Harold Loman (Miller 79), or Happy as one may know him, never truly saw the epiphany of the ? American Dream. ' He was just 'blown full of hot air,' he never knew what was reality and what wasn't (105). From the day that Happy was born, to the day his father died, and most likely till the day he would die, he never once saw the truth behind his ? phony' of a father. Happy, not only being portrayed as a static character, but also somewhat of a stock character, would end up just like his father, dying the 'Death of a Salesman' (111)
As a young lad Happy was the younger of the sons, just like his father. His older brother Biff Loman, was prototype of today's ignorant jock; he was handsome, well built and athletic, exceptionally popular with both sexes, yet he had no intelligence, book smart or wit, what so ever, in essence he was the epitome of today's high school athletes. Their father had increasingly more affection for Biff, and Happy was always thrown into his shadow. Like Willy, Happy was the neglected by his father as well.
From Happy's beginning he tries to draw the attention from Biff towards himself. When Willy is talking to Biff, congratulating him on his asinine efforts, Happy buts in multiple times with, 'look dad I'm losing weight? ' (17). Then near his father's demise, after Willy and Biff get in a fight and then Willy condoles Biff, he tries to make his father notice him again with an ? out of the blue' comment, 'I'm getting married, Pop, don't forget it? ' (107). These points are made very clear, yet there is more information deeper in the texts, that shows Happy as who he really is.
In a whole, the entire Loman family and their surrounding community, is one huge stereotype: the rural suburbs that turn into ghetto-like apartment district; the ? grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side-of-the-fence neighbor; the loving wife and mother as well as the lowly housewife; the older, more handsome, more popular, more athletic brother; the anemic, know-it-all, that helps the ? cool' kids for popularity; and of course the ? backbone' of the family, the one who puts the ? bread' on the table, the supportive all-knowing father; in a nutshell the infamous label of the ? American Dream. Yet if one cracks open this nutshell, they will see the truth that lies beneath this facade, and realize the daunting fact that there is no dream, just an unrealistic hope of perfection. Willy has passed this ? dream' to Happy. Throughout his life, he never is able to comprehend his father's misleading notions. When he is young, he fantasizes about becoming the man his father says he is. Then when at father's burial site he lets the world know that his father did not die in vain, and that he would leave off where his father had left, and win one for him, to come up on top and to be number one as his father wanted to be.
No, this basic "playboy" male, who viewed his successes as his money earned, and girls ruined,' didn't fall too far from the family tree. He lived in as much denial as his father did and kept his same deadly faults. ' Maybe it was that Happy lived in so much denial, that he could not see his wrong and did not change, or could it be he could just not bring himself to change.
*(Gordon 325) Sites Gordon, Lois. 'Death of a Salesman': An Appreciation, in the Forties. Detroit: Gales Research, 1969
Author: Marshall Vasquez