Every man dreams great things for themselves and their family. In Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman is no exception. He was a salesman with two boys and a loving wife. He was a man with pride and had a dream of success. Many people would consider Willy Loman a successful man. He had a job, house, and could provide for his family. It seemed that wasn't enough for Willy. His idea of success only had to do with material things: having more money, a better job or the nicest wire recorder. The only thing he wanted more than success for him- self was success for his son, Biff, and he pushed that thought upon Biff. Biff was the oldest son and admired his father and shared his dreams, until one day he discovered his father's infidelity. Biff's dreams were shattered and he lost all pride in his father. Biff was never the same man again. He left home in hope of finding himself and creating his own dreams. Biff Loman found what kind of man he was, he too was a man with dreams, unfortunately, they were different from his father's. Biff measured success not by material things but by the feeling of being happy. Biff just couldn't get it through Willy's head that his son wasn't meant to be a materialistic man. Biff wanted to convince his father that he would live his dream without his father's version of success.
You have to have "success" before you are able to live your dream, according to Willy. "You wait, kid, before it's all over we"re gonna get a little place out in the country, and I"ll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens-(p. 72) states Willy. He wanted to be more in life than just a salesman. He paid his dues and wanted to go out into the world with his dreams. An obstacle that seems to be in the way for Willy is how much success he needs before he can stop. It was always a contest for Willy and he was a competitive player. Take for example, when Willy went to his boss, Howard, to discuss his current job; not knowing that he was about to get a sales pitch.
