Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr. Fiorini

 

 The Death of a Salesman

 

In reading The Death of a Salesman by writer Arthur Miller, one of the most interesting aspects of the story I have come to find was the relationship between Willy and his son biff, as well as the possible intended symbolism. Willy often spoke of the disappointment he found in the manual labor farm jobs his thirty four-year-old son Biff has had. He found the job of Biff to be that of a slacker, which in his opinion made him less willing to obtain a steady career. After expressing his criticism that portrayed Willy’s obvious disappointment in his son’s career choice, he would contradict himself and completely turn his opinion in the opposite direction. He would then remark that Biff was anything but lazy and a hard worker. Taking a deeper look into the behavior of Willy, it is possible his contradictory was symbolism for two separate opinions, one showing his true feelings towards his son, who is working to earn a living and the other depicting disappointment within himself.

            When Willy shows disapproval of the way Biff is living his life, I found it to be a reflection upon the disappointment Willy has found in his current position. He can no longer provide for his family as the successful businessman he had once been. The character of Willy in both the movie and the book had presented a tremendous amount of anger and frustration towards money and anything pertaining to work. These outbursts would sometimes involve the work position of his son biff. I found that rather then actually having disapproval towards his son, he was using it as a cover to reveal the frustrations he has within himself for not fulfilling the position expected of him.

            In conclusion, I found a deeper meaning to the actions of Willy and the reasons he had for acting out in such an angry manner. I believe his life had taken a turn towards a negative direction and he had handled it by lashing out against those who had cared for him the most. Although Willy hadn’t successfully portrayed an image of someone who overcame a difficult time in their life, I still believe deep down he was proud of his son for who he is. This can also provide inspiration for the readers to be happy with the person they are regardless of the mistake they have made.