friends, and choosing the right career paths. From a very young age, Willy never had a constant father figure. Willy's father left and ended up

For instance, Willy's best friend Charley grew up to be a successful businessman, while he was a salesman struggling to take care of his family. In fact, he doesn't make enough money to pay his bills, so he has to borrow the money from Charley. For example, Miller writes, ¨Charley, look … I got my insurance to pay. If you can manage it - I need a hundred and ten dollars.” (Miller 96) Because he has to constantly borrow money from others in order to keep his home, this shows just how unsuccessful Willy was. In addition to Willy, Biff also has a friend who grew up and was more successful than him. While Biff was still living at home well into his thirties, Bernard was a lawyer getting ready to present a case in the Supreme Court. For example, during his conversation with Willy, Charley talks about Bernard's accomplishment by saying, ¨How do you like this kid? Gonna argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.¨ (Miller 95) Willy was ¨genuinely shocked, pained, and happy¨ (Miller 95) and wondered why his son never grew up and made their family proud like Bernard did with his family. Similarly to the absence of a father figure, both Willy and Biff had best friends who had well paying and rewarding jobs, while they were