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QUOTE: "Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such — personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff — he’s not lazy."

Biff's perspective is naive even though it looks charming initially. Being attractive or charming might help initially, but it’s not a substitute for self-awareness or real ambition. Willy’s view reflects an outdated aspect of the American Dream that assumes everything will fall into place if you just have the right image. Being well-like in high school does not guarantee future success. Physical attractiveness without actual intellectual support cannot be of anyone's benefit. Not knowing myself and my abilities, not knowing what career or goals I want to pursue is somewhat immature. It is not enough to simply be "good looking", I should be of someone's benefit. The first "nuances" of the American Dream are introduced. Willy, Biff's father, believes that one cannot feel lost in the greatest country in the world - America. That is why the only reason Willy sees as a reason for Biff's misfortune is his laziness. "Looking for myself" is more of a Gen Z type of problem and people from the generations before see every misfortune as simple laziness. How can it happen that I work but still don't make money? I should simply be lazy. I have the same fights with my mother all the time - she does not see how is it possible for me not to be sure what career I want to pursue. I have to find myself and to find what I really enjoy in order to be confident the career I am looking at is the right one.

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“Willy: …Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it.” (Miller, 4)

To me, the essence of Loman's dissatisfaction with life comes from the fact that he does so much for his family, but cannot spend time with them. All the hard work he does inevitably doesn't pay off for him, which I believe can be traced back to the core of his dissatisfaction - all the money Willy gets, he uses for his family, for his house. But not only does he barely spend any time in that house, the family that is waiting for him there also does not live up to what he needs after a tiring day at work; he is irritable and lacking sleep, his wife can't seem to say the right thing, and his kids don't live up to what he had imagined for them, making Loman all the more bitter. He wants recognition, and he should receive it, because otherwise, if his own family doesn't see his value, what is the point of all of his hard work?

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While talking with his sons about his work, Willy Loman tells them that "[the finest people] know [him]" (Miller 19). He puts up a strong front for them as he displays overconfidence and shares how bright his future would look like. Despite that, he fosters deep insecurities within himself due to failed dreams and constant comparisons to his successful brother, something that he is willing to share only with Linda. This is something I have seen in many families, since parents, especially fathers, do not want to worry their children with their problems. His actions are understandable because Biff and Happy are still too young to do anything about it.

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“The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.”

In my view, Willy Loman comes across as an idealist, someone who holds onto dreams that are actually unrealistic. He seems to believe that charm and being well-liked are the secret to success, when in reality, it takes more than just popularity to get ahead. His focus on being liked rather than having real skills or putting in hard work blinds him to his own limitations. I think this disconnect between his own views and the harsh realities of life is what keeps him from achieving the success he strives for.

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“Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace” p. 5

Willy's opinion here serves us to understand what he looks like as a person in the begining of the play. He is disappointed with his son, but this is just the tip of it. The fact that Willy is even mentioning that leads us to the conclusion that he cares about his son and wants him to succeed, therefore I see him as caring man and a good father, who is giving his all to provide for his family and is also interested in how his sons are progressing in life.

This criticism, that Willy is displaying is not directly said to Biff, therefore it doesn't mean that he is a rude father or a bad parent. However, he has strong feelings towards his son's life plans which he shares raw with his wife, as he needs to do it, but understands that this is not a way to talk to your son.

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“WILLY: You’re my foundation and my support, Linda.”

When I was reading the conversation between Willy and his wife Linda there was the warm feeling of the love between them that made me think about them as partners. They're not the usual happy family that people can see on a regular basis but they're incredibly dependent on each other. For Willy his wife is the person who keeps his life structured and fulfilled. He as a person is very dedicated to his job and family success but at the same time he has a lack of self respect and to me he's a very weak man based on his insecurities.

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"The trouble was that three of the stores were half-closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise I woulda broke records"

To me this demonstrates that he wants to believe that things will turn around. In the part of the text this takes place in he still has some hope for the future which disappears in the present. This leads me to believe that his metaphorical death has already started and the present day is when people are starting to notice, people only notice his decline when it becomes physical. To me this is the greatest tragedy of all, he worked and chipped away at his psyche, he dies in front of everyone and no one notices.

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“The world is an oyster, but you don’t crack it open on a mattress!”- I see that Willy tells Biff that life has great opportunities, but you have to work for them, just like cracking open an oyster to get the pearl. He wants Biff to understand that success won’t come by just dreaming about it. However, Willy himself is trapped in a fantasy where he believes success should come without much effort. This explains how Willy’s unrealistic beliefs keep him from facing the hard work required to achieve his goals. Willy's dream of success without hard work keeps him from seeing the reality, which leads to his struggles and failures.

