Biff Loman's Death Of A Salesman

For generations, parents and grandparents have told of and celebrated on a Fourth of July evening of fireworks, at a Memorial Day parade, or even on Labor Day Weekend, the essence of the American Dream. This may include firing off explosives in an artful manner, proudly flying the American flag, or even partaking in a family cookout with the traditional hamburgers, hot dogs, and corn on the grill. Such images tend to come to mind when asked to describe America and our allegiance of patriotism to it. Although it was expected that as a child one understood the fundamentals of the so called American Dream, an exact definition is never truly presented. However, historic events, in addition to the role one plays in the daily lives of others,

A community can be defined as a large or even a smaller group of people who are involved in each other’s daily lives. Without the support of others, a family could potentially be destroyed, as Death of a Salesman demonstrates with the following text, “It sounds so old-fashioned and silly, but I tell you he’s put his whole life into you and you’ve turned your backs on him. [She is bent over the chair, weeping, her head in her hands]. Biff, I swear to God! Biff, his life is in your hands!” It is evident in this production that Willy Loman, the main character, is dependant on others in his life to find the will to live. Although situations may not always be to such extremes, the American Dream works in a similar fashion. Each citizen must execute and fulfill their own aspect of the American Dream for an entire nation to achieve the ultimate dream. The American Dream itself is not about individual effort, rather the combined responsibility of one to another. One’s success only adds to a nation’s success, and correspondingly for one’s failure. In the same token, one cannot only think of their own success but those of each other as well. It is brilliantly explained by Deepak Bhargava how “We are our brother’s keeper –we are our sister's’ keeper. Individual success and our collective success are inextricably linked, as Martin Luther King put it, in a garment of destiny.” In neglecting others, one is depriving their nation of true and total