Biff Loman Betrayal

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Pages: 3

In each of the sources, through the act(s) of abandonment, betrayal and/or disappointment cause emotional pain and suffering within a family. In Biff’s case in Death of a Salesman, he finds his father in an act of betrayal—cheating on Biff’s mother while he is away on a business trip. But it is the fact that Biff is coming to visit his father for help in becoming a better man, that makes it worse. He thinks his father is a good man, but he stumbles into an unfaithful one: “Biff: You—you gave her Mama’s stockings! His tears break through as he rises to go. Willy, grabbing for Biff: I gave you an order! Biff: Don’t touch me, you—liar! Willy: Apologies for that! Biff: You are fake! You phony little fake! You are a fake! Overcome, he turns quickly and weeping fully, goes out with his suitcase,” (Miller 121). …show more content…
Not only does he catch his father cheating, he also catches Willy in the act of giving the brand-new stockings he promised his own wife over to his mistress, actively betraying his family more, right in front of his own son. Willy is not the man Biff envisioned him to be, which breaks and replaces the feeling of love for his father with hatred and pain. It also places Biff under the pressure to keep his parents together, as his mother would never stand the thought and confession of Willy cheating. The feeling of pain and pressure follows him into his future, much like Cory in Fences. Troy controlled all aspects of Cory’s life, but never in a positive way. He “.was like a shadow that followed you