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In, Death of a Salesman, its author, Arthur Miller, looks upon four characters. Miller uses scenes and flashbacks to compare and contrast the differences or similarities of characters personalities or actions. These scenes show how closely Biff and his father resemble each other at times, or completely differ. They show how hard Willy tries to please his family. Why Biff doesn?
t succeed. Also they show what a caring mother Linda can be, or it can show her unloving side. These also show that Happy was constantly trying to gain love and attention from his family, and how his parents never saw it. The play itself is set in the house of Willy Loman, and tells the story of a salesman who is in deep financial trouble, and the only way out is to commit suicide. The focal point of this play is Willy Loman, a salesman in his early sixties. Throughout the story we are told the hard life, emotions and triumphs of Willy the salesman.
Early in the play we learn that he has recently been demoted to working for commission, which later in the play, translates into Willy getting fired. As the plot unfolds we discover that Willy had a rich brother who recently died named Ben, whom Willy looked upon with great admiration for becoming extremely wealthy and the ripe old age of 21. However Willy also becomes very depressed when Ben leaves, because he re-realizes the meagerness of his own life, and that he is still making payments on all of his possessions. Willy then comprehends that by the time his possessions are paid for they shall no longer be of any use. For example, the Loman house has become virtually unnecessary now that the two sons have moved out.
It isn? t until after Willy? s death that the final payment is made and now no one of his family will live in it. An example of this is given by the quote from Linda during the final paragraph of the play, I made the last payment on the house today and there will be nobody home.
We? re free and clear we? re free we? re free we? re free Willy the salesman plummets deeper into depression until his most likely route of action, which turns out to be suicide. However the reasoning behind this course of action is his genuine love for his family, along with Willy?
s deep longing to supply his family with as much money as he can. As we learn more about Willy? s trials, Willy? s son Biff also has some problems of his own, the main one being that Biff cannot seem to find his place in life. Then we are told that Biff at one point did in fact have his future all planned out. It turns out that Biff was a shoe-in for a position on the University Of Virginia State football team.
However, that chance was ruined when Biff did not pass his final mathematics course. To make things worse when Biff makes the trip to Boston to explain his mathematical dilemma, he comes in the room to see his father has been with another women. This incident would leave Biff being an entirely different person altogether. He didn?
t even try to finish his math in summer school. After Boston, Biff couldn? t have cared less what happened to his own life. Biff finally comes to facts with himself and wants to make something of himself. This something involves him working on a farm. The other reasoning behind this change in decision is to go against the wishes of his father.
Biff pours his heart to his brother Happy one quarter through the first act. He says, To devote your whole life to keeping stock, or making phone calls, or selling or buying. To suffer fifty weeks a year for the sake of a two week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off. He asks Happy to come with him and he escapes from his home to continue on with his life.
Happy on the other hand stays with his father, and at the end Happy decides to follow in Willy? s footsteps more or less to be noticed. The Wife and Mother, Linda, has not been one to care about her boys very much. She does care for the well being of her husband and tries to convince the boys on how hard he is working for their survival.
It is said that Linda will probably die within the year. And with Willy about to die himself, she won? t have a thing to live for but herself after that happens. Linda has no conformation of her husbands cheating on her, but probably has clues. She never finds out for sure what has happened, but it wouldn? t affect the stories conclusion too dramatically.
So overall, Willy dies ignorantly, killing himself for the good of his family. Suicide didn? t help the situation of his family though. The Suicide will probably lead to the even more saddened death of Linda.
Biff, went against his fathers teachings in every way, therefore he will more than likely be a happier person just due to that. He turned his life around from the beginning and his future is now within his control. Happy will try now to follow in his father? s footsteps to try to do what Biff didn? t. As far as his success, it would have to be undecided.
If he continued his life in the form as how he used to act success will be out of his reach, but if he continues to change, who knows.
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