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Death of a Salesman

by Arthur Miller

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Student Question

In Death of a Salesman, is Happy's denial of Willy justified by Willy's treatment of his sons?

Quick answer:

The main questions raised by the play are about Willy's character and his relationship with the world. The reader is led to question what drives Willy, whether he is self-centred and delusional. In particular, it may be questioned whether he really believes that his sons can achieve what he could not, or whether this is just a tactic to get them to work hard and make him proud. A large part of the book is devoted to showing that Willy was a failure in life. On the other hand, this may be interpreted as an attempt on his part to get over his failure and focus on the possibility of success for his sons. It may also be said that Willy has grown up under immense pressure from society'

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Happy's behavior is indicative that he was raised with very little discipline, and with almost no expectations from his parents. This leads him to act irresponsibly and without thinking about the consequences of his actions. It also limits his possibilities in life, because he has no high aspirations that made any sense. Just like his father, he wants a quick and easy way to make money, a quick and easy way to meet women, and as little as possible difficulty in his life.

Even more unfortunate is the fact that Happy's closest male role model is his older brother, Biff. Biff is no different than Happy in terms of living oblivious to what is real. Biff and Happy feed off each other, reaching no goals and achieving nothing. They are the products of a father who was too busy chasing a dream that was not even his own, and of...

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a mother that enabled her husband in every way possible.

Therefore, the lack of motivation, discipline, consequence, responsibility, and interest in Happy's life are not necessarily justified, but are expected of a person that belongs to a highly dysfunctional family.

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As the overlooked son, born with less talent that his older brother, loved less than his older brother, and given very little encouragement or affection, it seems that Happy's attitude is understandable.

The things he asked for were small things, yet he wasn't given them. Mainly he seems to simply want to be acknowledged, and he makes a fool of himself attracting attention, telling obvious lies... The famous line, "attention must be paid!" becomes ironic in relation to Happy, as his name already suggests.

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This is an interesting question, and the answer depends upon the perspective.  Happy has been subjugated to the athletic Biff.  Clearly both parents have focused attention on Biff to the exclusion of Happy.  Happy's adult life reflects this need for attention in his womanizing ways and his lack of commitment to anyone or anything.  He still seeks validation as evidenced by his constant assertions of losing weight and promising to get married.  Thus, it is understandable that Happy has sought attention elsewhere and even made his presence scarce around his parents' home.

However, the word 'justified' is very strong, and the answer would have to be no.  Happy is not justified in denying his father.  First, the play gives no evidence that Willy denied Happy.  In fact, Willy includes Happy in his declaration of "my boys" as he contemplates moving to Alaska with Ben and at the prospect of the Loman Brothers Sporting Goods store.  Happy is never denied; he is just not the primary focus.

Furthermore, Willy is clearly sinking into dementia.  He is slipping away from reality and making an unfortunate situation more pathetic by his oddly timed outbursts at dinner.  Leaving him in this state to sit babbling on the bathroom floor cannot be justified, even if Happy felt slighted as a child.

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I can see some justification for the resentment that Happy may be holding towards his father. He has always been second to Biff, and seems to have been forced into a lifestyle he detests and which makes him anything but happy-

HAPPY: ...I don't know what the hell I'm workin' for. Sometimes i sit in my apartment - all alone. And I think of the rent I'm paying. And it's crazy. But then, it's what I've always wanted. My own apartment, a car, and plenty of women. And still, goddammit, I'm lonely.

He is very like his father in that he has lapses into the reality of life, as above, but then resolutely returns to the baseless optimism that he has inherited from his father. As he says at Willy's funeral -

HAPPY: ...I'm gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It's the only dream you can have - to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I'm gonna win it for him.

However, despite Happy's resolution to 'win' for his father, I still see his abandonment of him in the restaurant as reprehensible. Happy knows that his father is mentally and emotionally unstable. When he becomes anxious and deluded in the restaurant, Happy is reminded by Biff of the seriousness of their father's condition-

BIFF: I sense it, you don't give a good goddam about him.[He takes the rolled-up hose from his pocket and puts it on the table in front of HAPPY.]

Yet he chooses to leave his distressed and broken father in the washroom and deny his existence-

HAPPY: No, that's not my father. He's just a guy.

I see no excuse for Happy's behaviour. An explanation could be that he is as confused about the boundaries between reality and fantasy as his father is. However, I still see his behaviour as the definition of a 'lo[w]man'.

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