1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.
In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", Miller shows how a complicated relationship between a father and a son can effect the whole family and the dynamic of that family. This conflict started when Biff went to Boston to see Willy, and discovers his father cheating on his mother. In this play, the conflict between Biff and Willy goes on for years and helps amplify Willy's unhappiness in his life.
Biff was always idolized by Willy from the very beginning of the play. Willy alway wanted Biff to turn out like Uncle Ben, who in the play, only shows up in Willy's mind, going on adventures and making money. When Biff starts failing math, and has to take summer school, Biff is upset and wants to talk to his dad, thats when the conflict begins, because Biff sees how much of a fake Willy really is in his salesman business. After seeing that the affair has created a gap in Willy and Biff's relationship, Willy feels the guilt on his shoulders, he tore his family apart by cheating on his wife, so he could be a good salesman. This affair helps the reader see that Willy was never happy after Biff started becoming something other than what Willy wanted.
From the beginning of the play, the reader can see that Willy is not happy, and is thinking about killing himself so he can get his insurance money to support his family, Willy thinks that the insurance money is the only way for him to provide for his family, because he has gotten too old to sleep with secretaries. Having the affair with numerous women was a way for Willy to support his family, it was the only way he could be a good salesman. Evidently because of this affair, Willy's family is even worse than before. The relationship between Biff and Willy creates unwanted tension in the household whenever Biff is visiting, Willy and Biff always end up in fights about random things, and Biff has no problem brining things up that Linda is to scared too. This tension is what leads Willy to his thoughts of suicide. Willy can only think of this one thing to solve everything and in the end does succumb to the temptation and crashes his car.
Biff never meant for Willy to commit suicide, and Willy never meant to ruin his family. This relationship between the numerous women and Willy ruined the relationship between Biff and Willy, causing the whole family to fall apart. If Willy had never cheated or if Biff had never failed math and went to see his father in boston, Willy and Biff would have been closer and Willy and his wife, Linda, would have been closer, making Willy happier, and maybe not wanting to commit suicide in the end.
In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", Miller shows how a complicated relationship between a father and a son can effect the whole family and the dynamic of that family. This conflict started when Biff went to Boston to see Willy, and discovers his father cheating on his mother. In this play, the conflict between Biff and Willy goes on for years and helps amplify Willy's unhappiness in his life.
Biff was always idolized by Willy from the very beginning of the play. Willy alway wanted Biff to turn out like Uncle Ben, who in the play, only shows up in Willy's mind, going on adventures and making money. When Biff starts failing math, and has to take summer school, Biff is upset and wants to talk to his dad, thats when the conflict begins, because Biff sees how much of a fake Willy really is in his salesman business. After seeing that the affair has created a gap in Willy and Biff's relationship, Willy feels the guilt on his shoulders, he tore his family apart by cheating on his wife, so he could be a good salesman. This affair helps the reader see that Willy was never happy after Biff started becoming something other than what Willy wanted.
From the beginning of the play, the reader can see that Willy is not happy, and is thinking about killing himself so he can get his insurance money to support his family, Willy thinks that the insurance money is the only way for him to provide for his family, because he has gotten too old to sleep with secretaries. Having the affair with numerous women was a way for Willy to support his family, it was the only way he could be a good salesman. Evidently because of this affair, Willy's family is even worse than before. The relationship between Biff and Willy creates unwanted tension in the household whenever Biff is visiting, Willy and Biff always end up in fights about random things, and Biff has no problem brining things up that Linda is to scared too. This tension is what leads Willy to his thoughts of suicide. Willy can only think of this one thing to solve everything and in the end does succumb to the temptation and crashes his car.
Biff never meant for Willy to commit suicide, and Willy never meant to ruin his family. This relationship between the numerous women and Willy ruined the relationship between Biff and Willy, causing the whole family to fall apart. If Willy had never cheated or if Biff had never failed math and went to see his father in boston, Willy and Biff would have been closer and Willy and his wife, Linda, would have been closer, making Willy happier, and maybe not wanting to commit suicide in the end.
I really liked the opening of your essay. You may want to add a statement at the very beginning of the play that relates to your essay yet applies to the world at large. This would serve as a good transition. In your thesis, you should always address the goals of the prompt. In your thesis here, I would recommend incorporating the sources of the conflict between Biff and Willy and then stating how this conflict contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You nicely adhered to plain-style writing, which greatly facilitated the conveyance of your argument to your reader. Lastly, I would also recommend adding greater analysis and linking how the father-son conflict adds to the meaning of the work.
ReplyDeleteYou chose a work that really applies to the prompt, and you do a good job of addressing several problems between Willy and Biff. However, I think you could delve a little deeper and analyze what Arthur Miller is saying by creating such a relationship between father and son, and the beginnings of the paragraphs are a bit repetitive. Overall good job though!
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