Friday, February 14, 2014
Biff Lohman
What does Biff discover about himself? How does this discovery affect his relationship with Willy? Does Biff's antagonism cause Willy's failure or merely intesify the failure he already experiences? How does what Biff learns in Boston influence his life? Why can't Biff be what his father wants him to be? Why does Biff steal things?
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In the beginning of the play, Biff is an arrogant young man, big-headed with big dreams for his future. Unfortunately, it isn't until later when Biff realizes that he has the dreams, yes, but not the motivation or ability to work hard in order to accomplish them. He realizes that his father Willy has thought that neither he nor his two boys could do no wrong for so long that the entire Loman family believes that the world owes them something. The discovery that Biff develops about himself affects his and his father's relationship in a very unpredictable way. When Biff tells Willy that he is never going to be anything special because a hot-shot is a dime a dozen, Willy is not ruined as the reader would expect. Willy is surprisingly happy that his son broke down and realized his problems, but more importantly he is happy because his son came to him, and Biff cried to him while admitting his faults. The air is cleared. Willy realizes that even though he wasn't the best of fathers, he still raised a loyal, honest son despite his own poor examples. Willy expected his son to be a wealthy superstar, but Biff could not be this way because of his father's disability to see fault in his son's actions. Willy had filled Biff's head with outrageous dreams without leading him in the right direction to following those dreams for himself. Again, Because of this, Biff thinks that when he can't get something he wants that the world owes that particular thing to him. That is the reason why Biff steals. For example, when his football coaches told him he needed work but had potential on the football team, Biff got the idea that he was going to be a star athlete with a little reinforcement from his father. Because Biff wasn't quite enough, he stole a football to "practice" with. Biff thought the game owed him because of his arrogance. The Loman family believes that the world owes them because they are overall unsuccessful and lie to ignore the truth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment of Biff. I had never thought of Biff and his family thinking that the world owed them something, hence the stealing. I definitely agree with how Biff had the dreams and so desperately wanted those dreams to happen, but didn't want to put forth the effort. I think you explained the relationship between Willy and his son very well. It's amazing to see how a father who takes pride in his son and can find no fault in him can actually be hurting his son in the process. If someone is expected to be perfect, they would not try to become a better person or become better at what they do. Willy, although he truly supported Biff, was doing more harm than help. Great job Chelsea!
DeleteI also agree with your assessment of Biff! I think Biff never really had the drive to work hard in life even though he did have the dreams. However, I don't think Willy raised an entirely honest son if that son has a problem with stealing.
DeleteToward the end of the play Biff discovers that he is just mediocre. He is content to work, eat, and smoke. He likes being free to choose whatever he wants to do. Willy does not like this fact, as he believes that Biff is still destined for greatness. Willy does not want to believe that Biff has chosen mediocrity. Biff did not cause Willy's failure. Willy just lost his touch over the years. He was never a natural salesman. He had to work very hard for everything he got. Up to Biff's visit to Boston, Biff revered his father as a great man who would do anything for his family. Upon finding a woman in Willy's room Biff was devastated, and that one event changed his future forever. Biff cannot be a salesman like Willy because he was content to be mediocre. He was happy just to be under the open sky. Biff steals things because his father never punished him for doing so. He only built the young Biff saying he was destined for greatness and could do no wrong.
ReplyDeleteMitchell I am just loving your comments. Biff is okay with the fact that he will never amount to anything great. Except, I think he has known this ever since he flunked high school. That is why Biff can never stand to be around his father, who tries to live his life through Biff in my opinion. I also agree with your comment about how Biff steals things because he was never punished.
DeleteAt the end of the book Biff discovers that he never wanted to succeed and become a man of business. He just wanted to escape from the city and do what makes him happy in life. Willy has always, in a way, lived vicariously through his son Biff. Willy always wanted Biff to hit it big. Willy would become angry towards Biff because Willy saw so much more potential in Biff than Biff did in himself. Willy and Biff wanted to create two separate Biffs. Willy's Biff would become a successful salesman and stay in the city. Biff's Biff would become a laborer out west. Success meant two different things to Willy and Biff. Willy always encouraged Biff to not work hard in life. Willy would express to Biff that connections and good looks were all that one needed to become successful in life. Willy always praised Biff for being popular in high school. In a way, Biff's antagonism merely intensifies Willy's downwards spiral. Biff's realization at the end of the book was like the straw that finally broke the camel's back. Biff saw his dad as a hero and admired him. When Biff discovered the other woman in Willy's room, Biff realized that his dad was not a hero that could do no wrong, but was someone who could hurt his mother and not care about it. Biff finally saw his dad as the average man he truly was, and not the tall-tale person Willy created out of telling his stories of selling on the road. Biff steals things because he never quite feels in control and stealing something temperately brings him that control.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you in the way that Biff found out about why he really left. You make some great points with the way you talk about Biff's short past we know leading up to his leaving, and your mentioning of why Biff originally said he left was spot on! This is why Biff is always so quick to anger. He is really just never sure of himself ever since the Boston incident.
DeleteBiff ends up discovering that he never left to just make money and be successful. He left because he wanted to get away from his family and the city. Biff always knew he was not a man for business, but now he even knows that the West was not where he would find himself. This discovery shows Biff that he was really cruel to his father in every situation when really he should have been helping his father. He left the city because of his father, and now he still blames him. What Biff learns in Boston makes him rethink everything he ever knew about his father. This is the reason he left for the West, and the reason he never went to school like he should have. Biff cannot be what his father wants him to be mainly because Biff does not want anything his father wants. Biff always felt betrayed by his father, and he would hate to be anything more like him.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... Biff did want money and to be successful, but not in the city. Biff was always an action/ physical labor sort of guy- working on the car, football, etc and he was smart enough to realize his happiness was located elsewhere.
DeleteI agree that Biff did leave because of his father. His relationship with Happy and his mother were perfectly fine... Biff couldn't stand the sight of his father lying and manipulating the rest of the family.
Unlike Happy and Willy, Biff realizes and accepts his past failures. He does let these failures affect him but it actually ends up making him come to terms with reality. He realizes that he wants to move out west because it symbolizes freedom for him. It symbolizes freedom from his father's ridiculous vision for him and freedom from his father's irrational dreams for both him and Happy. Realizing the truth about his father having an affair may have started the realization of this idea for Biff. After this event, he figures out that he doesn't want to be like his father and this changes his relationship with Willy forever.
ReplyDelete