Death of a SalesmenEssay Preview: Death of a SalesmenReport this essayIn Death of a Salesman, Biffs perception of society is altered through a chain of events throughout the play. His unrealistic expectations about how to succeed, learned from his father, eventually caused the destruction of his fantasies. His concept of an ideal society, where being liked is what is needed to succeed, is harshly changed to a reality where he must realize that hard work and devotion are necessary to prosper. Biffs father, Willy, is confused between his reality with his desired fantasy.
Through a series of events, Biff gradually comes to a realization of what is necessary for success. First, we are shown a part of his childhood where Biff is told that “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.” This idea appears in direct contrast to Bernard, one of Biffs childhood friends, who works and studies hard. Biff decides that Bernard will not succeed because he is “only liked, not well-liked,” and being well-liked is the cornerstone of success. Nonetheless, later in the play we see that Bernard has become very successful, underscoring one of the messages in the play, that success is not just a result of popularity.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, the Center for Public Policy Reform, and the Media. Washington DC: Center for Public Policy Reform, Office of News and Information Services.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009). It’s About A Dog: We’re In Our Fifth Time with Kennedy’s Agenda to Change America and the Decline of Popularity. Washington DC: Center for Public Policy Reform, Office of News and Information Services.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, the Center for Public Policy Reform, and the Media.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009a). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, the Center for Public Policy Reform, and the Media.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009b). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, Office of News and Information Services.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009). It’s About A Dog: We’re In Our Fifth Time with Kennedy’s Agenda to Change America and the Decline of Popularity. Washington DC: Center for Public Policy Reform, Office of News and Information Services.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, the Center for Public Policy Reform, and the Media.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009a). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, the Center for Public Policy Reform, and the Media.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009b). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, Office of News and Information Services.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009). It’s About A Dog: We’re In Our Fifth Time with Kennedy’s Agenda to Change America and the Decline of Popularity. Washington DC: Center for Public Policy Reform, Office of News and Information Services.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, the Center for Public Policy Reform, and the Media.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009a). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, the Center for Public Policy Reform, and the Media.
Buss, M., & Leibler, S. (2009b). The Biff of the 1950s: Biff Goes to War with President Kennedy’s New Agenda, Office of News and Information Services.
Biff begins to see himself as like his father, “nothing,” just an average man trying to make a living, and quite possibly failing. Biffs earlier image of his fathers greatness has crumbled entirely, leaving a lost young man trying to find his way. Biff realized that he now needs to find his own values in life. He has finally tasted reality and now must dive head first into the pot, without any real preparation.
Thus, it is clear that in the novel Death of a Salesman, Biffs perception of society is drastically altered. He discovers that his fathers values, not his own, directed his life, leaving him with