To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two-week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off. And always to have to get ahead of the next fella. And still – that’s how you build a future.
– Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman, Act 1. After returning home from Texas, Biff rails against the endless grind of having to work his way up in business in order to achieve prosperity and success. He is no longer a believer in Willy’s American Dream but instead wants to work at something that makes him happy. Biff’s true inclination is to be close to nature and work outdoors with his hands, something contrary to what Willy expects of him.