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"WILLY (talking about Biff): Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!" (page 5)

--> As a reader I find him to expect too much from his children. Yes, he wants them to be successful, but he has no right to really judge them, because he himself has not achieved what he thought he would when his children were young. As a father, he seems to be carrying, but at the same time does not really want to hear what his children want from life. I see that he is constantly working, but is not achieving something and I cannot understand why.

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“Willy [turning to Linda, guilty]: “You are not worried about me, are you, sweetheart?”

Willy is stressed about having so much work and still not earning enough money. He is mad because he is the only one working in the family despite having two fully capable sons. Still, he doesn't want his wife to be worried about his mental (and physical?) health because he is not only a hardworking man, but also a loving father and a husband. His case and way of thinking provokes sympathy in my mind because it is clear that despite being so stressed, he still tries to calm down his wife and assure her that he is doing alright.

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‘’Be liked and you will never want’’

This reveals the ''philosophy'' of Willy where people-pleasing and charisma can lead to success. I believe this mindset is the reason for his troubles at work because he prioritizes social approval over actual dedication and abilities to ensure long-term success. I extremely dislike his behavior because his lack of self-awareness also affect his sons and stops them from developing and gives them the wrong example on relying on approval.

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"Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer.” (Miller 21)

Willy's words reveal his understanding of the path to success and to him, being liked seems to be the key criterion. He links appearance with being liked, which contrasts my view that hard work is what will ensure I make progress toward my goals. His attitude, on the other hand, will likely bring him disappointment, which makes me feel pity for him as I can sense his good intentions and wish that he gets appreciated for all efforts he has put in. His old age additionally contributes to my sympathy.

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"WILLY (with pity and resolve): I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll

have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be

big in no time. My God! Remember how they used to follow

him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them

their faces lit up. When he walked down the street... (He loses

himself in reminiscences.)"

Thoughts: I really relate to Willy's tendencies to lose himself into memories of the past where he is happier and more satisfied with his life. Even in the simplest conversations with his wife he wanders off and "loses himself in reminiscences" of the times when his sons were younger and they still had a lot of opportunities and a whole life ahead of them, so as Willy. Sometimes life in the present becomes so unbearable that it is not possible to remain mentally in that timeline and have to return to a happier reality in which the problems of the present don't exist. Willy can be described as a coward because of his tendencies to escape from his problems from the present day, but it seems to me that the pressure from years and years of unsuccessful work has become unbearable and he is unable to deal with everything anymore because everything is overwhelming

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“There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control. The competition is maddening!”

Willy Loman seems to me to be the type of person to blame all his misfortunes on a system he is intent on barking at instead of adapting to. I find it disappointing that instead of being motivated by the supposedly increasing competition, he yields to it. Moreover, Loman cites populist political slogans, which indicates to me a lack of independent thinking.

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“Willy: Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.” (21)

Willy Loman's main purpose in life is to become wealthy. However, he has the wrong perception that appearance is the key to success. In my opinion, there are many other traits that he should possess in order to be successful. Being rational and setting realistic goals are fundamental in his way to success.

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To me Willy Loman tends to follow his emotions, rather than being objective. What I disliked the most about him was when he started exaggerating his accomplishments, "WILLY: I did five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston... Well, I didn't figure it yet, but... I did — about a hundred and eighty gross in Providence. Well, no — it came to — roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip." To me this comes off as lying to his children and almost to his wife. Additionally, when it comes to this kind of behaviour I perceive it as irresponsible and delusional, which is what lead Willy to being unsuccessful. What he needed to do is to come back to reality and own to his mistakes and shortcomings, instead of continuing to lie to himself and others.

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“I got an awful scare. Nearly hit a kid in Yonkers. God! Why didn’t I go to Alaska with my brother Ben that time! Ben! That man was a genius, that man was a success incarnate! What a mistake! He begged me to go!”

I think this quote shows Willy's strong regret. Throughout the act his perspective shifts from present to past showing that he cannot live in the present and enjoy what he has. I think instead of focusing on the good in life, he is obsessed with success and the idea of it. He wants to be charming, liked, rich, and spends his days in regret. I think this is not how a person should live. I think Willy has to concentrate on the good things he has, instead of being absorbed by the idea of becoming rich, or his kids becoming rich. It is clear that he lives with a lot of regret and I think this is what is holding him back. Instead of looking towards the future, he is stuck in the past.