Who Is Willy Loman's Popularity?

Popularity was Willy’s obsession. He concerned himself with how important things looked versus how they really were. Willy prided himself for his son’s popularity because he did not have that. Reluctantly, Willy was not as adored by Biff and Happy, at least not how he felt about them. Popularity was important to Willy, not morals and values, especially those he should have instilled in his sons. For example, Biff stealing from the school. It was swept under the rug because Willy felt his acceptance would make it alright (Kriszner & Mandell, 2016). Willy also thought that popularity and attractiveness was a substitute for education. In the story, Willy justifies Biff’s irresponsibility because he feels that Biff’s looks will get him by in life and in business (Ribkoff, 2000). Willy believed that being popular outweighed having values and the only that gets you through life is being liked (Kriszner & Mandell, 2016). …show more content…
Willy mislead Biff because he made him believe popularity overshadowed honesty. From that point, Biff became addicted to stealing (Kriszner & Mandell, 2016). Stealing took over Biff’s life, which caused him to lose multiple jobs. For example, his job with Oliver. Biff problems was a result of Willy not showing him the right way. Willy’s lack of values is the reason why Biff steals and has every since high school (Kriszner & Mandell, 2016). It has been rooted in Biff’s head that a person with popularity gets away with any and