Biff as hero of Death of a Salesman

In Death of a Salesman, Miller presents the Lomans, a family hindered by a dysfunctional nature. Although Miller presents Willy as the main character of the story, he lacks the praiseworthy traits that would make him the protagonist. Instead, his son Biff is heroic in that as an adolescent, his father impresses faulty ideals upon him, which he later discards in his search for his own identity. Ultimately, Biff does not succeed in his father’…

…not the leader of men…I am just what I am, that’s all.”(132-133). The search for one’s self-identity is one of the most classic struggles throughout history. This difficult boundary must be overcome in every man’s life, and it takes intense self-insight to accomplish this. Because of such development, Biff, having overcome the barriers set by his father’s negative influence, emerges as the true protagonist of the play. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**