“As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.” Friends are an important part of life. Friends are useful to help one get through the hardships of life. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, we see the small (but present) friendship of Biff and Bernard. Biff is a football superstar, with scholarships lined up and friends galore. Bernard, his neighbor and childhood friend, is very much a book worm who decides to focus his time on his academics and unfortunately, doesn’t have many friends. Bernard had always idolized Biff throughout high school for his undeniable talent and charisma.
On many occasions, Bernard would offer to help Biff through his weaknesses by holding him accountable for his academics and help him pass his math course. But because of Biff’s nature, he decided to pass the opportunities until he drove his life into the ground. After high school had passed, the lives of the two changed dramatically. Biff, once a man of confidence and charisma had become an unmotivated flop while Bernard’s hard work earned him the status of an important lawyer. Although Biff and Bernard shared similar opportunities to excel, their differences in upbringing, talent, and popularity lead to their success in later life.
Biff and Bernard both started out life with great opportunities for success. The two lived in the same neighbourhood in Brooklyn for most of their childhood. They went to the same high school and even shared the same teachers and classes. Knowledge is the key to success and both had the opportunity to participate in a great education. The pair’s character is tested when they have to make their lives through high school. Both had to decide on what to focus on, who to work with, and what resources to use.
Biff had one of the greatest resources around – Bernard, who could have helped him on many occasions “Biff, where are you? You’re supposed to study with me today.” Bernard tries to help Biff realize that his talent alone won’t get him into university, “Just because he printed the University of Virginia on his sneakers doesn’t mean they’ve got to graduate him, Uncle Willy!” With Biff ignoring Bernard’s advice, it puts an end to his dream of becoming a successful college football star. The main reason for the pair’s performance in high school is their upbringing.
Biff comes from a household that has placed popularity and social status as top priority. Biff takes his father’s insight of being well-liked to get far in life and lives his life accordingly. Willy never forces Biff to work on academics because he doesn’t want him ending up being a nerd like Bernard: There’s nothing the matter with him! You want him to be a worm-like Bernard? He’s got spirit, personality… Bernard was brought up knowing that hard work and effort will lead to success. With taking his father’s advice, Bernard makes sure that he is prepared for graduation.
All of the time invested in school pays off when Bernard gains status as an important Lawyer later in life. The different talents that Biff and Bernard have to lead them in different paths during their high school lives. With Biff’s natural talent for sports, he is more actively involved in after school activities and social outings. Biff is told that his talents are superior to Bernard’s because his intelligence is wasted by his lacking social skill: Bernard can get the best marks in school, understand, but when he gets out in the business world, understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him! Even though Bernard lacks the athleticism and charisma of Biff, he has a greater amount of self-knowledge and intelligence. Bernard is able to work hard to get the grades he needs for law school, which leads to his success later in life. The high school status of Bernard and Biff are very much different. Biff is one of the most popular guys in school, a jock, friends with many guys, and a hit with the ladies. Bernard on the other hand isn’t as well-liked because he focuses too much on work and not enough on fun, “He’s liked, but he’s not well-liked”.
With all the distractions that popularity brings, one must prioritize their efforts to balance work and fun. Because of Biff’s nature and upbringing, he decides to devote all of his time to fun which leads to his lack of preparation for graduation. After high school, the two go their separate ways and the Loman’s does not find out about Bernard’s success until later in the novel “How do you like this kid? Gonna argue a case in front of the Supreme Court! ”. Bernard had shown Biff and Willy that in this world, it takes a hard worker to become successful.
It is ironic that Willy, who forced success on Biff, ended up turning him into a failure; compared to Charley, who never took much interest in Bernard because he wanted him to find his own passion. Biff, who at times was very stuck up, ends up with nothing to show for himself later in life. Bernard, however, was very successful and also modest about his accomplishments, not even mentioning it to Willy. Death of a Salesman has a universal lesson, working hard makes a successful person. There are no cutting corners in life.
