Biff Loman

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Biff Loman

Biff, Willy and Linda’s oldest son, is now 34 years-old but he is still “lost”.

Biff's character

Biff is a troubled young man, unable to live up to the hopes and dreams of the past and is, instead, drifting through life.
Biff is a brooding presence in the play, described as having a “worn air”.
He knows he must make a decision about his future soon but his complex relationship with his father makes this decision all the harder.

Biff's early life

We can piece together Biff’s ‘career’ from what we learn at different stages of the play.
A star quarterback as a schoolboy, Biff look set to take up a scholarship at the University of Virginia.

Biff's career

However, Biff fails academically and instead works as a shipping clerk for Bill Oliver before leaving and taking up ranch-work out West.
We know Biff’s last employment was on a ranch in Texas and later learn that he has spent three months in prison after stealing a suit in Kansas City.

Biff's Theft

Biff's meeting with Bill Oliver in Act Two illuminates the full extent of Biff's fraudulent behaviour and delusions but is also what triggers his self-awareness.

Meeting Bill Oliver

In Act 2, the final day of Willy’s life, Biff is to meet with Bill Oliver, his old employer, and ask for a ten-thousand dollar loan to start up the Loman Brothers business venture.
However, the meeting is a disaster.

Biff's theft

Biff is uncomfortable about an incident during his previous employment with Oliver in which a carton of basketballs has been stolen (it is strongly suggested Biff stole them).

Biff's delusions

Biff is also ‘thrown’ by his realisation that he was never a salesman for Bill Oliver as he and his father had convinced themselves, but was merely a clerk.
Flummoxed, Biff leaves Oliver’s office with his gold fountain pen and cannot bring himself to return there.

Willy's parenting

Through Biff’s petty thefts we see the influence of Willy’s parenting.
Although Willy tells the younger Biff not to steal, he undermines this message by applauding his daring: “Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative”.
Biff’s propensity for stealing, overlooked by Willy, will eventually lead to the two mishaps with Bill Oliver and his three months in a Kansas prison.

1Introduction

1.1Introductions

1.1.1Author

1.1.2Historical Context

1.1.3Setting

1.1.4Social Issues

2Act One

2.1Key Events

2.1.1Staging

2.1.2Key Events 1&2

2.1.3Key Events 3&4

2.1.4Key Events 5&6

2.1.5Key Events 7&8

2.1.6Key Events 9&10

2.1.7Key Events 11&12

2.2Key Themes & Links

2.2.1Foreshadowing & Inevitability

2.2.2Time

2.2.3Settings

2.2.4Family

2.2.5Reality v Fantasy

3Act Two

3.1Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&2

3.1.2Key Events 3&4

3.1.3Key Events 5&6

3.1.4Key Events 7&8

3.1.5Key Events 9&10

3.2Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride

3.2.2Metaphor

3.2.3Self-Realisation

4Extended Passage Analysis

4.1Act One

4.1.1Staging

4.1.2The Woman

4.2Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office

4.2.2The Final Confrontation

4.2.3The Requiem

5Character Profiles

5.1Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman

5.1.2Linda Loman

5.2Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman

5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy

5.2.3Happy Loman

5.3Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben

5.3.2Charley

5.3.3Bernard

6Key Themes

6.1Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream

6.1.2Fathers & Sons

6.1.3Nature & the City

6.1.4Success

6.1.5Men & Women

7Writing Techniques

7.1Structure

7.1.1Act One

7.1.2Act Two

7.2Realism

7.2.1Introduction

7.2.2Staging

7.2.3Language

7.3Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction

7.3.2Staging

7.3.3Music

7.4Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds

7.4.2Diamonds

7.4.3Alaska & Africa

7.5Motifs

7.5.1Introduction

7.5.2Cars

7.5.3Silk Stockings

7.5.4Money

7.5.5Mythological Figures

8Historical Context

8.1Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression

8.1.2America’s Recovery

9Literary Context

9.1Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction

9.2Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero

9.2.2The Tragic Flaw

9.2.3Recognition

9.2.4Emotional Release

9.2.5Chaos & Disorder

9.2.6Revenge

9.2.7Inevitability

10Critical Debates

10.1Introduction

10.1.1Introduction

10.2The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis

10.2.2The Marxist Reading

10.3The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis

10.3.2The Feminist Reading

10.4The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis

10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.3Post-pastoral

10.5Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy

10.5.2The Critics

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