1970 prompt

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

     
      Death of a Salesman shows the suffocation of a family by a dream. That dream is what created the standards that Happy grows up surrounded by. He strives for them, determined to create his self-identity the way his father showed as the only real way. He was determined to walk out of the jungle rich.
      In the boys' highschool years, Willy clearly favored Biff. Biff embodied the kind of potential that Willy wanted to see: he was popular. Though Happy was liked, he, compared with Biff, was ordinary. Many times, he tries to get Willy's attention by exercising and mentioning that he's lost weight, but Willy doesn't take notice. He constantly pushed for his own father's attention, and had an example- Biff- to work towards. That competitive spirit is instilled in him, and later it's apparent that the principles his father held in high regard became his own.
      In trying to earn his father's praise, he lunges into business. He received a certain kind of dream from his father- one of reaching the top. Greatness, and making his father proud, have become his center.