Death of a Salesman; Willy vs. Charley Essay - 1267 Words

Kristina Zagame October 24, 2010 B Block English Willy vs. Charley: The Impact of Parent Relations A person’s outcome in life is often a reflection of their childhood, or how they grew up. The different ways a child is treated by their parents may later affect the amount of grit he or she has, therefore affecting their later success in life. In the book Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Biff, Happy and Bernard each grew up in different ways. Although Biff and Happy grew up in the same home, their father, Willy Loman, treated the boys differently, and therefore their views on life as adults turned out slightly dissimilar. Willy and Charley’s relationships with their sons contradict each other and therefore affected their†¦show more content†¦Biff: â€Å"I never got anywhere because you [Willy] blew me so full of hot air and I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That’s whose fault it is!† It was clear to see that Willy favored Biff over Happy. Willy always congratulated Biff and excitedly talked to him about his life and popul arity, leaving Happy to live in Biffs’ shadow. Willy: â€Å"Show him how to do it Biff! You see, Happy?† Because of this, Happy is always trying to capture Willys attention. Happy: I lost weight, Pop, you notice? Willy does not even pay enough attention to Happy to notice he lost weight without this announcement. After the second time Happy announces his accomplishment, Willy nonchalantly responds: Jumping rope is good too. The only time Happy is really praised is when Willy is addressing both of his sons: Thats why I thank Almighty God youre both built like Adonises.† Happy grows up to be slightly more successful than Biff, solely because he is able to stick to a job for longer than two weeks. This is because he was not given as big of an ego as Willy gave Biff. Biff complains: I had to be boss big shot in two weeks in able for him to stick to a real job. Still, Happy lies to his parents about how successful he is: Biff: You big blow, are you the assistant buyer? Youre one of the two assistants to the assistant, arent you? Happy: Well, Im practically- Biff: Youre practicallyShow MoreRelatedDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1015 Words   |  5 Pagespursuit of happiness. In â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller, the protagonist Willy Loman believes a person will be happy once they obtain success by living the American dream; if you are unable to achieve this goal then you are a failure. The play is divided into two categories: successes and failures. The image of the American Dream depicted in society influences Willy’s o wn perception of success and is the cause of his failures. Success is a main theme in â€Å"Death of a Salesmen†. There is aRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1628 Words   |  7 PagesArthur Miller wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning play Death of a Salesman in 1949. 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