Historical
What dream was most people chasing after in post-WWII America, which also drives the father in the story?
The American Dream, focusing on wealth and success.
What role is the father trying to fulfill in his family?
The role of the successful breadwinner who provides for his family.
What causes most of the tension between the father and Biff?
Biff doesn’t believe in his father’s ideas about success and the American Dream.
What big idea drives the father’s actions and ends up causing problems?
The American Dream and its obsession with success.
What does the father’s obsession with success stand for?
It symbolizes society’s fixation on the American Dream and materialism.
How did living in suburbs change the way families worked or interacted back then?
It pushed men into the role of breadwinners and women into homemakers, while encouraging families to conform to societal norms.
How does the mother’s role in the family reflect what women were expected to do back then?
She’s expected to be a homemaker, taking care of the house and supporting her husband and kids.
Why does Biff lose faith in his father after discovering the affair?
It destroys Biff’s idealized image of his father, making him feel betrayed.
Why does Biff’s decision to live a simple life connect with the theme of identity?
He’s choosing authenticity and self-discovery over societal expectations.
How does Biff’s love for working outdoors represent who he is?
It symbolizes his desire for freedom and living an authentic life.
Why do you think the father is so obsessed with money and status? What was happening in society at the time?
The rise of consumerism made people equate owning things and having social status with being successful.
How does Biff challenge the idea of what a man “should” be during that time?
He rejects the idea that men need to chase money and status, focusing instead on personal happiness.
What inner struggle does the father deal with throughout the story?
He battles feelings of failure and inadequacy as he tries to live up to his own expectations.
What message does the story send about chasing wealth and material success?
It suggests that this pursuit is empty and can harm relationships and mental health.
What does the father’s inability to achieve his dreams represent in a larger sense?
It symbolizes how the American Dream often sets people up for failure.
How does the story show the stress families were under to live up to 1950s middle-class standards?
The father’s fixation on achieving success causes him to overlook emotional connections with his family.
How do societal pressures to succeed affect the father’s relationship with his kids?
The pressure pushes him to value success over their feelings, creating distance and tension in the family.
How does Biff realizing he’s been living a lie add to the father-son conflict?
It pushes Biff to confront his father about the unrealistic ideals he’s been forcing on him.
How does the theme of disappointment or disillusionment shape both the father and Biff?
The father’s disappointment leads to despair, while Biff’s disillusionment pushes him toward self-awareness.
How does the family home reflect the deeper struggles of the family?
It symbolizes the fragility of their relationships and the failure to build a stable, happy life.
What fears about failure and not measuring up does the father reflect from 1950s America?
His fear mirrors society’s anxiety about not achieving the American Dream and being seen as a failure.
How does the story critique the idea of following society’s rules for what makes someone “successful”?
It shows how chasing after societal definitions of success can ruin relationships and leave people unfulfilled.
How does the ongoing conflict between the father and Biff reflect struggles many families face?
It represents the generational divide and the tension between living for yourself and meeting family expectations.
How does the story explore the push and pull between family expectations and personal freedom?
It shows the pain of trying to balance family loyalty with the need to follow your own path, especially in Biff’s rebellion.
What does the father’s tragic end symbolize about the pursuit of success?
It shows the ultimate cost of society’s pressure to achieve and the emptiness of chasing the wrong goals.