Ambiguity In Death Of A Salesman

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In the play, “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Biff’s character demonstrates a pivotal role as a morally ambiguous character that the reader cannot categorize as good or evil. His lack of a relationship with his father, Willy, causes this moral ambiguity and foreshadows demise at the end of the plot as well as the betrayal from all sides. Biff exhibits moral ambiguity in a number of scenes including the ones with his father and his American Dream life envision for Biff as well as Happy. Biff has always felt that his father blew him up with hot air and they had, “been talking in a dream for fifteen years” (Act 2). Biff says this to his brother Happy because in an unwarranted dreaming and fantasizing about a better overall life, he lost himself in reality. He also forces his father to see this reality which leads to Willy’s self-destruction and accusation of Biff’s leaving out…show more content…
Although Biff feels that his father played out an imaginary life and planted it in his head at a young age and wishes to be set free from his father’s dreams and live his own, he should still take into consideration that his father has lost more than Biff ever will in his lifetime. Biff insists that he is, “not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you” (Act 2). He’s begging that he be left alone and out of Willy’s delusion. When Biff walks out on Willy’s ambitions for him, Willy takes this rejection as a personal injury. Willy, after all, is a salesman, and Biff’s ego-crushing snub ultimately reflects Willy’s inability to sell him on the American Dream—the product in which Willy himself believes most faithfully. Biff shows that he is not a morally sound character because despite how badly Willy may have raised the two brothers, he is still their father and they should respect him and what he still tried to do for them up until the end. Biff could easily bury the hatchet and move on like any other normal person, but

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