Willy Loan was a man who created conflict because of his stubbornness. His mind was closed to suggestions from people, and he did not want to be the first to admit that he was wrong. His family suffered because of this characteristic, and as a result, they were unable to resolve conflicts that festered over long periods and eventually developed into deep, emotional hurts, which never healed. Miscommunication was also a reason for why these deep, emotional hurts never healed. Willy was unwilling to talk with Biff about the affair incident that Willy created his own reasons for why Biff did not get along with him. Willy insisted that Biff was spiting him, but in reality, Biff had already come to accept the fact that his father was not perfect and that spiting him had worn off as a motive for retribution.
It was not until the end of the play that Willy and Biff reconciled after they finally talked about their differences and their love for each other. It turned out that all they needed to do was just talk to each other, instead of fighting and refusing to confront one another. A family should be willing to take risks and confront problems that pose as conflicts. Confronting every single issue is not healthy, but confronting those issues that significantly bother family members should be considered. Linda was an emotionally weak character who was unable to confront Willy about his thoughts of committing suicide. She was afraid of what might happen if he found out that she knew that he was emotionally unstable.
Psychologically, she was powerless to talk him out of the state he was in, so each day she tried to sweep the problem under the rug, hoping that it would magically go away. Unfortunately, there came the day when she could no longer sweep the problem under the rug and Willy succeeded in killing himself because there was no one with whom he could openly discuss his problems. Willy buried many of his problems deep inside of him. Problems with paying insurance, selling merchandise, earning money, and talking with Biff were problems that Willy tried not to bring to the attention of his family because he did want them to think that he was a lesser man. He did not want to admit to himself that he had not achieved everything in life that he wanted. As a way of relieving his own lost potential, he constantly pushed his son Biff in hopes of making him a sports superstar.
Pushing a kid very heavily is taking a risk. The kid may become extremely competitive in nature and may not be able to handle any situation of loss. A parent should not do everything for his child just because the parent knows what he is doing. The parent should just guide and direct the child so that the child takes some initiative and learns things for himself. In Willys case, he did almost everything for Biff and never really gave Biff a chance to do something for himself.
This way, Biff never fully matured like kids such as Bernard; Biff relied on his father to rescue him when the going got tough. Another example of Willys poor fathering skills was that he never admitted the truth. He made up lies and denied that he was less than a success. Unfortunately, this disposition was replicated by his other son, Happy. Happy grew up distorting the truth and conjuring lies to make himself look better than he actually was, just like Willy. Happy was a prime example of how completely a parents demeanor can be mimicked by a child.
Reasons for Happy warped personality can also be attributed to the fact that he lived in the shadow of his brother Biff, who was the favored child. Happy always strove for attention but his efforts seemed fruitless. It is not fair for parents to favor one child over the other. All children should be shown love and affection equally from their parents in order for them to feel accepted and affirmed by the most important people in their lives. Neglected children are innocent victims of negligent parents. Feelings of rejection at a young age can seriously damage a child’s psyche and consequently, he might be an underachiever the rest of his life.
Equality amongst family members, especially children, is essential for the proper development of a healthy family relationship. During the early stages of family growth, the parents have more control and influence over their children’s lives so the parents must be sure to instill positive values in their children. These values are put to the test as the children enter the teenage years and are more exposed and susceptible to other influences. After a family goes through some tough conflicts, the goal is to overcome those conflicts and pull the family more closely together.
Conflict in families where strong morals and cooperation are lacking can produce a hostile and remote relationship between members; however, families that have these two aspects established can actually overcome conflict and by doing so, grow closer together (Vuchinich 595). The Loans were a family plagued with dysfunction because of incompetent parents who were unable to create and maintain a healthy family relationship. Disloyalty was a significant factor that challenged the unity in their family. It caused a huge conflict to incubate into family dysfunction and it signaled the break up of the foundation of what holds a family together, the parents. The parents unify the family and keep everything under control; at least, that is what they should do. Conflict should not be seen as an issue to doom the fabric of a family, but rather it should be seen as an opportunity to bring the best out in a family, no matter how challenging that may seem..