...Death of a Salesman Every family has its discord, but none a bad as Biff and Happy from ‘Death of a Salesman’. These two brothers were very close when they were younger, but one incident changed the whole dynamic of the family’s relationship. Biff, the eldest son of Willy and Linda Loman, was supposed to be the one with the most potential, but fell short of the goals everyone set for him. The three main differences of these two brothers was their age and responsibilities that came with the age, the fact that Biff was a realist while Happy was ignorant and delusional like his father, and the and attention. The eldest is always burdened with more knowledge, higher expectations and more secrets than the younger one. Biff is the only one who knows the real Willy Loman. He knows him as a cheat, a liar and a man riddled with suicidal tendencies. When Biff failed his math test he rushed to Boston where his father was on a ‘business’ trip and discovers the mistress who had been receiving all of his mother’s stockings. He knows that Willy lies about being well liked and making all the money that he does, he borrows most of it and takes it as his own accomplishments. He is also the only person to find the evidence that Willy had tried to kill himself of Monoxide poisoning with a small tube Willy hid behind the water heater. Happy on the other hand sees nothing wrong with his father in the same way the father saw nothing wrong with Biff. In the end Happy follows his father’s exact footsteps...
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...Reaction Paper to "The Death of a Salesman" ENG/125 October 19, 2015 Reaction Paper to "The Death of a Salesman" In Arthur Miller’s Play Death of a Salesman, the play recollects the last 24 hours of the Loman’s family life and the events leading up to the death of Willy Loman. The title of the play is symbolic to the unraveling of the picture perfect family imagine that Willy created to everyone around him. The title is also symbolic to Willy losing his career as a salesman. Arthur Miller was very clever with his themes by using flashbacks throughout the play. He used four major themes according to SparkNotes Editors. (2002). Appearance vs. reality, the individual vs. society, the individual vs. himself, and the perception of the American Dream. Willy has been a salesman all his life. He has brought his sales experience into his personal life. He was selling the idea that his marriage and family life are perfect. His sons Biff and Happy are not what Willy had imagined or made them out to be. He wanted them to be successful business men just like him; however they are not. Willy has sold his lies for so long about his happy family that he can’t even remember what the truth is or doesn’t choose to remember. Willy is a man of many mistakes and doesn’t take accountability for the mistakes that he has made and often twists the truth to make himself the victim. I think Willy is a very relatable character. He by all means is not perfect and only wants the American Dream...
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