Guideposts Death of a Salesman: Biff's monologue

I've got to make Pop see me. I've got to make Willy see me for who I really am, not the dream son he wanted me to be so many years ago, the smiling, smart-mouthed kid with the football.

They say you can't go home again. I say it's too easy to go home. Coming back home, and having to listen to all of Pop's fancy dreaming is really getting to me. My dad has never been able to see things as they really are -- all he has are his dreams of making it big some day. Well, it's pretty obvious that he's all washed up. Then again, so am I. I remember when I was in high school and I felt so carefree when I was the big shot, talking back to my teachers, and thinking I had it all figured out. Like the world was my oyster in a pigskin. Well, that's all over. That ended when I failed math and ended up seeing dad with that strange lady.

Sometimes I wonder why I didn't go back and try to graduate and get that athletic...

Maybe because I knew it was all a lie. I faked myself through high school, and the only person who convinced me that I was good as everyone said I was, was Pop. Well, maybe Happy a little bit. But there was always something eating inside of me, feeling hollow. Then when I realized that you couldn't count on anyone, you could only count on yourself, I decided to turn and run.
It eats me alive to see Pop so broken. But it also kind of eats me up to see that he still has all of these plans. Pop isn't happy unless he's scheming something. He can't accept the fact that I'm just not the kind of guy who is going to make a million bucks. I'm not going to sit in the office all day, trying to make nice with my superiors. Pop worked for a boss in an office his whole life, and look where it got him.

I need to get back out West where I feel free. I know it's childish -- no wife, no kids, no real ambition, no stability -- but at least it's honest work…