Biff Loman Journal 2

Biff Loman Journal 2

1. Biff Loman views himself not only as a failure, but also as a person who doesn't know his identity. During an argument with his father, Biff has the sudden realization that he has gone through his whole life without a real motive. In the argument, Biff's epiphany occurs in a quote where Biff proclaims, "And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don't want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! Why can't I say that, Will!" (Miller 132). This quote perfectly explains Biff's main struggle in life: not knowing his identity. Biff wondering why he is in the office shows how he moves job to job not for pleasure or fulfillment but instead for people to view him as successful. Biff's realization of what he loves helps to illustrate the idea that Biff has been searching for the wrong thing his whole life. He realizes that he wants to have a strong impact on people's lives instead of being a salesman in an office who only sells for a living.

2. People around Biff, specifically his parents, see Biff as a failure, in what Biff adds to the family. After returning home from an abruptly finished dinner with his Dad, Biff gets into an argument with his mother. In the argument, Linda yells, "Get out of here, both of you, and don't come back! I don't want you tormenting him any more. Go on now, get your things together! Pick up this stuff, I'm not your maid any more. Pick it up, you bum, you!" (124). Not only does Linda reference to Biff threatening Willy's well being, but she also shows how fed up she is with him being a failure. Linda cares about the well being of Willy more than anything, so when she tells Biff to leave solely for the better well being of Willy, it shows the negative impact Biff has on the family. Linda kicking Biff out shows that Biff only hurts the family. Even though he tries to please his father by becoming successful, the arguments he has with his father only lead to family disagreements.

3. After searching for his identity and what means most to him, Biff realizes that his definition of being successful is being fulfilled. All of Biff's life, Biff wanted to prove to his dad that he would become a success and make a lot of money. But as time went on and Biff faced new challenges, Biff realized that in order for him to be successful, he had to first be fulfilled. Biff's realization is shown during an argument with Willy where Biff states, "I'm one dollar an hour, Illy! I tied seven states and couldn't raise it. A buck an hour! Do you