Both have different ways of approaching their father. At dinner, Happy did not want to mention Biff's failure of getting a job. Biff, on the other hand, wanted to tell Willy the truth about the situation. Happy was trying to protect his father from the bad news where as Biff thought it would be best for him to know what was going on. In a way, both treat their father on their own views of what is right for Willy.
Happy tries to keep Biff and Willy from arguing every time they speak. Happy seems to care more about keeping Willy in good spirits than Biff. The elder of the two, Biff, is a much more honest but troubled person. He used to look up to Willy until he found out that Willy had cheated on Linda. Biff was Willy's favorite, but a series of events has made it so they have a hard time being in the same room.
I agree with your idea of how Happy always tries to keep Biff and Willy from arguing. I think this can be tied into the idea that Happy would rather lie to his father than argue with him over nonsense. I also agree that Biff was always Willy's favorite child.
I agree that Biff was Willy's favorite child. I think that Biff started out admiring his dad. After he found his father cheating, though, he switched to a hating his father. I think Willy still loved Biff better though. I think Biff knew this, but didn't want to be the favorite because he thought that would mean he was a lot like his father, thus why he rarely came home.
Happy and Biff both treat Willy differently, but with the same end goal. Happy always finds a way to lie to make his father happy, and Willy is too out of it to notice. Biff was honest and never wanted to have to lie to impress his father. One example of this is the dinner when Happy and Biff met Willy to say how Biff's meeting went. Biff wants to be honest with his father about how Oliver did not even give him five minutes of the day. Happy wanted to lie about how the meeting went because Willy would not know any better either way. Despite the contrast, both of them want the best for Willy.
I only partially agree with what you said. Happy wanted Willy to be happy, but Biff would rather just be honest. He did not want to hurt Willy, but he did not go out of his way to make Willy feel better.
I only partially agree with what you said. Happy wanted Willy to be happy, but Biff would rather just be honest. He did not want to hurt Willy, but he did not go out of his way to make Willy feel better.
Happy and Biff both treat Willy differently, but with the same end goal. Happy always finds a way to lie to make his father happy, and Willy is too out of it to notice. Biff was honest and never wanted to have to lie to impress his father. One example of this is the dinner when Happy and Biff met Willy to say how Biff's meeting went. Biff wants to be honest with his father about how Oliver did not even give him five minutes of the day. Happy wanted to lie about how the meeting went because Willy would not know any better either way. Despite the contrast, both of them want the best for Willy.
Biff lied to Willy his entire life until the end. Biff wanted to not disappoint his father even though he had trouble seeing why he should impress Willy. You can say that they did it out of love for their father, but by this point, there isn't much left. I think they lie to hide from Willy's wrath.
Happy and Biff have very different ways of speaking towards their father. From the beginning you can see how much Biff abuses his father because of the knowledge Biff holds about his father’s actions. Happy on the other hand, tries to keep his father happy by doing his best to earn a living and help his parents out. Even though that Happy and Biff get along very well, they differ greatly on the view of their father and his decisions.
I agree that Biff dislikes his father because of what he knows about him. To Happy, their father seems like a good man with good morals. Biff knows that his father had an affair and this causes Biff to have less respect for him.
I agree that Biff dislikes his father because of what he knows about him. To Happy, their father seems like a good man with good morals. Biff knows that his father had an affair and this causes Biff to have less respect for him.
Biff and Happy are both similar and different in how they treat Willy. Both of them have concern and some patience for their father, but then they can both abandon him like they did in the restaurant. They will look out for him, but they both find that their father has fallen out of the admiration they held for him as children. Biff always thinks that Willy is mocking him, while Happy sees it as Willy wanting Biff to do good. When the two boys hear Willy talking to himself in the kitchen, Biff blames Willy and calls him stupid and selfish. Happy is more carefree about it, even though he does want Biff to take care of the problem (their father). The two of them also contrast when Biff discovers that Willy was considering suicide. Biff immediately wanted to talk to Happy and then to Willy and try to stop him, while Happy has known about his dad's situation and decided to not do anything about it. Both of the boys love their father, but can treat him differently in certain situations.
I agree with your statement about Happy being carefree. I think there were definitely some situations where Happy should have confronted his father, instead of try to keep his father happy. I also agree that at one time in their lives, Biff and Happy saw their father as a hero. However, as time went on and the two boys grew up, they found out exactly who their father really was.
