The American Dream and Death of a Salesman

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The American Dream is one of the most sought-after things in the United States, even though it is rarely, if ever, achieved. According to historian Matthew Warshauer, the vision of the American Dream has changed dramatically over time. In his 2003 essay “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream”, Warshauer claims that the American Dream had gone from becoming wealthy by working hard and earning money, to getting rich quickly and easily. He attributes this change to television game shows, state lotteries, and compensation lawsuits. He also argues that most Americans are more concerned with easy money than hard-earned money, and that Americans care mostly about material goods such as consumer products, big houses, and nice cars. Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman supports most aspects of the idea that Americans are now preoccupied with getting rich easily, except for the fact that some characters in the book actually work hard.

Matthew Warshauer claims that “the aftermath of World War II exacerbated the ethical shift as a consumer culture blossomed and Americans became preoccupied with material goods” (2). This is proven in Death of a Salesman, which takes place in the 1950s, right after World War II. The main character, Willy, and his wife buy expensive, brand-name products, despite not even being able to pay their bills. For example, Willy buys his sons a punching bag with Gene Tunney’s signature on it. Willy and his wife also bought a refrigerator with “the biggest ads of any of them” (Miller, 35), showing his obsession with shamelessly buying consumer goods. Also, Biff, who is Willy’s son, also has an obsession with consumer goods. However, his obsession is different from Willy’s obsessio...

... middle of paper ...

...ath to success by gaining hard-earned money.

In his essay “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, Matthew Warshauer supports the idea that nowadays, Americans care more about gaining easy money and buying consumer goods rather than actually working hard. Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman supports most of these ideas, but it contradicts the idea that all people are just concerned with making easy money. In Miller’s play, some characters, such as Willy (from early on in the play) and Bernard genuinely work hard to try to make an honest living.

Works Cited

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1949. Print.

Warshauer, Matthew. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream”. American Studies Resourced Center 13 February 2003: n. pag. Web. 26 May 2011. .

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