Deception of a Salesman In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, the Lomans are all unsatisfied with what their lives have become. They deceive themselves as a means to escape the constant reminders of their failures. By the end of the play, and unfortunately hours before Willy’s suicide, Biff is the only one in the family who becomes self-aware. Willy Loman is by far the most self-deceiving character in the family. He is Linda’s husband and the father of Biff and Happy. He has made poor decisions throughout his life, and is now paying for them as a sixty three year old man who is not yet retired and does not have enough money to pay his bills. Willy suffers from flashbacks during great times of stress and anxiety. These flashbacks
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In one of Willy’s flashbacks, he goes back to the time that Biff stole one of the footballs from his coach. Instead of telling Biff that stealing is the wrong thing to do, he praises Biff and says, “Sure, he’s gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn’t he? Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative!” (Miller 30). In another flashback, Willy encourages Biff and Happy to steal building supplies from a building nearby. Charley and Bernard try to tell Willy that there will be consequences if Biff and Happy are caught by the watchman, but yet again, Willy makes excuses for their bad behavior. The boys will go on into their adult lives to such behaviors, like when Biff stole Bill Oliver’s fountain pen out of …show more content…
Growing up he never really got a lot of attention from his father, with Biff always being in the spot light. But along with Biff, he was wrongfully influenced by his father’s misconceptions. And like Willy, he is also unsatisfied with his life. He has a nice personality, hence the nickname “Happy,” but in reality he is not a good person; he only thinks of himself. For example, at the beginning of the play he tells Biff that he slept with his boss’s fiancé. He admits that “he’s the third executive I’ve done that to” (Miller 25). He knows that it’s wrong to do, but it makes him feel better about himself because his executives have more power over
In one of Willy’s flashbacks, he goes back to the time that Biff stole one of the footballs from his coach. Instead of telling Biff that stealing is the wrong thing to do, he praises Biff and says, “Sure, he’s gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn’t he? Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative!” (Miller 30). In another flashback, Willy encourages Biff and Happy to steal building supplies from a building nearby. Charley and Bernard try to tell Willy that there will be consequences if Biff and Happy are caught by the watchman, but yet again, Willy makes excuses for their bad behavior. The boys will go on into their adult lives to such behaviors, like when Biff stole Bill Oliver’s fountain pen out of …show more content…
Growing up he never really got a lot of attention from his father, with Biff always being in the spot light. But along with Biff, he was wrongfully influenced by his father’s misconceptions. And like Willy, he is also unsatisfied with his life. He has a nice personality, hence the nickname “Happy,” but in reality he is not a good person; he only thinks of himself. For example, at the beginning of the play he tells Biff that he slept with his boss’s fiancé. He admits that “he’s the third executive I’ve done that to” (Miller 25). He knows that it’s wrong to do, but it makes him feel better about himself because his executives have more power over