Willy Loman's Poor Parenting

Willy Loman’s Poor Parenting Parents are the most influential and significant adult figure in a young child’s life. Much of a child’s personality is derived from their parents. In “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman’s idea of parenting is dysfunctional and corruptive, resulting in failure and a tragic downfall for his sons, Biff and Happy. Willy’s most prominent parenting flaw is his nonsensical ways of forcing his beliefs of a corrupt American Dream onto his two sons. Willy strongly believes that in order to be successful, you must be well liked. It quickly becomes clear that becoming successful overrides establishing moral standards for his sons, which is apparent when he excuses much of Biff’s inappropriate behavior solely because he believes his son is well liked. This is elucidated when Willy allows Biff to ostracize Bernard, “Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, a man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be likes and you will never want” (Miller 33). Ironically, it is Biff’s dishonorable behavior that leads to his failure in the business world. The tremendous amount of pressure Willy puts on his son makes Biff feel deeply inadequate. This is so because his father coerces him to pursue a career that conflicts with his natural inclinations and instincts. This is what ultimately leads to Biff’s extreme discontent with his life, and his inability to discover his true identity. Though still toxic, the relationship between Happy and Willy differs from that of Willy and Biff. Happy is constantly fighting for love and attention from his father, though in the eyes of Willy, he will never be as significant or worthwhile as his brother. Happy’s constant need to try to impress his father