Bennnnnnyyyyy

I think that Ben is a negative influence on Willy, but in a way Ben unintentionally did it. Willy is obsessed with success, and becoming successful, and when his older brother, Ben, reached success and Willy didn't, Will became sad and became infatuated with the fact that his brother had money. Willy becomes crazy and has these illusions about his brother, and these flashbacks about his brother has money, and he loves the "story" of how Ben became successful. I also think that Willy looks up to him too much, and desperately wants to become like him. This is an example of materialistic America, and how people become so obsessed with success in the business and economic world. Willy then teaches this idea of success, which in my opinion is a bad version of success, to his sons and thinks that they will only make it in the world if they are financially successful. So, when one of his sons, Biff, does not reach the level of success that he had wanted him to have, he becomes increasingly dissapointed in him. Willy thinks that since his sons are popular, handsome, and well-liked, they will become successful someday and will become financially stable. Ben is a negative influence because he instilled materialistic ideas of success into Willy, who in turn instilled these ideas into his son's. Willy and his sons are now extremely miserable and unhappy.