Comparison Of The American Dream In The Death Of A Salesman

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The American Dream is something we all strive for, whether it is subconscious or outright, most all of our major goals in life fall along the same path towards wealth and power. Known as a national ethos of the United States, the American Dream is said to give the people opportunities of prosperity and success no matter what economic or social background they came from. The story, “The Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller tells the story of Willy Loman and his failure to achieve the American dream ending in his ultimate downfall. He is a salesman, living in New York city in the late 1940s, with his wife and two sons, often finding himself unhappy and struggling to discover his true identity in his version of American society. A key factor …show more content…

After losing his job and ability to provide for himself, Willy saw that as the worst possible outcome for his life and decided to commit suicide. His ultimate downfall reveals many things about the nature of the quest for the American Dream such as the fact that it is not possible for everyone to reach, and even if you strive for it your entire “Charley: Nobody dast blame this man. You don’t understand: Willy was a salesman. And for a salesman, there is no rock bottom to the life. He don’t put a bolt to a nut, he dont tell you the law or give you medicine. He’s man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a Shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back — that’s an earthquake. And then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.”(Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman). Charleys interpretation of Willy being amongst the dreamers of the American people establish Willy as a true tragic hero, a victim of the American society and himself. “LINDA: Why didn’t anyone come? CHARLEY: It was a very nice funeral. LINDA: But where were all the people he knew? Maybe they blame him.”(Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman). After Willy’s death, Linda notices no one showed up to Willy’s funeral. The reason being that Willy had no friends which reveals a lot. Although he worked his whole life on being well-liked and harnessing a good reputation, in the end he is

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