Biff and Happy treat their father in similar yet different ways. Just like his name suggests, Happy does not really like conflict. He would rather turn a blind eye to the problem than fix the problem. Happy does not want to confront his father about his father's problems. Happy wants to keep his father happy. Biff, on the other hand, wants to confront his father about the problem. Both sons, however, adored their father. Happy would be more inclined to indulge his father, unlike Biff who would be more likely to put a stop to his father's actions. Even with their different actions towards their father, both sons constantly look for undivided attention and approval from their father.
I agree that both sons really did have different ways of dealing with their father. Biff was used to being confronted by his father, I think, which may be why he found it easier to confront his father about his actions. Happy on the other hand did not get confronted by his father so he felt no need to confront Willy.
Biff and Happy treat their father in different ways because of differences in their personalities. Biff treats his father more coldly than Happy. This is probably due to the fact that he knows about his father's affair. It also comes from Willy looking down on Biff and thinking he is a failure after he fails the last class he needed to graduate. It crushed Willy's dreams for him. Happy, on the other hand, is much more like his father in attitude because he believes in the American dream and everything it can give him, just like Willy. This similarity helps Happy relate more with his father and look up to him as well.
I think that what you said is very spot on to the reasons that I think the two treat him differently. I honestly did not even think about Willy's affair affecting Biff's view of his father at all. I kinda forgot about that part of the story when I wrote the answer to this question but it totally makes sense. Biff would be pretty scarred by that moment in his life and he would resent his father for it.
Willy through the eyes of his sons is the true Willy Loman. However, his sons have different opinions of him. This two-sided opinion comes from the way that Willy treats each of his sons. He treats each of them differently, therefore they each treat him differently. Biff has never been particularly motivated to be successful, all he wants is to be happy and do something he enjoys. Willy is all about the need to be successful, which is why Willy gets on Biff so much. Biff is just fed up with his dad trying to tell him that what Biff wants out of life is not what he should want. All Biff really wants is his dad's love and support, which Willy doesn't seem to be able to give. This is why Biff treats Willy the way that he does. Happy on the other hand kisses up to his dad a bit and always defends him. Willy doesn't seem to have anything wrong with the way that Happy is living his life and he talks kindly to and about Happy. Because there is no ill will between Happy and Willy, Happy has no reason but to treat Willy with respect and caring. In the end, both sons love their father very much, but they differ in the way that Willy loved them.
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ReplyDeleteBoth have different ways of approaching their father. At dinner, Happy did not want to mention Biff's failure of getting a job. Biff, on the other hand, wanted to tell Willy the truth about the situation. Happy was trying to protect his father from the bad news where as Biff thought it would be best for him to know what was going on. In a way, both treat their father on their own views of what is right for Willy.
ReplyDeleteHappy tries to keep Biff and Willy from arguing every time they speak. Happy seems to care more about keeping Willy in good spirits than Biff. The elder of the two, Biff, is a much more honest but troubled person. He used to look up to Willy until he found out that Willy had cheated on Linda. Biff was Willy's favorite, but a series of events has made it so they have a hard time being in the same room.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea of how Happy always tries to keep Biff and Willy from arguing. I think this can be tied into the idea that Happy would rather lie to his father than argue with him over nonsense. I also agree that Biff was always Willy's favorite child.
DeleteI agree that Biff was Willy's favorite child. I think that Biff started out admiring his dad. After he found his father cheating, though, he switched to a hating his father. I think Willy still loved Biff better though. I think Biff knew this, but didn't want to be the favorite because he thought that would mean he was a lot like his father, thus why he rarely came home.
DeleteHappy and Biff both treat Willy differently, but with the same end goal. Happy always finds a way to lie to make his father happy, and Willy is too out of it to notice. Biff was honest and never wanted to have to lie to impress his father. One example of this is the dinner when Happy and Biff met Willy to say how Biff's meeting went. Biff wants to be honest with his father about how Oliver did not even give him five minutes of the day. Happy wanted to lie about how the meeting went because Willy would not know any better either way. Despite the contrast, both of them want the best for Willy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement. I think the most prominent comparison between the two boys is that they are doing what they think is best for Willy.
DeleteI only partially agree with what you said. Happy wanted Willy to be happy, but Biff would rather just be honest. He did not want to hurt Willy, but he did not go out of his way to make Willy feel better.
DeleteI only partially agree with what you said. Happy wanted Willy to be happy, but Biff would rather just be honest. He did not want to hurt Willy, but he did not go out of his way to make Willy feel better.
DeleteHappy and Biff both treat Willy differently, but with the same end goal. Happy always finds a way to lie to make his father happy, and Willy is too out of it to notice. Biff was honest and never wanted to have to lie to impress his father. One example of this is the dinner when Happy and Biff met Willy to say how Biff's meeting went. Biff wants to be honest with his father about how Oliver did not even give him five minutes of the day. Happy wanted to lie about how the meeting went because Willy would not know any better either way. Despite the contrast, both of them want the best for Willy.
