Comparison Of Fatherhood In Fences And Death Of A Salesman

Troys father did not like kids and thought they were only useful for work; since being a kid Troy has almost never stopped working. “ sometimes I wish I hadn’t known my daddy. He ain’t cared nothing about no kids. A kid to him wasn’t nothing all he wanted was for you to learn how

At one point in the play, Willy says, “Biff is a lazy bum”(16). Moments later in the same conversation with Linda, Willy adds, “There’s one thing about Biff, he’s not lazy”(16). Even when confronted by his boys, Willy is unable to deal with the truth, that his sons won’t amount to very much at all. He ignores reality very well, and instead of pointing out that Biff hasn’t established himself yet, Willy tells Biff, “You’re well liked, Biff….And I’m telling you, Biff, and babe you want…”(26). The boys are clearly aware of their status and the status of their father, and Happy is found putting Willy’s personality in a nutshell, “Well, let’s face it: he’s [Willy] no hot-shot selling man. Except that sometimes, you have to admit he’s a sweet personality”(66). Obviously, Willie’s failure to bring up his children effectively, and his delusional thinking including denial of reality helps fortify his depleting condition and confusion.

While Biff is in some ways desperate to impress his father, he is also conscious about the fact that Willy has failed his attempt to be successful in his career. He considers his dad’s dreams materialistic and unreachable. As a matter of fact, in the Requiem, even after his father’s death, Biff says: “He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.” Unlike Happy and Willy, Biff is self-aware and values facts; Willy never was a successful salesman and he never wanted to face the truth. On the other hand, Biff is conscious about his failures and the weaknesses of his personality. During an argument with his father, Biff admits that his dad made him “so arrogant as a boy” that now he just can’t handle taking

Using the law to aid Troy’s argument strips his claim of anything personal or emotional. Laws are rules that have nothing to do with love or family and they are made by complete strangers. Troy is saying that there is nothing personal about him liking or disliking his own son because there is not a law that forces him to “like” his son. This part of the speech is an important piece of support for Troy’s claim because it begins to challenge the largest, yet simplest and least questionable piece of evidence that Cory may have to counter argue his father’s objective. This also gives the reader insight into Troy’s views because he values the law over the fundamental caring that is expected of a father. Toward the end of this section of the speech, Troy mentions that he puts in hard work for his family that is in no way a token of how much he likes them and it would be foolish to think otherwise.

Although there were a couple of mistakes he made, he made sure he did not make the same mistake his dad made which was not providing for the family. Rose was Troy’s wife who respected him as a husband and made him and her children dinner every night. According to what he says, he truly loves his wife; "I love this woman. I love this woman so much it hurts. I love her so much...I done run out of ways of loving her" (1.1.173). This quote allows the reader to realize that the Maxson family does have a foundation of love. Cory and Lyons also admired their father because in their eyes he was an excellent father figure. Bono was Troy’s best friend whom he met at a correction center and has known him for 30 years. Troy was a role model to Bono and he admired Troy's leadership and responsibility at work.

Although single parenthood is on the rise in homes today, children still often have a father role in their life. It does not matter who the part is filled by: a father, uncle, older brother, grandfather, etc...; in almost all cases, those relationships between the father (figure) and child have lasting impacts on the youth the rest of their lives. In “I Wanted to Share My Father’s World,” Jimmy Carter tells the audience no matter the situation with a father, hold onto every moment.

In Troy’s relationship with his children, Lyon and Cory, he is physical present but emotionally checked out. Lyons is his older son from a previous marriage. Lyon’s is 34 yr old with a child of his own but continues to chase after a dream of becoming a musician without any source of income. Troy supplies him with money although apprehensive. He wants Lyon to get a job, take care of his duties, and stop living the “fast life”. “Yeah, I got it. You know why I got it? Cause I don’t throw my money away out in the streets. You living the fast life…wanna be a musician…running around in the clubs and things…then, you learn to take care of yourself. You aint gonna find me asking nobody for anything. I done spent too many years without” (Wilson, 2013, p.1064). Cory is Troy and Rose’s younger son who is being recruited by colleges for football. Troy sees his son’s dreams as parallel to his own dream and steers him away from following his dream. He fears that his son be an unsuccessful athlete. Troy makes it his duty not to sign the permission slip for the recruiters. “Ain’t no need for nobody come around here to talk to me about signing nothing” (Wilson, 2013, p. 1974). Cory questions his father “How come you ain’t never like me” (Wilson, 2013, p.1075)? We see that Troy thinks of his duties and responsibilities of caring for his children as obligations. “Like you? I go out of here

Troy’s relationship with his youngest son, Cory, was a prime example or his controlling nature. One major conflict between them was Troy Forbidding Cory from playing football. As said in the quote, “ If you go on down there to that A&P and see if you can get your job back. if you can’t do both...then you quit the football team you’ve got to take the crookeds with the straights ”(Act 1, Scene 3, Line 192) Troy is not happy with the fact that Croy quit his quit because of football practice. Troy is so against it because he was denied acceptance into a baseball team because of his race in his past. In a way troy thinks he his looking out for cory but deep down, as rose brings out in the next scene, he is haunted by his own

