Offred and Biff- Hegerfeld

People differ in millions of ways from the way they look to the way someone thinks. Although there are very many areas where people differ, there are also many opportunities to look at people and find similarities. For example, in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, both have characters who may seem to be very different, but also have common characteristics. As well as being comparable to each other, they are also able to compare and contrastable to myself.

    Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale and Biff from Death of a Salesman do not seem to have any correlation at all until one dives into their internal struggles. To start, throughout A Handmaid’s Tale, Offred struggles with being looked down on and being controlled by higher powers. She and almost all of the women in the book are oppressed and constantly told what to do as well as disrespected. Then, when reading the play Death of a Salesman, The character Biff Loman is also not highly respected, but instead of by higher powers, it is mostly by his father. As both characters go through their struggles, people try to help them succeed. Both Biff and Offred cherish the ones that will stay by their side to help. Biff has his brother with him at his side for some of the play, as well as his mother who at the beginning of the play tries to defend him by saying things like “You shouldn't have criticized him Willy, especially since he just got off the train” and “He was crestfallen, Willy, you know he admires you” (Miller, 7). While Offred’s situation is not parallel to Biff’s, she finds and befriends people who try to help her such as Nick and Ofglen, who in the end are the ones the help her to her new life (mostly Nick).

    On the contrary, these characters also have their share of differences. To begin, the two are different genders which means they think differently. When contrasted, Biff wants to do his own things. Through the play he dreams about “the territory” which means the west, and longs to free roam and do what he loves out there, as well as find himself. Now, Offred in the end does the right thing and escapes the brutal reality of Gilead, but through many chapters of the book she just follows commands and almost gave up, giving in to the ways of the sexist city. She began to accept her defeat while Biff at least pursued and tried to do what he wanted to.

    The character that compares more with me is definitely Biff. Although his situation is different than mine and probably most peoples, at times, just like him, my dad thinks I am an under achiever and begins to get disappointed in me too. Also, unlike his family, Biff knows when he fails and acknowledges it, therefore learning from it and somewhat turning it into a positive event (in the end). This trait is similar to me as well, as much as I hate failing and losing, usually I am able to learn from my mistakes, and avoiding making similar ones in the future. When I put myself next to Offred on the other hand it is more of a contrasting view. Even though my dad may look down on me in certain situations I am by no means oppressed. Offred Went through most of her life following orders and not standing up for her rights, even when she had the opportunity to by joining the rebels with Ofglen and fight against the higher power, instead deciding to remain how she was. This is not similar to me, which is the biggest contrasting view. Throughout my life I have stood up for what I think is right and not giving in to people who do wrong things.

    In conclusion, people can be very similar to others, very different, or anywhere in between. Offred and Biff Loman both have similar problems and situations, but when it comes down to handling these situations the two characters have different mindsets. Also both characters may have some common characteristics when compared to me, Biff definitely compares better while Offred contrasts better.