Psychological Realism in Death of a Salesman

 The character of Biff is a reflection of his father and carries on in his own life the same sorts of failures seen in his father. It is Willy's wife who states that attention must be paid to the life of Willy Loman. She understands him and his problems, and she forgives his shortcomings. She is, after all, the one who has been most wronged by his behavior on the road and by his leaving her to handle the problems at home. In the end, Willy leaves a legacy behind in the form of his sons, and this is a mixed legacy. Happy accepts the American dream, and more specifically Willy's dream of success, while Biff finally rejects it and proves to be strong enough to face reality as his father never could. He has learned a lesson from the life of Willy Loman, and this is a lesson that others could learn as well if they paid closer attention to his life.

Biff seems always to reject Willy's views and to be opposed to the way

. . .
of Biff's day has been revealed in the previous scene as he talks to his brother about the job interview he had that day. Biff tells Happy that he needs help in explaining things to Willy: "You gotta help me, Hap, I'm gonna tell Pop" (104). Biff does not understand the true nature of his father, though he thinks he does, and Hap always feeds the delusions by which Willy lives: "You tell him something nice" (105). Happy wants Biff to tell Willy that he has a lunch date with Oliver the next day, rather than telling him that Oliver did not remember Biff at all and that the interview was a failure. Happy says the truest thing about Willy in this scene: "Dad is never so happy as when he's looking forward to something" (105). When Willy does enter, the result shows that it matters little whether Biff tells Willy the truth or not--Willy is not listening. Willy hears what he wants to hear and believes what he wants to believe, and this is the source of the failure between father and sons as well as the failure of the father in the long run. Biff seems always to reject Willy's views and to be opposed to the way Willy lives his life, but in truth Biff has an affinity for his father that he is usually denying. These psychological
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Willy Loman, Happy Biff, Willy Biff, Death Salesman, Bill Oliver, Oliver Willy, Hap I'm, , II Willy, life willy, own life, willy loman, willy lives, York Viking, death salesman, biff tell, own life traced, traced similar, values espoused, similar values, espoused father, apparent failures own, father apparent failures, failures own life, takes father apparent,
Approximate Word count = 1398
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Psychological Realism in Death of a Salesman