Troy took care of his family as a man should. He took care of his sons with all that he had, but the love for his family was not evident in his character, especially with what he did to Rose. Cheating on Rose was a very selfish, and disrespectful act that showed no love towards his family. Troy’s behavior does not derive from racism, but stems from the relationship he had with his father when he was a teenager. Without him knowing, Troy was very similar to his father. His father “stayed right here with his family. But he was just as evil as he could be” (Wilson 905). Troy’s description of his father was the same person he was. In his conversation with Cory he says to him: “like you? I go out of here every morning…bust my butt…putting gup with them crackers

Rose not only cares for Troy, but she also cares for Troy’s sons, Lyons and Cory. Rose play the roles of a wife and a mother excellently because she takes good care of Troy, Lyons, and Cory by asking them many times if they were hungry or wanted food throughout the play. Rose also cared for Gabe also known as Gabriel, Troy’s brother, when Troy did not. Troy only kept in touch with Gabe because Gabe was the reason why Troy had a roof over his head. Rose had said, “I done tried to be everything a wife should be. Everything a wife could be” (Wilson 67). This shows that Rose had tried and had fulfilled her role as a wife and a mother in the family, however Rose did not receive the love and respect from the family. Troy failed to treat Rose the way Rose wanted to be treated. Because Rose fulfilled her role as a wife and mother in the family, she believes that the other members in the family should also play their roles in the family, to keep the family together. For example, Troy should not have had an affair with another woman, but he should have been faithful to Rose. Rose wanted to be a perfect wife to Troy, so she cooks for him and takes good care of his

The members of the family that makes the most effort to keep the family level is Troy?s wife, Rose. The narrator tells us that Rose is a gentle woman. She cares a great deal for her family and her husband, despite the challenge of making her home a positive environment under the strains of a man with such impossible qualities. The author explains her reasons for enduring Troy by saying that ? her devotion to him stems from her recognition of the possibilities of her life without him: a succession of abusive men and their babies, a life of partying and running the streets, the Church, or aloneness with its attendant pain and frustration? (526; I, 1). In light of the fact that Troy is a good man and provides for their family in a way of his duty, Rose loves and supports him and ?either ignores or forgives his faults, only some of which she recognizes? (526; I, 1). Despite his love and respect for his wife, Troy acts extremely disrespectfully towards Rose. Due to the lack of love and respect that Troy was shown as a boy, he does not know feelings to his family. He talks down to his wife as if she were a child, while at the same time he declares his love for her to his friend, Bono. Troy?s fault, however, in declaring his love for his wife and family. He says, ?I love Rose? (555; II, 1), but when the time comes for him to show his love, he only disrespects her. When Rose asks Troy what he and Bono are talking about one

        Willy is also a very stubborn man.  He is like a little child who wants to do something his way even though he knows that another option would be the wiser choice.  Charley practically sets a potential job into Willy’s lap and Willy refuses it.  Willy was just fired and needs a job.  He then refuses one.  Willy is too stubborn to let go of his old job (which he no longer has) and take a new one.  He still believes that he is at the top of his profession.  When Willy does not get his way he acts just as a child would.  He has tantrums such as when he basically challenged Charley to a fight after Charley told him to grow up, “if you say that to me again I’ll rap you one” (Miller 97)!    Biff is also stubborn like his father.  He never gives up being a child.  He steals and lies. Biff cannot handle being ignored, so he steals a pen. “I don’t know what came over me, Hap...I took his fountain pen” (Miller 104).  Willy’s childlike stubbornness hampers him throughout his life.

One of Troy’s major flaws is his obsession with having a practical career and a steady income. He claims that, although he does not “like” his son, he will always work hard to provide for him because “It’s my job. It’s my responsibility… A man got to take care of his family.” (Wilson 38). He cares very deeply that his sons are also able to guarantee income, even if it costs them their passion. Troy disapproves of his son Lyons decision to pursue

The role of a father could be a difficult task when raising a son. The ideal relationship between father and son perhaps may be; the father sets the rules and the son obeys them respectfully. However it is quite difficult to balance a healthy relationship between father and son, because of what a father expects from his son. For instance in the narratives, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences” both Willy and Troy are fathers who have a difficult time in earning respect from their sons, and being a role model for them. Between, “Death of a Salesman,” and “Fences,” both protagonists, Willy and Troy both depict the role of a father in distinctive ways; however, in their struggle, Willy is the more sympathetic of the two.

Willy’s unreasonable expectations of Biff creates a hostile relationship between Biff and Willy. Ever since Biff was in highschool, Willy always expected Biff to be very successful without instilling the tools