To begin with Willy is not successful yet he embodies his definition of success. For example on page 57 when Linda is telling her boys how irresponsible they are she says, “He (Willy) has to go to Charley and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend to me that’s his pay for the week.” This quote explains how Willy is not successful and deep down, he know it. Willy believes success is based off of how well you are liked and he is well liked in general terms, but this quote from the book clearly shows that Willy is not successful yet he is “well-liked.”
Another example that suggests the thought that being “well-liked” does not get you places is Bernard. He is not well-liked yet he is the more successful one in the book. On page 33 when Willy is talking to his boys outside he asks, “Bernard is not well liked?” His boys tell him that he is not and Willy follows up with, “Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him.” Willy is telling his boys here that since they’re well liked they will succeed because that is the only way one can be successful. This is an incorrect thought because Bernard is not “well-liked” yet he is currently smarter and more achieved.
In opposition to these, one could argue that on page 33 Willy is saying how his boys will be more successful than Bernard in the business world. On page 22 when Biff and Happy are reminiscing Biff states his happiness by saying “To suffer fifty weeks of the year for a two week vacation” (Miller). Biff is explaining here that what he does is not worth the trouble and effort hence the word suffer. He clearly does not enjoy what he does and as a result his father was in fact wrong. Neither of his kids (Happy was also agreeing with Biff) made it to be successful in any sort of world, especially the business one,