In Numbers 14:18, it is said that “He visits the sins of the father upon the children” and this is particularly true in the case of Willy and Biff Loman. If this proverb is true it bids ill for Biff Loman, whose father’s perverse interpretation of the American Dream ensures that his son will grow up to be grossly maladjusted and ill prepared for life as an adult. Biff is prone to narcissism, to kleptomania and is a broken individual. Biff’s social maladjustment is caused by his father’s superficial and delusional view of the American Dream, preventing Biff from becoming a productive member of society. Biff’s narcissism is a direct result of his father’s determination to feed his son’s ego to the point where Biff belittled everyone around him.
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His father’s failure to provide him discipline and proper guidance allowed Biff’s negative behaviour to grow unchecked, mostly his kleptomania. When Biff comes up to Willy to brag about the ball he stole, Willy defends and praises Biff. Instead of discouraging such behaviour, Willy Loman seems to be actively encouraging his son to steal, assuming that if he is well-liked, the fact that he steals will not matter.“Sure, he’s gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn't he? Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative.” (Miller 30) Willy creates perverse excuses for his son’s misbehaviours rather than confronting them, and then tells Biff that he will be praised for his misdeeds. To Willy, theft is initiative. Willy Loman does not strive to correct his son's actions and his misguided attitude towards parenting worsens Biff’s kleptomania. Biff tells Willy “I stole out of every job since high school!” (Miller 131) Biff steals from his sporting good job, he goes to jail for stealing a suit and even steals the pen from Bill Oliver's office. Willy Loman’s obsession with his teaching his son his own shallow notions of success, which involved being well-liked and being physically attractive that he failed to parent Biff. The lack of discipline and guidance that Willy provided allowed Biff’s kleptomania to grow out of
His father’s failure to provide him discipline and proper guidance allowed Biff’s negative behaviour to grow unchecked, mostly his kleptomania. When Biff comes up to Willy to brag about the ball he stole, Willy defends and praises Biff. Instead of discouraging such behaviour, Willy Loman seems to be actively encouraging his son to steal, assuming that if he is well-liked, the fact that he steals will not matter.“Sure, he’s gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn't he? Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative.” (Miller 30) Willy creates perverse excuses for his son’s misbehaviours rather than confronting them, and then tells Biff that he will be praised for his misdeeds. To Willy, theft is initiative. Willy Loman does not strive to correct his son's actions and his misguided attitude towards parenting worsens Biff’s kleptomania. Biff tells Willy “I stole out of every job since high school!” (Miller 131) Biff steals from his sporting good job, he goes to jail for stealing a suit and even steals the pen from Bill Oliver's office. Willy Loman’s obsession with his teaching his son his own shallow notions of success, which involved being well-liked and being physically attractive that he failed to parent Biff. The lack of discipline and guidance that Willy provided allowed Biff’s kleptomania to grow out of