Seth Goodman Period 3 February 17, 2014 Death of a Salesman – Tragedy In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, both Willy and Biff Loman struggle to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Both seeking the American Dream, neither is able to adapt to fulfill the needs of the new business sector in America. Stuck in the past and his own illusions, Willy’s stubbornness regarding his profession destroys him, while Biff’s attempts to impress his father hinder his chances for success. The inability and refusal to change creates an overwhelming sense of failure and devastation. Willy’s refusal to leave his job, of which he is unable to make enough money to support his family, leads to his demise. As a travelling salesman, Willy moves from city to city attempting to sell goods, though he is widely unsuccessful. Trapped in the illusions of his mind, Willy is obsessed with his profession, believing that he is bringing in more than enough money to support him and his family. When discussing his profession with his brother—who is a figure of his imagination— Willy tells him that business is bad and “murderous but not for [him]” (page 36). Willy is so consumed by his job, attempting to mirror his father who he labeled a “great inventor” (page 34) and also a travelling salesman, that he cannot see past his failures in the profession. He relies on Charley’s money to pay his bills, though when Charley offers him a job, Willy refuses “getting insulted” (page 29). He fails to see that his skills can be best utilized in an alternative profession besides selling. A good builder, Willy amazes Charley in his ability to “put up a ceiling” (page 30), although Willy cannot see himself in that field, because of his insistence on pursuing the
Seth Goodman Period 3 February 17, 2014 typical American Dream. It is his stubbornness with regards to his job that leads to his demise. Instead of changing his job, he approaches his boss in hopes of relocating to New York only to find out that his boss does not “want [him] to represent” (page 63) his firm. This letdown catalyzes Willy’s downfall. Because he strives to impress his father, Biff also refuses to change; however, it is this rejection of change that leads to Biff’s insurmountable grief. For years, Biff lived in the shadow of his father, attempting to impress him in any way possible and his father often held him in high regard, saying he is “built like Adonis” (page 21), a reference to the Greek god of desire and beauty. Willy, though, makes more out of Biff than he actually is, exaggerating Biff’s accomplishments with his false sense of reality. What Biff fails to realize is that he is most content working in the west as “a farmhand” (page 5). Deciding to leave that behind, he yearns for the attention of his family, so he returns to New York to stay with his family, even though he struggles to impress his confused father, who calls him a “lazy bum” (page 5), only to later call him “not lazy” (page 6). Attempting to resolve the conflict between the two, Biff, along with Happy, devise a plan to meet with Biff’s old boss, Bill Oliver, in order to pitch a business idea. Unfortunately, like his father, Biff amplifies his success to levels he never reached, and (also like his father) Biff’s meeting with Oliver fails miserably—the businessman “didn't remember who” (page 81) Biff was. While Biff attempts to please his father, he forgets his displeasure of the business field, and it is not until Willy’s betrayal that he feels “free and clear” (page 112). It takes Biff over thirty years to escape from his father’s imperious shadow.
Seth Goodman Period 3 February 17, 2014 Both Willy and Biff struggle to adapt the fast-paced and changing environment before them, that continues to make their professions more and difficult. Willy’s refusal to adapt destroys him, both spiritually and physically, while Biff’s inability to throw away his yearning for approval from his father creates immense anguish.
