Identity, self worth

Paragraph 1: Identity Built on External Validation
"I still feel kind of temporary about myself." (Willy, Act 1)
"What's the secret?" (Willy to Bernard, Act 2)

Willy has never had a stable sense of who he is
"Temporary" reveals identity was always contingent, never settled
Asking Bernard for a "secret" shows he has no internal foundation
He looks outward for an answer that can only come from within
Self-worth entirely dependent on external markers: success, being liked, being known

Paragraph 2: Biff as Destroyer of the False Identity
"He's a fake and he doesn't like anybody around who knows it." (Biff, Act 1)
"The man don't know who we are! The man is gonna know!" (Biff, Act 2)

Biff identifies the constructed identity as false from the start
Quote 1 is private recognition, Quote 2 is active confrontation
Biff refuses to let the false identity stand
Willy has imposed identities on his sons without knowing who they actually are
Biff's confrontation is an act of self-reclamation as much as an attack on Willy

Paragraph 3: Suicide as the Final Assertion of Worth
"He'll see what I am, Ben!" (Willy, Act 2)
"Ben, that funeral will be massive!" (Willy, Act 2)

Willy believes death will finally reveal and prove his true worth
The funeral is imagined as public validation he never received in life
Death becomes a performance, the final sale
Both quotes are directed at Ben, a hallucination
Willy is seeking approval from someone who does not exist
His self-worth has been reduced to a monetary and symbolic transaction
Symbol: the jungle