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| In fact, the relationship of Willy and his sons, Biff and Happy, is very bad Willy always has a high expectation toward his sons, especially Biff. He hopes that Biff will be a great salesman, and earns a lot of money. But he didn¡¦t teach him well in his childhood. Willy always blew him so full of hot air that Biff was like a spoiled child, he could never stand taking orders from anybody. He also likes to steal things since he was in high school, he used to steal football, but his father didn't punish him. Willy said that he was the favorite student of the coach, so the coach wouldn¡¦t punish him, rather than congratulate him on his initiate! Willy is wrong. Stealing is a habit. Once you steal but not be arrested, you will steal more and bigger things. On page 1227, Biff finally tells his parents the reason of why he had no address for three months. He stole a suit in Kansas City and he was in jail. He had also stolen Oliver¡¦s fountain pen in his office. Willy should be responsible for it. |
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| The reason of Biff hates Willy so much is that he knows Willy's extramarital relations. He is ashamed about his father¡¦s behavior. He thinks that he is a liar. He also sympathizes his mother. Once he saw Willy sent Linda's stockings to a woman, and he was so angry that he didn't go to study math in summer vacation. It was a shock to him. In Biff's mind, he always considers his father a great, outstanding person, but after he knows that he has an extramarital relation, he was so depressed. And I also think that it is also the reason that why Biff and Linda can't talk peacefully about Willy. In Linda¡¦s mind, her husband is perfect, but in Biff's mind, his father is not. Biff doesn¡¦t want to let Linda know Willy¡¦s extramarital relation because he guesses that she will be so sad about hearing this. I am not sure if Linda heard this will be angry or not. She is a traditional, tolerate, and considerable woman, Will she tolerate about his husband¡¦s faithful? |
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| Happy is two years younger than Biff. He, like his brother, is lost, but in a different way, for he was never allowed himself to turn his face toward defeat, and in thus more confused and hard-skinned, although seemingly more content. At first, I think that Happy has a good relationship with Willy, but it is not true. Although he doesn¡¦t quarrel with Willy like Biff, he doesn¡¦t concern his father, either. What he does to his father is only superficial; he tries to calm down the quarrel between Willy, Linda, and Biff. But this is not enough. He doesn't treat Willy or Linda well from his heart. For example, in the very end of the play, Biff and Happy invite Willy to have dinner with him. But after Willy said something odd and seems to be a little crazy, Happy leaves him alone and goes away with the girls. Biff said,¡¨ Why don't you do something for him?¡¨ But Happy has no action. Finally Biff said that,¡¨ He doesn¡¦t mean anything to you!¡¨, and I think this is true. |
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| I was quite shocked when I read the end of the play. The three father and sons seem to live in their dreams. Biff had never been a salesman, he was a shipping clerk. But why the whole family members say that he had ever been a salesman? Willy said that.He "hopes" that Biff is a salesman but he is not. He ¡§hopes¡¨ that his sons are successful but they are not. Will¡¦s excessive way of treating his boys causes their failure. And the failure of his sons also causes Willy's death. Biff can't stand more to live in such a lie and wants to tell Willy the truth that he'd never been a salesman and Oliver doesn't know him, either. But Willy can¡¦t accept that. That is miserable. |
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| Willy works so hard only for his sons. He sacrifices himself, and lets his sons have the best material benefit. On page 1225 he said to Ben,¡¨ Why can¡¦t I give him something and not have him hate me?¡¨ He even committed suicide in order to get insurance premium to his sons. But Willy neglects spiritual life. It is as important as material life. He should teach them to be an honest person, have their feet planted in solid ground, not to be opportunistic. Besides, let them to choose their job as their own. |
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