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How Does Arthur Miller Show Happy

1004 Words5 Pages

Julia Partsch

Eng 102-05

Dr. Hope L. Russell

30 October 2015

Essay #2

Lost In a Dream

In the play “The Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Happy who is the youngest of two siblings, lives his whole life in his brother's shadow. Happy is told nothing but lies his entire life by his father Willy. Happy is so like his father that he has derived all of his worst traits. Happy is continually contradicting his brother Biff as he does not seem to be good with change. In the play from beginning to end Happy does not change at all. As you continue reading you will learn that Happy is an unlikeable character. Through the use of characterization, Miller reveals Happy is not only unhappy, but he shows an obstinate refusal to admit that things …show more content…

In his mind he lives a great life but in reality he is just a disappointment to his parents. To make up for this empty boring life he lives, he fills in the gap by hooking up with girls. Sometimes he likes a challenge. In a conversation between him and Biff, Happy mentioned, “That girl Charlotte I was with tonight is engaged to be married in five weeks” (864). He enjoys fabricating his life to others. Seems to be the only thing he is good at. Happy and Biff have a close relationship. Biff tells Happy all the time he wants to change and Happy seems to think that nothing is wrong, he is in …show more content…

He has not taken any action to better himself. Happy is still the same person he was in the start of the play. While everyone around him realized that there is a problem with themselves, Happy doesn’t seem to think he has anything wrong with him. Eventually, Willy killed himself causing Happy much grief. He told Biff, “All right, boy. 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” (925). Even after Willys death he still has zero incentive to change. Although Happy mentioned that he wants to finish what his father started, that just makes Happy look even more crazy for still believing Willy made it big. He wants to try to finish what his father started but his father was unsuccessful, Biff tried to explain this to him and make Happy realize that Willy's life has been one big lie, but he is still oblivious to anything anyone tells him. Biff even tried to explain to Happy that Willy was going to kill himself and Happy must have not wanted to believe it so he chooses to ignore it and pretend it was not even brought up. The reader can predict that Happy will most likely be like his father and be unsuccessful as well. Happy is indifferent towards life. He neither cares nor does not care. In the end Happy is lost in his father's dreams and refuses to

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