Biff Death of a Salesman

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  • Biff Loman
    • Young Biff
      • Idolises his father
        • 'I'm takin' one play for Pop'
          • Willy idolises im too
            • 'Coach'll probably congratulate you on your initiative'
          • He also ranks people as to whether they are 'well liked'
            • Shows the impact Willy has had on his sons!
        • 'Missed you every minute'
      • Attractive, masculine, charismatic
      • Stealing
        • We are told that Biff's life of petty crime begins when he is younger
          • Willy encourages this petty stealing
            • As a result, Biff grows up in Willy's delusional world; he believes his lies that he is allowed to steal.
              • This has repercussions when he is older e.g. he spends 3 months in gaol for stealing
          • 'Well I borrowed it from the locker room'
    • Biff at the beginning of Act 1
      • Stage directions
        • Alikened to Willy
          • 'His dreams are stronger and less acceptable than Happy's'
            • Similar to: 'his massive dreams'
          • 'worn air' and 'less assured'
            • Similar to: 'exhaustaton is apparent'
      • Nature
        • Shown to have a deep love of the outdoors
          • 'When all you really desire is to be outdoors'
        • Similar to Willy, he appreciates the outdoors
      • Biff at the denoument
        • Change?
          • 'He never knew who he was'
            • If Biff recognises this in Willy, perhaps he (Biff) does know himself, and will move from Willy's idea of success
          • Biff becomes a voice of truth by the end of the play
            • He tells Willy that they are both 'a dime a dozen'
              • He knows he is not a 'leader of men'
            • Perhaps he represents some hope for the future?
      • Lost confidence?
        • Happy claims that Biff has lost confidence
        • Biff doesn't know 'what he is supposed to want'
    • Biff as an adult
      • Opinion of Willy
        • We learn that Biff's opinion of Willy has greatly decline since he learnt about the affair
          • 'Phony little fake'
        • Accuses Willy of never having 'an ounce of respect' for Linda
    • Epiphany
      • After visiting Bill Oliver, Biff has an epiphany
        • He realises he was just a 'shipping clerk'
          • This stuns Biff into the realisation that 'we've been talking in a dream for 15 years'
            • The audience hope that this realisation will lead Biff to be capable of greater happiness- but Biff doesn't understand how to live free from the delusions

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