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Compare And Contrast Fences And Death Of A Salesman

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Royce Marquez Mr.Catangui ENGUI-15 April 5th, 2023 How Troy and Willy Utterly Destroy their Built Utopia by Chasing the American Dream Fences by August Willson and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller are two significant plays in American culture that highlight the false representation of the American dream. Fences focuses on an African American family living in Pittsburg where the family of three, Rose, Cory, and Troy, struggles to keep themselves together due to the actions of the husband and father of the family, Troy Maxen. In contrast, the play Death of a Salesman focuses on the family husband and the hard-working father Willy Loman, along with his wife and children, Rose, Biff and Happy. The Play as well shows how the family …show more content…

Biff lays bare his true feelings towards Willy, and how the image of him being a father figure is shattered. He reveals the damaging impact of Willy's unrealistic expectations and values that were imposed upon him, shaped by Willy's view of the American dream and his utopian vision. Biff expresses his deep frustration with the unattainable expectations that Willy has placed on him, which have led to a constant sense of pressure to cater to a false view of success. Biff argues "I had to be boss big shot in two weeks, and I'm through with it. Never again! Never again, will you hear that anymore!" (Miller 105) Moreover the relation to Cory from Fences, Biff shares his frustrations with the unattainable goals that Willy has instilled in him since childhood, he begins to realize that the relationships and life he has been chasing after were all based on trying to fulfill Willy's unrealistic expectations, exactly how Cory must follow in his father's footsteps. Biff now sees that he has been chasing after the utopia that Willy created for himself, without considering his own desires and values. He acknowledges the detrimental impact that Willy's warped perception of success has had on their family, leading to their downfall. Biff now sees that his pursuit of Willy's version of success has been …show more content…

These issue in turn alter Willy’s perception of life and he constantly makes false situations in his head which alter the ways he thinks. Willy constantly talks about how his brother Ben got rich by finding diamonds in Africa and constantly regrets not going to him. These imaginations and potential fictional stories of how Willy remembered Ben alter how Willy constantly is trying to work harder to make more money. Willy is focused on making money because it is all he thinks about, and he constantly puts his imagination of the utopia he wants to live in above his family. As Willy talks to Happy about Ben, he talks about him as a great man, “What’s the mystery? The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle, and comes out, at the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich! The world is an oyster, but you don’t crack it open on a mattress!” (Miller 32) In Willy’s mind, Ben is a man that accomplished remarkable things and ended up becoming rich at such an early age. This in turn, alters Willy’s mind and makes him think that becoming successful is the way to live a remarkable life. Having this mindset, Willy tends to do anything to make it and ensure he is always well liked, unlike Troy who does not care if you like him. Willy pushes his family away, driving around all of America to try to make more money, and pushing it onto his kids, breaking

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963 Words | 4 Pages

Willy Loman was a troubled man who didn't have respect for his wife and degraded his children every chance he got when it came to their failures, especially with his son Biff. He only cared about achieving the American dream which he did not succeed because of all his problems that stood in his way. His constant obsession with achieving the American dream only made his family distance themselves from him more only due to the fact that he believed that achieving this would lead him to happiness and success. This also leads to the other major theme which is resilience. Willy came from a poor socioeconomic background and he is making all the efforts to pull himself out of his current situation through whatever he can do in hopes for something better that will make him feel like he's achieved his

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535 Words | 3 Pages

He wanted to be successful so badly, that when he doesn’t get it, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. When Willy was younger, he had great connections in the areas he would sell. The people respected him and he took great pride in the fact that his name held value with those people. However, as he aged, so did the people he used to sell to. When he isn’t able to make the amount of sales he used to, he doesn’t know

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

Although in a way one can understand him not taking the risk and going to Alaska. Finally, Willy is responsible for his own death. I see this as a tragedy because Willy felt that the only way for him to make up for the fact that his past actions contributed to Biff’s failure in life was to commit suicide. In order that Biff would get an inheritance that would allow him to achieve the “American

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643 Words | 3 Pages

   . . . They time those things. They time them so when you finally paid for them, they’re used up” (73), contradicting what his actions do. As Willy starts to lose his mind the only thing he focuses on is success and possessions, like Biff and his job interview. As the story continues he mentions how he regrets not going to Africa with Ben, who struck rich, but who really is Willy, and why does he really want to go to Africa?

