Hey guys,
I was going to bring this up in class today but we ran out of time. Allison was commenting on how Willie thought that because he was a good friend of his bosses' father that the son would respect him and lend him a helping hand. Willie's world crashes in on him as he realizes that business runs solely on the material objects, which he is lacking. This was a really important part in the story, that a lot of connections (willie's and biffs) all fell through. I thought this problem was developed not only by the son firing willie but also by Bernard's success in comparison to Biff (the bum) lol. Bernard is treated like a dog during the first part of the book. He is entirely taken for granted, put down, and ignored. Then he becomes a really successful lawyer (go bernard!) but what's more he is very modest, and doesn't brag to Willie about it all when you might think he should hold some kind of resentment towards a man who told him to his face, when he was young that he was nothing to Biff. I think this is just again to show that Will's pride is a fault. Bernard was the little guy tagging behind Biff in high school. But he might have symbolized the voice or reason, like when he tried to help Biff with math..etc.
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5 comments:
Hey, it's Erin.
I agree. At first Bernard is portrayed as a whining tag-a-long who always seems eager to bring bad news. But when we come back to him later, not only is he successful but he has a lot of character that not many others in the story seem to have. I think the reason that Bernard was successful is that he was willing to put in the work, whereas Biff followed his father's advice (popularity was key) and lost motivation when he learned of his father's affair.
I think it was interesting how Willy's "key" to success was popularity, about knowing the right people and getting them to like you. But at the end of the book we find that he is no longer successful at that, when he complains that people laugh at him. If I felt like bringing Euro up again, I think that Miller looks at popularity as fickle and unreliable (like Machiavelli in "The Prince"). I think that although Willy is an example of hard work failing, his brother Ben is an example of its success. He "walked into the jungle and came out rich." He basically seized the opportunities afforded to him, while characters like Biff and Willy refused.
Yes, I definitely agree, and think that Bernard represents hard work and modesty. Bernard is just a side character but I think it's there for contrast against Biff's failures. Depending on your point of view, it can make Biff look more tragic or more pathetic(bum). Do you think that the whole popularity vs. qualifications is the same today as in the Death of a Salesman? I personally think that its a combination of both. You definitely need social skills to know how to work with people more in some careers than others. Its funny that you mention Ben as an example of hard work cause I thought the exact opposite. maybe i missed something but I thought it was more like luck. yes it was an opportunity but i dont think taking an opportunity is the same as hard work.
ahh why do i keep forgetting, that was Cristy.
Hey it's Amy.
First of all, Bernard reminds me of Peter PEtigrew, who was always tagging after Sirius and Harry's dad.
Anyway, I don't hink that Bernard's success in school was any indication of more success in real life over Biff. There are three main ways that I am aware of that can help lead to success and influence:
1. Doing well in school and applying yourself
2. Getting lucky
3. Being popular and liked by influential people
Biff could have been just as successful as Bernard because he wasn't as pesty as Bernard and was extremely popular and admired by many people. Especially since the occupation was looking for younger people (as Willie lost his job there since all of his friends had retired), Biff could have used his amiable and charming characteristics to win him a position.
The main difference between Biff and Bernard was that Biff lacked the motivation and relied on others while Bernard made his own way and did not have to be well-liked to succeed. Especially after the affair, Biff lost motivation to follow the same career path as his father.
I think whats interesting here is that although Miller basically has Willie completely fail, and in fact have failure be a central theme of the book is that Miller felt in necessary to include a succesful character such as Bernard. Both Willie and Bernard work hard, but it seems that Bernard succeeds in the end. Even Biff relatively fails, though he fares better than his father.
I think what Miller is trying to say here is that success is possible - in short, he is not ruling out the american dream of success. What he is saying on the other hand is that studying will get you there. Its interesting that Miller discounts popularity and connections, showing that these fail in Biff's case. Perhaps this indicates Miller's view of the well connected in the gilded and progressive eras. Finally, its clear that Miller is stating that Biff's failure lies with Willie alone due to his failed parenting. Bernard then serves as a counterpoint to Biff showing that success is possible but the right parenting and work are necessary.
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