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Willy And Biff Loman Character Analysis

1261 Words6 Pages

Like father like son is a saying that is all too true. In the case of Willy and Biff Loman, two of the main character in the book Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, it’s the fact that they are truly so a like that leads to most of their problems. This father and son pair both get enjoyment out of being outdoor. They also have role models that are not good ones. Each of them are both found playing themselves up to be bigger than they really are. There are others out there the do not believe that he they are so alike though. However they do not take several facts into consideration. Willy and Biff are so alike that it causes them problems. Biff and Willy both find their happy place to be outdoors. When Willy says first on page 14 then on page 17. "I was even observing the scenery. You can imagine, me looking at scenery, on the road every week of my life. But it's so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the sun is warm." Followed by "There's not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood. The Grass don't grow any more, you can't raise a carrot in in the backyard. They should've …show more content…

On page 52 Willy is talking to Ben asking for advice "Oh, Ben, that's good to hear! Because sometimes I'm afraid that I'm not teaching them the right kind of-Ben, how should I teach them?” Ben is a bad role model because he is dead. Not only is Ben desiced but all the ideas of Ben and how great of a guy he was were made up by Willy in his own head as a way to justify the way he is raising his kids. On the other side of this Biff’s role model is his father Willy. 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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‘To what extent, and it what ways, does Miller create sympathy for Biff (so far)?’ Arthur Miller, author of ‘ The Death of a Salesman’ successfully uses the character of Biff to not only highlight the key themes of the ‘American dream’, family values and father-son relationships but also to create a sense of sympathy for Biff from the audience. To begin, Biff is one of the most troubling characters we meet so far, besides his equally or possibly more troubling father, Willy.

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1431 Words | 6 Pages

Biff complains about Willy as a father, saying, “He’s got no character - Charley wouldn’t do this. Not in his own house - spewing out that vomit from his mind.” (Miller 56). Biff does not understand how his father has gotten to such a state of existence. Biff is also clearly frustrated, as even though he loves his father, he resents him for his emotional absence from Biff’s life, and compares him to other people that seem more stable on the outside, like Charley.

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226 Words | 1 Pages

It appears that the main individuals who want to help Willy, are the individuals who he minimum listens to. Actually the two best impacts on Willy originate from the same crew. Bernard grew up with Biff and Cheerful however picked an entirely different way. At a key time in Biff's life, Bernard cautions " If he doesn't buckle down he'll flunk"(40). In this scene Bernard is attempting to tell Willy that he is imparting the wrong values in his children who are bound for disappointment.

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2147 Words | 9 Pages

In order for Willy to be a successful father, he needs to feel that his kids are respected and accomplished. However this shows that Willy is such an outsider, because Biff is quite the opposite, as the Bill Oliver that is references has no idea who Biff is. Another example that shows how Willy’s goals and dreams turn him into a misfit is when he asks for a promotion “ Well, tell you the truth, Howard. I’ve come to the decision that I’d rather not travel anymore.” ( Miller 59).

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1098 Words | 5 Pages

In Death of a Salesman, as Happy, Linda and Biff were talking to each other, Biff says," They've laugh at Dad for years, and you know why? Because we don't belong in this nuthouse of a city! We should be mixing cement on some open plain"(61). These two quotes show that, like Willy, Biff also does not like how the city is closing in on them. Biff also wants to go away from it from it all, but he too does not have the money to go where they want to go.

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972 Words | 4 Pages

People could have learned certain characteristics from a family member and this may lead them to act just like them. In the book, Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, there are many different places that show Willy and Biff criticizing each other and talking badly about each other due to their similarities. However, some people have pointed out that they feel Willy and Biff still do not have enough in common with each other. This may be the case; however, it lacks the evidence. Biff and Willy hate each other and complain and criticize each other because of all the things that they have in common.

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1210 Words | 5 Pages

Both characters realized that hard work is necessary to get what they want and that success is not a result of popularity. Bernard recognizes this much earlier in his life and becomes successful from an early age. This highlights how fathers play a crucial role in character development. Ironically Biff is similar to Willy, even though he refuses to admit it. Through this, Miller implies that all humans have inherited traits from their parents that cannot be denied.

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

Biff failing math and not going to summer school may have been instigated by Willy encouraging him to blow off his studies and Biff discovering that Willy was having an affair. One cannot lay the blame totally on Willy because while he may have been the catalyst Biff made that decision not to study or go to summer school. Willy is kind of responsible for his family not being wealthy. He turned down an opportunity to go to Alaska with his brother a decision that would eventually cost him. Had he gone with Ben he could have been rich from finding a diamond mine in Africa.

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1265 Words | 6 Pages

Biff is the only one in the family who eventually breaks out of the illusion that fools the rest of the family. At the end of the narrative, Biff realizes “what a ridiculous lie [his] whole life has been” (Miller 104). His self-deception ends when he realizes he has “been talking in a dream for fifteen years,” believing he was once something more than a shipping clerk (Miller 104). This shows that while Biff felt obligated to follow Willy in the business world, he had dreams of his own. Once Biff accepted himself for who he really was, he realized his true passions.

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1082 Words | 5 Pages

Willy tries to make himself feel better by lying to himself. Although Willy’s death is unfortunate, if one closely examines his pride, bad temper, and his lies, one can see that these flaws will eventually bring him to his demise. Throughout the play, Willy demonstrates his sense of pride while talking to his family and friends. In this quote one can

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1800 Words | 8 Pages

Bartleby, from Bartleby the Scrivener, and Willy Loman, from Death of a Salesman, are in many ways opposites. Bartleby is an extreme individualist; only doing what he wants to, no matter the personal or professional cost. On the other hand, Willy Loman is a conformist; he does what he is told, lives an average life, and pursues the “American Dream” like most Americans do. Bartleby and Willy also share similarities: both are physiologically broken and their respective individuality and conformity lead them to their deaths, albeit in different ways. The stories themselves are also similar in that they both critique American society.

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924 Words | 4 Pages

Antigone is the play by Sophocles. It opens with the deaths of Antigone’s two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, doesn’t allow Polynices to be buried on the ground because Polynices attacks his own city. Antigone thinks burying her brother is her duty, so she violates Creon’s decree and throws some dusts on her brother’s corpse. Creon is offended by her behavior and gives an order that is locking Antigone into a cave with a little food.

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741 Words | 3 Pages

Ana Oceguera 12. 19. 16 AP English Death of a Salesman Character Compare and Contrast     In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the audience follows the dynamic between the members of the Loman family. The father of the family, Willy Loman is a self-deluded traveling salesman whose dreams of success do not match his reality. Prompted by his frustration due to the discrepancy between his unrealistically ambitious expectations and his reality, we watch as his mental health takes a turn for the worse,  and his story eventually ends in suicide.

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890 Words | 4 Pages

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller portrays the last 24 hours of the life of a common man, Willy Loman, as he reflects on the failures of his life. Loman’s success as a salesman has passed now that his old loyal boss, Howard, has died, and he now works as an unsuccessful traveling salesman, scraping by on commision from Howard’s son. Loman goes to the neighbor, Charley, often borrowing money for household payments, but refuses to take a job-offer from him. Willy Loman’s spouse is Linda and they have two boys, Happy and his older brother Biff, who are now middle aged men who live back at home and are trying to find where they belong in life. Bernard is a childhood friend of the Loman boys, and is Charley’s son.

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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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