Goal: To understand how our parents expectations influence who we become.

1. Goal: To understand how our parents expectations influence who we become.

2. The dreams parents have for their children... • Do your parents have dreams for you? • Are they consistent with the dreams you have for yourself? Why/why not?

3. The dreams parents have for their children... • How is Willy a different father to his boys than Charley is to Bernard?

4. Linda’s role An enabler of Willy’s fantasies • ‘Few men are idolized by their children the way you are’ • ‘Willy, darling, you’re the handsomest man in the world’ p.29

5. Willy’s belief in Biff • “There’ll be plenty of girls for a boy like you” p.21 • “Be liked and you’ll never want. You take me for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer” p.26 • “You know sporting goods better than Spalding for god’s sake!” p.49 • “There’s fifty men in the City of New York who’d stake him” p.49 • “thousands of people will be rooting for you and loving you” p.68 (football field)

6. The reality • “Because I know he’s a fake and he doesn’t like anyone around who knows that” p.45 • “And I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air that I could never stand taking orders from anybody!” p.104 • “I stole a suit in Kansas City- I was in jail” p.104

7. The reality • “We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house” p.104 “Why I am trying to become what I don’t want to be?” p.105 “Will you take that phony dream and burn it” p.106

8. Success in being well liked • Willy put Bernard down a lot in front of his boys when they were younger calling him ‘anaemic’ and not well liked. He believed success would come not from hard work or academic success but from personality- being well liked.

9. Unlike Willy who has always taken substantial interest in his boys’ lives, Charley takes a different parenting approach to his son and Bernard becomes much more successful.

10. Bernard • Bernard becomes a successful lawyer working at the Supreme Court. Willy: “And you never told him what to do, did you? You never took any interest in him.” p.75 Charley: “My salvation is that I never took any interest in him”.

11. Self doubt Perhaps, on some level, Willy realises now that his high hopes for his sons and overconfidence in their abilities have actually been detrimental to them. “Because sometimes I’m afraid I’m not teaching them the right kind of- Ben, how should I teach them?” p.40 “Bernard was it my fault... Maybe I did something to him.” p.73 “If a boy lays down is that my fault?” p.78

12. Writing task: Willy teaches the boys to lie to others, to exaggerate their abilities and to have a strong sense of entitlement. Does Willy’s parenting set Biff up to fail? What does the play suggest about parents’ influence on their children?

13. Willy also refuses to acknowledge the reality of his own situation • “There is no time for false pride, Willy. You go to your sons and tell them that you’re tired.” p.65 When Charley offers him a job he gets offended “Why don’t you want to work for me? When the hell are you going to grow up?” p.76

14. Willy’s solution • “Because he thinks I’m nothing and so he spites me. But the funeral- Ben, that funeral will be massive.” p.100 • “Why? Why can’t I give him something and not have him hate me?” p.101 • “Always loved me. Isn’t that a remarkable thing? Ben, he’ll worship me for it!” p107

15. Willy’s dreams for Biff are never actualised because... • Willy feels guilty because.... • He thinks that committing suicide will make Biff think.... but in reality it....