Biff as hero of Death of a Salesman
In Death of a Salesman, Miller presents the Lomans, a family hindered by a dysfunctional nature. Although Miller presents Willy as the main character of the story, he lacks the praiseworthy traits that would make him the protagonist. Instead, his son Biff is heroic in that as an adolescent, his father impresses faulty ideals upon him, which he later discards in his search for his own identity. Ultimately, Biff does not succeed in his father's eyes, but he does finally realize his true identity and, because of this, deserves the role of protagonist in the play. First, Willy Loman is the overbearing but idolized father, who sets the foundation for Biff's beliefs. There are many aspects of this father-son relationship that lead to Biff's self-realization at the end of the play. In his youth, Biff respects and adores Willy because that is the nature of a young child. Even though we later realize the error in Willy's ways, his intentions on teaching his son to succeed were purely honorable. Willy supplies Biff with an ego because of his excessive praise, consequently making Biff extremely conceited. This praise helps Biff to develop pride in himself and his family and causes him to feel superior to his peers. His father's
Another important factor in this quest was Biff's relationship to Happy. Linda is the epitome of loyalty and compassion to Willy. There is a problem, however, that arises from her role as an empowerer to everything Willy presents, whether it is true or false. Another proof of his change shows up as a strong symbolic element from the play. In addition to Willy's false ideals being adopted by Biff, the fact that he held his father in such high regard exposed him to the painful truth. After Willy's suicide, however, Biff realizes, "He had the wrong dreams. These beliefs seemed to fit a child like Biff perfectly. By seeing the pathetic and unsuccessful nature of Happy, Biff comes closer to realizing his own identity and refusing his father's destructive persuasions. With this in mind, Biff tries to force himself to break down the barriers that he put up toward his father and evaluate his own life. Up until now, Biff had been a thirty-four year old child without direction or individuality. Willy praised him for his actions, teaching him that one should rule over others and not worry about being subject to morality, representing the rule, "The end justifies the means. By having regret for his actions, he proves his maturity to us. When Willy died, so did his beliefs; this helped Biff to finally grow up and view the world in a more realistic manner. From simple insight, much can be drawn about Happy's nature and how it relates to Biff. Biff erupted, "I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody!"(131).
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Acceptance Essays
