Willy believes that Biff used to be a very popular “ remember how they used to follow him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them and their faces lit up.” This was because of his football skills, and he was almost assured a future in football but he found his farther with another woman, and this ruined his life. “You – you gave her mama’s stockings!” and this shows that he is heart broken, he then goes on to say, “don’t touch me, you – liar” as he breaks into tears and leaves ignoring his father. “ remember how they used to follow him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them and their faces lit up.”
It is quite early on in the play when the tension starts to arise “What’s he say about me?” That is what Biff says talking about Willy; minutes later Biff then repeats what he has just said. But then he soon forgets about Willy and starts talking to Happy about moving out west and earning a living on a cattle ranch.
Biff feels that he needs to get a wife and start a business “maybe I oughta get married. Maybe I oughta get stuck into something. Maybe that’s my trouble. I’m like a boy” He is saying that he feels like a child because he is not in business and he does not have a wife, or a business. This starts to say that he is rather selfish, as if he is going to get married just to feel like an adult. He also wants to start his own business because he feels he is a failure as he is always switching between jobs, and he now doesn’t have one.
Willy complements Biff on things which are wrong because he thinks it is a good idea “Well, I borrowed it from the locker room” this is what Biff says, so that it is meaning that he stole it from his football club. Willy then says “I want you to return that” and then seconds later he says “Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative!” this is saying that he did the right thing stealing the football, and it also says that it was a good thing and the coach it was stolen of will be pleased because it uses initiative.
On page 82 Biff finally faces up to the truth himself and realises that his whole life has been a failure “I realised what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been. We’ve been talking in a dream for fifteen years. I was a shipping clerk” Biff has realised that he has been a failure for fifteen years and all that was said about the cattle ranching and all the other job’s was a lie so that he could get attention.
When Biff had decided to go and see Bill Oliver to borrow some money to start a business it all went wrong “Hap, I took his fountain pen” Biff had stolen Bill’s fountain pen and ran out with it, and he said he did it because “I just – wanted to take something” Biff decides that he is going to tell Willy the truth, but Happy knows this will hurt him. Happy says, “Dad is never so happy as when he’s looking forward to something!” Biff wants to tell the truth but Happy wants to keep deceiving his father so that he will remain happy and not break down. Biff tries to tell Willy the truth but Willy only ‘hears what he wants to hear’ and he also keeps changing the subject, so in the end Biff deceives him again “I did. I – saw him. How could they fire you” this is showing that it is very hard for Biff to explain what has happened because Willy believes what he wants to happen.
Bernard is very supporting of Willy and Willy seems to be very happy to see him, when he first arrives as Bernard says “Hello, Uncle Willy.” Willy then says “Bernard! Well, look who’s here!” Willy is an untruthful person as he tells Bernard that Biff has got a big deal with Bill Oliver and that he wants Biff. “Well, Bill Oliver – very big sporting-goods man he wants Biff very badly”
The relationship between Willy and Biff is crushed when Biff finds out that Willy is having an affair with the woman. Biff gets very upset about the woman “Don’t touch me, you – liar!” then just after he also says “You fake! You phony little fake!” Biff then run’s off weeping, and leaves Willy on the floor on his knees. Willy then tries to use his power to get Biff back “I gave you an order! Biff, come back here or I’ll beat you! Come back here! I’ll whip you!” Willy, Biff and Happy went out for diner, but Happy and Biff left, and this made Willy heartbroken. But Biff was already heartbroken from what he had seen. When Happy and Biff arrive home Linda is very upset because Happy and Biff walked out on their father, but Biff still doesn’t say what he saw. I think that this is because he doesn’t want to make Linda upset because of what has happened and because he know how much Biff cares about him.
Willy commits suicide to show Linda how much he loves her, as she will get the insurance money. But then when he finds out that Biff still loves him he becomes overwhelmed and decides not to give it to Linda but to give it to Biff, this is what Ben says about Biff “Yes, outstanding, with twenty thousand behind him” He also commits suicide to show Biff and Happy how popular he is, because if he is popular there will be many people at his funeral “Why didn’t anybody come?” this shows that there was only a few people at his funeral, and that he was just living in the phoney American dream “Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens”
Willy finds it very hard to understand that he is just an ordinary person and that he will not be remembered by everyone in the future and he did not make great impact on the world. He thinks he is someone very special “Pop! I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you!” that is what Biff says but then Willy says “I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!”
Willy does not believe that his own son (Biff) loves him, but then when he realises that he does he becomes overwhelmed “Isn’t that – isn’t that remarkable? Biff – he likes me!” He then starts to say how magnificent Biff is going to be when he grows up. Willy has to be convinced that he is loved by Biff because he thinks that he doesn’t love him as he walked out of the restaurant, and he saw him with The Woman. Now he knows that Biff loves him he has decided that he is going to kill himself for Biff so that he can have all of the money. Willy then goes on to say that he knew that himself and Biff would always make it “Oh, Ben, I always knew one way or another we were gonna make it, Biff and I!”
Biff has learnt from his father’s death, he has learnt that Willy was not as popular as he was saying he was, and he was just living in the ‘phoney American dream’ Happy does not seem to understand this and he is still very defensive of things said about him. “[infuriated]: Don’t say that!” Happy also says that he is going to prove that his father did not die in vein but we all know that he did. “Willy Loman did not die in vein” Biff talks about leaving the city but happy wants to stay “I’m staying right in this city, and I’m gonna beat this racket!” but then he says “The Loman Brothers!” but he can’t be part of the team as he rejected the offer to move away.
