I got an awful scare. Nearly hit a kid in Yonkers. God! Why didn’t I go to Alaska with my brother Ben that time! Ben! That man was a genius, that man was success incarnate! What a mistake! He begged me to go!
– Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman, Act 1. After being caught up in an unpleasant memory about Biff, Willy suddenly snaps back to the present when Happy asks him what brought him back home. Willy explains that he had difficulties driving, then laments that he didn’t go with his brother Ben to Alaska. Willy idealizes his older brother, who achieved prosperity and was the epitome of success, things which eluded Willy throughout his life.