ReplyDeleteBiff lied to Willy his entire life until the end. Biff wanted to not disappoint his father even though he had trouble seeing why he should impress Willy. You can say that they did it out of love for their father, but by this point, there isn't much left. I think they lie to hide from Willy's wrath.
DeleteHappy and Biff have very different ways of speaking towards their father. From the beginning you can see how much Biff abuses his father because of the knowledge Biff holds about his father’s actions. Happy on the other hand, tries to keep his father happy by doing his best to earn a living and help his parents out. Even though that Happy and Biff get along very well, they differ greatly on the view of their father and his decisions.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Biff dislikes his father because of what he knows about him. To Happy, their father seems like a good man with good morals. Biff knows that his father had an affair and this causes Biff to have less respect for him.
DeleteI agree that Biff dislikes his father because of what he knows about him. To Happy, their father seems like a good man with good morals. Biff knows that his father had an affair and this causes Biff to have less respect for him.
DeleteBiff and Happy are both similar and different in how they treat Willy. Both of them have concern and some patience for their father, but then they can both abandon him like they did in the restaurant. They will look out for him, but they both find that their father has fallen out of the admiration they held for him as children. Biff always thinks that Willy is mocking him, while Happy sees it as Willy wanting Biff to do good. When the two boys hear Willy talking to himself in the kitchen, Biff blames Willy and calls him stupid and selfish. Happy is more carefree about it, even though he does want Biff to take care of the problem (their father). The two of them also contrast when Biff discovers that Willy was considering suicide. Biff immediately wanted to talk to Happy and then to Willy and try to stop him, while Happy has known about his dad's situation and decided to not do anything about it. Both of the boys love their father, but can treat him differently in certain situations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about Happy being carefree. I think there were definitely some situations where Happy should have confronted his father, instead of try to keep his father happy. I also agree that at one time in their lives, Biff and Happy saw their father as a hero. However, as time went on and the two boys grew up, they found out exactly who their father really was.
DeleteBiff and Happy treat their father in similar yet different ways. Just like his name suggests, Happy does not really like conflict. He would rather turn a blind eye to the problem than fix the problem. Happy does not want to confront his father about his father's problems. Happy wants to keep his father happy. Biff, on the other hand, wants to confront his father about the problem. Both sons, however, adored their father. Happy would be more inclined to indulge his father, unlike Biff who would be more likely to put a stop to his father's actions. Even with their different actions towards their father, both sons constantly look for undivided attention and approval from their father.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both sons really did have different ways of dealing with their father. Biff was used to being confronted by his father, I think, which may be why he found it easier to confront his father about his actions. Happy on the other hand did not get confronted by his father so he felt no need to confront Willy.
DeleteBiff and Happy treat their father in different ways because of differences in their personalities. Biff treats his father more coldly than Happy. This is probably due to the fact that he knows about his father's affair. It also comes from Willy looking down on Biff and thinking he is a failure after he fails the last class he needed to graduate. It crushed Willy's dreams for him. Happy, on the other hand, is much more like his father in attitude because he believes in the American dream and everything it can give him, just like Willy. This similarity helps Happy relate more with his father and look up to him as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that what you said is very spot on to the reasons that I think the two treat him differently. I honestly did not even think about Willy's affair affecting Biff's view of his father at all. I kinda forgot about that part of the story when I wrote the answer to this question but it totally makes sense. Biff would be pretty scarred by that moment in his life and he would resent his father for it.
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DeleteWilly through the eyes of his sons is the true Willy Loman. However, his sons have different opinions of him. This two-sided opinion comes from the way that Willy treats each of his sons. He treats each of them differently, therefore they each treat him differently. Biff has never been particularly motivated to be successful, all he wants is to be happy and do something he enjoys. Willy is all about the need to be successful, which is why Willy gets on Biff so much. Biff is just fed up with his dad trying to tell him that what Biff wants out of life is not what he should want. All Biff really wants is his dad's love and support, which Willy doesn't seem to be able to give. This is why Biff treats Willy the way that he does. Happy on the other hand kisses up to his dad a bit and always defends him. Willy doesn't seem to have anything wrong with the way that Happy is living his life and he talks kindly to and about Happy. Because there is no ill will between Happy and Willy, Happy has no reason but to treat Willy with respect and caring. In the end, both sons love their father very much, but they differ in the way that Willy loved them.
ReplyDelete