The Understanding of Parents Way of Life
- veroniatanios19
- Jan 10, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 14, 2019
Throughout Death of a Salesman, the theme of family surrounds the book and is prominent through a variety of instances. The relationship between the father Willy and his sons Biff and Happy can be determined as confusing and on and off. Willy Loman, who is objected as any father would, strongly believes in the American Dream. The American Dream is an idea that the United States is a country that offers an opportunity to achieve prosperity, happiness, equality, success, peace, and freedom to those who are willing to work hard for it. Moreover, one must acquire wealth and material comforts in order to be happy. Willy Loman is the father figure in the book, and as a matter of fact, he has an inclination for his son Biff to be a successful businessman. In the course of that era, businessmen manifested high class and the idea of achieving success. Meanwhile, Biff merely desired to pursue a career in which he actually found pleasure in, and that is a farmer which is appraised as being low-class. Nevertheless, a farmer does not obtain enough money as a businessman, and hence Willy was agitated in Biff’s choices. All Willy plead with is the proposition for his son to be triumphant and live the American Dream.
This text ties in with my personal life in a variety of ways. First of all, my parents love me very much and the only thing they humbly pray and hope for is the success and happiness for me to indulge in for the rest of my life, just as Willy aspires for his sons. My parents have never failed to place my best interests first, furthermore, I am tremendously thankful for them. Despite that, the similar issue Biff experienced with Willy can also apply with the issue I have with my parents’ way of life. I cannot blame them for the certain ethics and morals they partake in because they are just acting in accordance with the Egyptian way of life and how they were raised by the church and their parents. The Coptic Orthodox Church that my parents and I were raised in has educated variegation of morals that we cannot change and that we are imposed to believe is equitable. In this case, just as Willy does not suppose Biff being a farmer will entitle his success, my parents anticipate that being anything other than a doctor or engineer will not be successful. The church I was raised in acknowledges us all to presume that in order for one to be successful and wealthy, one must be a doctor, engineer, or any of those high-class careers as you could say. Doctors and engineers get paid a ton of money, and just like in Death of a Salesman, the only way to be successful is being wealthy through a high-class job, and that is being a salesman, not a farmer. Therefore I related my personal life to the family struggles within the book. In conclusion, I think Wily’s logic and my parents are related despite them being incorrect. In my opinion, as long as you choose to pursue a career you are passionate about, you will most likely be successful and live an enjoyable life.
Great post, Veronia! This topic is very relevant to high school students who are choosing their post-secondary path. Our parents only want the best for us, but sometimes they do not realize that being successful does not necessarily equate to a high-paying job. While it's important to follow our parents' advice, we should pursue what ultimately makes us happy. In Death of a Salesman, Biff knows what makes him fulfilled and does not give in to the pressure to meet his father's expectations of becoming a businessman.
Hey Veronia, I think your situation is very relatable for all of us highschool students. Our parents always want what's best for us but fail to realize that success does not just come from a high salary. My personal opinion is that if you do something that you enjoy and are good at, you will naturally be more successful in the field simply because it is something you will want to pursue. If you dread going to work everyday, are you going to put in that extra effort that you need in order to get a promotion? I don't think so. You made great connections as to how your parents, like Willy, want what is best for you but have…
I agree with your point of view. Often times, people mindlessly chase after something that doesn't necessarily make them happier, such as a traditional high-paying job and just wealth in general. Some of us may feel that we are being forced to do something that we don't want to with our lives. At the end of the day, our parents want the best for us, but they don't really know or understand what we want in life. I think communication with our parents are a key to having a good familial relationship. If there is no way to convince them, then I think it is still better to chase after own own goals and dreams.
My parents are very similar, although I feel that the way they think of it is that they've given me so much to succeed that it shouldn't be possible not to succeed, and although they don't want me to become a lawyer or doctor, if I don't get into a good university, they will be dissapointed, even if I end up successful, since my family has a long line of going to good universities there is a lot of pressure to be successful, even if the definition of successful isn't exactly correct.
I totally agree with the conclusion you have come to, I also personally believe success is what ever gives you fulfillment in life. Over all it was a well worded piece and I admire the time you took to carefully explain the relationship between Biff and his father Willy before connecting it to your personal situation. In todays world across many culture and religions wealth has become the symbol of success and happiness. This is no coincidence but in fact a side affect of a consumeristic society that puts a focus on material objects that are suppose to represent success. Before confronting a flaw in todays society, consider that you can not pick and choose when it comes to culture…