Willy’s false convention of what is right and what is wrong also contributes to inducing sympathy from the audience. This is seen when Willy makes Biff think that it’s okay to steal a “football” and then later construction materials for him to build
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).
Willy's logical inconsistencies brings confusion towards the audience itself toward the start of the play; in any case, they soon turn into a characteristic of himself. Willy's conflicting conduct is the after effect of his powerlessness to acknowledge reality and his propensity to control or re-make the past trying to get away from the present. For instance, Willy can't leave himself to the way that Biff never again regards him on account of Willy's affair with another woman. As opposed to concede that their relationship is irreparable, Willy retreats to a past time when Biff appreciated and regarded him. As the play goes on, Willy disassociates himself more from the present as his issues turn out to be excessively too much, making them impossible to manage.
This forces Biff to conceal his failed attempts from Willy which ultimately leads to a negative effect on their relationship at the end of the play. This cognitive dissonance demoralizes Biff as he fights with his conscience of whether or not he should tell Willy that he has failed. Biff’s conscience would ultimately prevail as he realizes his father’s mistakes and their effects on the family. Biff explains in anger, “I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like the rest of them!
and I go right through.” (21) This quote shows how Willy exaggerated how being well-liked and good looking would get people further in life. Although Bernard was a hard working student, Willy still believed his son, Biff, who failed math and never studied, would be five times more successful than Bernard. The readers know that being successful only comes with hard work, therefore creating humour. This was used to satirize people who did nothing to achieve their goals yet expected to obtain positive results.
Why am I always being contradicted?” (Miller 16-17). Even with a meaningless, simple item like cheese, Willy is unable to cope with change, leading him to resort back to the past. Following the theme from The Fallacy of Success and The Great Gatsby, Willy’s inability to let go of the past and accept change may lead to his demise.
Thirty five years later after devoting his life into the career, he hasn’t accomplished the same success that dave have achieved, but “he possessed too much snobbery to admit that his own destiny was in a simple career as a carpenter” (Death of a Salesman). Willy obviously wanted more in life, and since he saw himself not achieving anything, he taught his kids into his way of seeing life, hoping they would have gone the same path and get the dream he had for himself. When Biff came home he realized that Willy was disappointed in Biff, he “resolves to reform his life for the sake of his father, and act 1 closes with the familiar denial of old wounds and Biff’s promise to make a business deal in New York” (Death of a Salesman). Willy’s confusion about the real “American Dream” makes him teach his sons wrong, and his failure because he never understood what was “really needed to succeed insisting to the end that ‘personality wins the day’”
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.
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
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
His family are not ready to recognize the miserable realness on their specific souls, Biff perceives self dissatisfaction and over the long haul makes sense of how to confront it. In fact, even the difference between their names reflects this furthest point. Albeit Willy and Happy enduringly and euphorically misdiect themselves, Biff flourishes firmly at self-cheating. Biff 's disclosure that Willy has an extravagant lady strips him of his trust in Willy and Willy 's yearnings. Thus, Willy sees Biff as an underachiever, Biff sees self to be gotten in Willy 's ostentatious dreams.
Biff, a consequence of Willy, attempts to bring Willy out of his fantasies and his see the realities of his life, but in the end fails to. The two are different in their ideas, demeanors and personas, yet have some akin characteristics. Willy and Biff’s physical traits are different. At what point, Willy tells his wife Linda, “I’m fat. I’m very foolish to look at, Linda.”
Although Willy has achieved the “American Dream’ it was never confirmed as Willy was surrounded with people who never heard his cries for more than just the “American Dream.” Linda, the seemingly supportive wife, never even confirmed it. Biff for unleashes a long drawn out resentment for Willy after Willy offers advice to Biff to embark upon a new journey to borrow money to start a business, and Linda felt that it was not befitting of Willy to offer Biff advice on what to do and what not to do during the meeting. As Linda continued to stop Willy from offering his son advice, Willy became insistently intolerant of Linda’s disruption as it aired on Willy being unqualified as a seasoned salesman or incapable as a father to guide Biff in this journey. These examples may seem innocent to the naked eye, however, given years of countless incidents of being subdued by a person so close to you, especially given the fact that Willy did not grow up with family, this could drive a person to the brinks of insanity, which is what ultimately led Willy to feelings of discontent in his life as a middle-aged man with no means of support.
Willy prioritized popularity rather than virtues in becoming successful. For instance, when Biff stole a ball, Willy did not correct his action. Instead, he suggests he got away due to his well-liked personality by saying, “That’s because he likes you. If somebody else took that ball there’d be an uproar. ”(Miller 19).
For instance, Biff has inherited Willy’s inclination to overstate and work truth in his favour. An example of this would be Biff’s true certainty that he was a salesman for Bill Oliver, when he was merely a shipping clerk. Miller exposes modern American society in “Death of a Salesman” (Miller, 1949). His breakdown and analysis are clearly conveyed to the audience concluding that “society is based on a corrupt and immoral capitalist dream.”
