One of the largely unstated tensions in the family is
Happy's failure to mature and his womanizing. He is the quintessential "cad", harboring
no real or deep feelings for anyone and demonstrating this through his behavior with
women. The notion that this is also true of Happy in relation to his family remains
implied, but is a strong undercurrent in the play.
Willy
is unfaithful to Linda at one point. He does not admit this to Linda. Instead, the
affair (discovered by Biff) remains a suppressed secret. Happy's flaws are similarly
left un-discussed, creating a parallel between Willy and
Happy.
The emotional failures of Willy are reflected in
those of Happy. Happy's character, in this way, helps to articulate Willy's weaknesses
as a husband and father.
Biff's professional failures stem
in part from his resentment against his father and also from Willy's successful attempts
to inflate Biff's ego. Willy incessantly reminds Biff that he can be great, like his
uncle. Fueled by this ego-boost, Biff allows himself to be fooled into believing he is
better than he really is. This inflated sense of self paves the way for Biff's
entitlement and exceptionalism, leading him to petty theft and
self-betrayal.
Willy can be seen as subject to the same or
similar dynamics as he insists that he was once a great and beloved figure up and down
New England. He is fired as he espouses this belief to his boss. He is rebuked for
espousing it to Charley. He fails, in the end, because he cannot help but believe it
himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment