Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

For many families it is usually the first-born son that carries the burden of all the family’s hopes and dreams. This is also true for the Loman family in the case of Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman is a salesman whose life is filled with unrealistic and unreachable goals. For his entire life, Willy has been striving for an impossible dream; his whole life has been a delusional fantasy. Subconsciously, he realizes that his hopes are fading and his career is in jeopardy so he places all these unfullfilled objectives on his first son Biff’s shoulders. Willy barely pays any attention to his second son, Happy, as he showers Biff with praise and encouragement. He wants Biff to be popular, well-liked and at the top. Biff achieves this goal in high school when he becomes the star player and captain of the football team. He receives scholarships from three universities, is adored by the girls, and is popular with the boys. He has everyone following his orders and i...