In contrast to Troy’s definition of the American dream, Willy Loman believes that to gain success, one must have connections, contacts, and an attractive personality. Willy’s high expectations for Biff make him assume that Biff has the ambition to succeed. Furthermore, Biff struggles to find his place in the world after not being able to find an interest in many conventional jobs. Nevertheless, in Death of a Salesman, Willy shows his high hopes for Biff when he declares, “I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time” (Miller 1.8). Willy portrays his overconfidence that Biff will become successful due to his popularity and attractiveness. When Willy mentions that he will
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Willy often overlooks Biff’s bad qualities, and his inability to notice it also causes Biff’s downfall. For example, Biff gains the habit of stealing and Willy completely ignores it until the end of the play. Biff begins to steal more frequently and it eventually causes him problems in the future. Additionally, Willy does not seem to care at all about Biff’s academics and ignores Bernard’s warnings about Biff failing math. Instead, Willy supports Biff’s football career so that Biff could gain popularity and success based on Willy’s perception of the American dream. Although Biff and Willy disagree on various topics, both of them like to mock and humiliate Bernard. Willy in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller says:
“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. That's why I thank Almighty God you're both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never …show more content…
One shows a black family in the late 1940s, and the other shows a white family in the late 1950s, but both wind up in the same result with the same conclusion. The result is the downfall of the family and the conclusion is that when a father enforces the incorrect interpretation of the American dream on to their sons, it will lead to inevitable father-son conflicts and serious disillusionment in the family. Through the two plays, Wilson and Miller show the importance of the father’s role in a family and the effects it can have when the father does not care for his sons in the right manner. Due to the generation difference in the father and sons, the definition of the American dream constantly refines itself and creates the conflict between traditional and modern
Willy often overlooks Biff’s bad qualities, and his inability to notice it also causes Biff’s downfall. For example, Biff gains the habit of stealing and Willy completely ignores it until the end of the play. Biff begins to steal more frequently and it eventually causes him problems in the future. Additionally, Willy does not seem to care at all about Biff’s academics and ignores Bernard’s warnings about Biff failing math. Instead, Willy supports Biff’s football career so that Biff could gain popularity and success based on Willy’s perception of the American dream. Although Biff and Willy disagree on various topics, both of them like to mock and humiliate Bernard. Willy in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller says:
“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. That's why I thank Almighty God you're both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never …show more content…
One shows a black family in the late 1940s, and the other shows a white family in the late 1950s, but both wind up in the same result with the same conclusion. The result is the downfall of the family and the conclusion is that when a father enforces the incorrect interpretation of the American dream on to their sons, it will lead to inevitable father-son conflicts and serious disillusionment in the family. Through the two plays, Wilson and Miller show the importance of the father’s role in a family and the effects it can have when the father does not care for his sons in the right manner. Due to the generation difference in the father and sons, the definition of the American dream constantly refines itself and creates the conflict between traditional and modern