Revision from December 9, Open Prompt post #4
2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
In Death of a Salesman, the often seamless blending of both past and present into one narrative causes interaction of characters with the past to be an important part of the play. This is especially evident with Willy who often relives past events at the same time as he is interacting with people in the present. He is unable to let go of the past and causes it to become a distorted reality of the present, unable to accept the sometimes harsh realities of life.
This distorted reality is embodied in Willy's relationship with his son, Biff. Willy had seen Biff as an extremely promising young man with boundless potential until he failed to graduate from high school, something that has haunted Willy ever since. He decided not to pursue his degree after he walked in on Willy having an affair in a Boston hotel and went between dead-end jobs for fourteen years after that. Because Willy was driven by a desire to be "number-one man" and his passion was to make it big as a salesman, he was crushed by Biff's decision not to follow in his father's footsteps seemingly solely because of the affair that he witnessed. Willy believes that Biff ruined his life "to spite [Willy]," and he makes this clear throughout the play. This conflict of one life goal with another is one of the key themes of the play, with Willy going the route of a capitalistic salesman and Biff taking another which he doesn't seem to be quite sure of, but it is doing whatever makes him happy.
Willy is affected so significantly by Biff's failure in high school because he believed that Biff truly had a chance to be everything that he himself had hoped to be. He puts the pressure of his hopes and dreams on Biff and expects him to succeed in everything that Biff had failed in, as some parents try to live through their children. A football star with the opportunity to go to a fantastic school on scholarships in U of V, Biff seemed to be going places to his father despite the fact that he was "failing math" according to Bernard. While blowing off school, Biff worked to become "well-liked" as Bernard worked hard to acquire skills that would help him succeed in the real world. The turning point in their relationship occurs when Biff returns from Boston and burns his U of V sneakers, making it clear to Bernard that he had "given up." They switch places as adults, and Bernard's role as a foil to Biff is clear when Willy finds that Bernard is arguing a case before the Supreme Court as Biff fails to find a job. This shows very clearly that the relationship to the past plays a large part in the lives of the Lomans.
One of the most noticeable times that the mixing of past and present occurs is whenever Ben is present, as Willy's focus alternates between what "Ben," or his mind's perception of Ben, and the people he is really interacting with. In scenes with Charlie and with his family in their yard, Willy often returns to the times that Ben visited his house and offered him what seems to him now an opportunity to make it big. In the climactic scene where Willy ends up killing himself, this mysterious figure from his past (of his brother) influences Willy to do what his family dreads. He represents the desire to earn money at all costs and Willy subscribes to this ends-justify-means approach by killing himself for insurance money. His son Happy then goes on to commit to the same ideals as his father, and the cycle of self-destructive work as salesmen vying to be successful continues in the Loman family, making the relationship between past and present of this particular character cyclical and continuous throughout the family.
Through the mixing of past and present, Miller creates a relationship between Willy and his past in which his mind is caught somewhere between the two. He is unable to forget the past and is especially caught up on when Biff's supposed failure as a kid many years ago. This inability to let go creates an alternate reality for Willy in which he refuses to accept a reality where his son is a failure. The combination of his relationship to the past and Happy's taking up his mantle create a sense that this will continue to happen in future generations of the Loman family, and that the only way out of this pattern is one that Biff took.
2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
In Death of a Salesman, the often seamless blending of both past and present into one narrative causes interaction of characters with the past to be an important part of the play. This is especially evident with Willy who often relives past events at the same time as he is interacting with people in the present. He is unable to let go of the past and causes it to become a distorted reality of the present, unable to accept the sometimes harsh realities of life.
This distorted reality is embodied in Willy's relationship with his son, Biff. Willy had seen Biff as an extremely promising young man with boundless potential until he failed to graduate from high school, something that has haunted Willy ever since. He decided not to pursue his degree after he walked in on Willy having an affair in a Boston hotel and went between dead-end jobs for fourteen years after that. Because Willy was driven by a desire to be "number-one man" and his passion was to make it big as a salesman, he was crushed by Biff's decision not to follow in his father's footsteps seemingly solely because of the affair that he witnessed. Willy believes that Biff ruined his life "to spite [Willy]," and he makes this clear throughout the play. This conflict of one life goal with another is one of the key themes of the play, with Willy going the route of a capitalistic salesman and Biff taking another which he doesn't seem to be quite sure of, but it is doing whatever makes him happy.
Willy is affected so significantly by Biff's failure in high school because he believed that Biff truly had a chance to be everything that he himself had hoped to be. He puts the pressure of his hopes and dreams on Biff and expects him to succeed in everything that Biff had failed in, as some parents try to live through their children. A football star with the opportunity to go to a fantastic school on scholarships in U of V, Biff seemed to be going places to his father despite the fact that he was "failing math" according to Bernard. While blowing off school, Biff worked to become "well-liked" as Bernard worked hard to acquire skills that would help him succeed in the real world. The turning point in their relationship occurs when Biff returns from Boston and burns his U of V sneakers, making it clear to Bernard that he had "given up." They switch places as adults, and Bernard's role as a foil to Biff is clear when Willy finds that Bernard is arguing a case before the Supreme Court as Biff fails to find a job. This shows very clearly that the relationship to the past plays a large part in the lives of the Lomans.
One of the most noticeable times that the mixing of past and present occurs is whenever Ben is present, as Willy's focus alternates between what "Ben," or his mind's perception of Ben, and the people he is really interacting with. In scenes with Charlie and with his family in their yard, Willy often returns to the times that Ben visited his house and offered him what seems to him now an opportunity to make it big. In the climactic scene where Willy ends up killing himself, this mysterious figure from his past (of his brother) influences Willy to do what his family dreads. He represents the desire to earn money at all costs and Willy subscribes to this ends-justify-means approach by killing himself for insurance money. His son Happy then goes on to commit to the same ideals as his father, and the cycle of self-destructive work as salesmen vying to be successful continues in the Loman family, making the relationship between past and present of this particular character cyclical and continuous throughout the family.
Through the mixing of past and present, Miller creates a relationship between Willy and his past in which his mind is caught somewhere between the two. He is unable to forget the past and is especially caught up on when Biff's supposed failure as a kid many years ago. This inability to let go creates an alternate reality for Willy in which he refuses to accept a reality where his son is a failure. The combination of his relationship to the past and Happy's taking up his mantle create a sense that this will continue to happen in future generations of the Loman family, and that the only way out of this pattern is one that Biff took.
