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How would you describe Biff and Happy from Death of a Salesman? Who is more sympathetic?

In Death of a Salesman, Willy's elder son Biff is uncertain, insecure, and haunted by struggles with his father's expectations. As a child, Biff's parents believed he had more potential than his brother, but once he reached adulthood Biff struggled to hold down a stable job. He dreams of working as a farmer and feels his father and the expectations of his family only serve as obstacles to his desires. Once he discovers his father's affair, Biff loses faith and respect for him and begins to question his values and dreams.


Happy is Willy's younger son who has managed to hold down a modest job as an assistant after a lifetime of living in his brother's shadow. He is interested in career advancement and gaining his parents' approval. He always defends his family members, but his womanizing lifestyle disappoints his mother.


In the play, Biff is written more sympathetically than Happy. Happy shares his father's habit of deluding himself into ignoring how miserable he feels; he lacks insight into his feelings. Biff, on the other hand, is a character with complex feelings who develops throughout the story. Happy is more of a static character, but Biff has complicated feelings about his life, career, and father that develop throughout the course of the play.

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