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1008 Words | 5 Pages

While Linda enabled him, Willy could not help himself too keep ruining the good opportunities he had and turning them into some factious reality. At Willy`s funeral Biff comes to the realization that his father had all the wrong dreams and visions of success. Willy`s only dream was the fake “American Dream” that people believe will happen overnight. Willy`s failed attempts and happiness bonded into one and played a part into him creating this false reality and persona that he was the best salesman and that he was well loved by everyone around him.

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1800 Words | 8 Pages

Biff wants to retake the class in the summer but when he catches his father having an affair his perception of his father, his biggest role model, is shattered causing him to give up on the things he used to want to do. Willy represses this memory entirely and tries to blame others for Biffs behavior instead of himself. Willy also fools himself into thinking he is well liked and successful. In small moments of clarity Willy admits that people have made fun of his physique and no one talks to him anymore when he goes

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1419 Words | 6 Pages

Willy reveres his brother Ben and learns an unscrupulous version of success. Willy believes obtaining results, no matter the method, defines success which provides Biff with a faulty sense of reality. Willy lacks the

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1200 Words | 5 Pages

He is not facing the truth. Additionally, the relationship between Biff and Willy improves when they are honest with each other. Biff shows his true feelings to his father and worries that Willy is getting hurt because of his belief in the American Dream, “Biff (crying, broken):… Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?” (99).

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741 Words | 3 Pages

In one scene, Biff admits to his father that “he is a dime a dozen”. This proves that Biff is aware of the fact that he has wasted his life chasing something that will never be. In his final conversation with his father, he attempts to make him see that he is a failure as well by saying “You were never anything put  hard-working drummer who landed in the ash van lieke all the rest of thgem! I’m one dollar an hour, Willy!”. Willy, however, never admits the fact that his son and him are both losers.

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1261 Words | 6 Pages

Willy gives Biff these unrealistic idea that can never really be achieved. As an example on page 64 when Biff is going to ask for a loan from his old Boss, Willy keeps running the price to something that could never be gotten. “I see great thing for you kids, I think your troubles are over. But remember, start big and you'll end big. Ask for

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907 Words | 4 Pages

If somebody else took that ball there’d be an uproar”. Willy contagualates biff on stealing and brings up his son as he can do whatever he wants because he 's well liked. Now back to the present where biff steals something from his work and everyone becomes suspicious he is forced to leave his only good job. Even though biff was brought up as being able to do whatever he pleased, in adulthood it 's not the same

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1266 Words | 6 Pages

Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens? Willy just believes that he will be successful. They’re built like adonises. Believes Biff was a salesman for Bill Oliver (83). Willy thinks that they will have their own business for the Loman line.

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902 Words | 4 Pages

The world is an oyster, but you don’t crack it open on a mattress!” (Act 1, Scene 1). Willy thinks success is easy because his brother Ben had it easy. Ben influenced his brother Willy about being successful when he walked into the

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978 Words | 4 Pages

This cancelled his plans to be a collegiate football player. Ever since then, things have kept going on a downhill path for Biff. Willy and Linda both notice this and it devastates them. But, instead of helping his son, Willy becomes agitated for the rest of his life. He expected his son to be better but, Biff did not want to be better.

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499 Words | 2 Pages

He has a Job, two kids, and a wife. Willy is a salesman who dreams to be like his role model, Dave Singleman. Singleman - in Willy perspective- had the ultimate successful life, as expressed in this quote: "Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?" [Act 2] Willy believed that success, was equivalent to how well liked he was. Willy's 'flaw' was his foolish pride, his persistence of achieving "his rightful status".

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