What Is Willy's Contradiction To Happiness

The biggest struggle in the younger generations is that individuals are told to become whatever one can envision after all the world is one’s oyster. The world is full of opportunity and excitement to follow dreams and desires the problem is how does one execute it and achieve it. Sadly the reality is that not all individuals can achieve what they sought after, resulting for settling for what is left on the plate. In pursuit of achieving bliss, an individual must be willing to endure the ups and downs of the journey to search for pure happiness. In the play, Death Of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller depicts the contradiction to one’s own joy and the compromise an individual is willing to make in order to achieve happiness. Miller shows

Biff sacrifices his happiness in order to appease Willy. This is most likely due to the idea of the American Dream that Willy had pushed on Biff to be a success in every aspect. - financial wealth, a family, and fame are only some of the qualities that are associated with success. However, Biff contradicts this idea saying that Willy and Biff were nothing but a dime a dozen. That they are nothing but ordinary. Willy’s method of achieving success is questionable, using good looks and charm as opposed to the dedication and hard work. This most likely is one of the reasons why Biff is in the position he is today. Biff is mocked by Willy for making a measly 40 dollars a week and cannot maintain a stable paying job. Despite this Biff found happiness in simplicity and was content with his life. Working on the farm Biff finds “ nothing more inspiring than the birth of a new mare or colt.” (pg 11) Biff had found where he belonged as opposed to the failure of a mediocre Salesman that Willy is. Who “had the wrong dreams.”(pg 111) Biff realizes that this false ideal of the American Dream was not what he wanted at all in the first place. It never made Willy happy and in it caused his downfall that consumed everything in his life that should have been important.

Willy sacrifices happiness in the belief that he is a successful businessman when he is anything but that. Willy goal to chase success is nothing but a dream built on a foundation of lies and non-moral characteristics. His two sons have amounted to nothing having the expectation that they were going to carry the family name to prestige brought Willy disappointment. During times of Willy’s distraught or his, confusion Ben appears numerous times throughout the film. Ben is the success that Willy longs for badly. Imagine walking into a land foreign and in the dangers of the wilderness to walking out four years later financially wealthy. The jungle symbolizes where Willie had failed compared to what Ben had achieved in such a short period of time. Miller depicts Willy with stretched dreams and cannot fathom who he is.Willy deceives Linda in the sense that Willy wants to keep his pride intact to saying that he is on Straight commission.and borrowing 50 dollars a week from Howard and pretends that he earned every dime. This is even exemplified when Howard offers Willy a job that paid what he asked with nothing but benefit for Willy, he turns it down in order to not to hurt what little pride he has and still tries to pursue being a salesman. Success is such a priority towards Willy that he puts it in front of personal happiness he is constantly thinking about others success which leads to Willy to decline the position and keep