Death of a Salesman 2/5

     Ambiguity is a true marvel. When I read over the assignment for Death of a Salesman, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the only limitations were that my posts come from my thoughts of the plot and characters. No length requirements, no other stipulations other than that it come from me. So, I think thanks are in order.
   
     In any case, what I've decided to post on this time is how I connect with Biff. Bearing in mind, I don't see myself as Happy. Biff and I have a few things in common. The first being that he felt like a favorite. He felt like he was looked to, almost like a last hope for his father. Why is it that fathers of all people seem to want their children to be the All Star they couldn't be? Biff and I have this weight to carry, this expectation from their fathers. It's no wonder he skipped town as soon as it became a viable option.
     See, Biff doesn't just feel like the world is on his shoulders. He's got this guilt, too. He knows the tons of expectations that ride on him, but he also knows he can't hold it all. If he leaves town, gives his parents some sort of way to make up their own solutions to the problem, he doesn't have to try to hold it up. He needs to get distance from them, stop trying to fulfill their expectations, so that he can begin to understand what he expects of himself.
     It would have been a great solution, if not for the need to be with people who love you. Which is another thing I don't like about Death of a Salesman. It's another thing Arthur Miller got right, no matter how screwed up they are, they're still your family. 
     The weirdest thing, I think, is that Arthur Miller nailed it from every perspective. He got the struggle of fatherhood and supporting a family that Willy deals (or fails to deal) with. He got Biff's guilt for not being the perfect son. He got their mother's love and worry. He got Hap's need to please their parents, whatever the cost.

     And so, since there are no stipulations as to how I write these posts or what's in them, as long as it pertains to Death of a Salesman in some way, I'm giving a list of songs I relate to the story.

Giving Up the Gun - Vampire Weekend (Willy)
Walking on the Sun - Smash Mouth (Willy's salesmanship, his selling out)
Shadow of the Day - Linkin Park (Biff's leave at the end)
Walking Disaster - Sum 41 (Biff's leave and return at the beginning)
Pieces - Sum 41 (Happy and Biff... mostly Happy though)
Where'd You Go - Fort Minor (Their mom.... Linda? I have no idea...)