The American Dream; the belief that anyone regardless of where they were born or what their social rank is, can attain their own version of success in society. This dream is one that Americans strive for. They strive for that overwhelming feeling of success knowing they made an impact in society. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman searches for this dream while unconsciously destroying the relationships with his family and friends around him.
Willy Loman married Linda and had two sons together, Biff and Happy. Although they were both old in the play, they were going through problems surrounding their identities. With the pressure to satisfy their needy father, Biff and Happy turned into hopeless dreamers. Biff could
…show more content…
not hold a steady job, where as Happy had a job but was all talk. Willy was a salesman and not a very good one but if he were to define himself he would say he was a “fine salesman”. That was his problem; Willy lived in a morphed world where he saw his sons and himself as far more successful men than they really were. Biff and Willy fought almost every time they saw each other; “Not finding yourself at the age of 34 is a disgrace” Willy would yell. The truth was that Biff Loman was lost, he had no clue what he wanted to do with his life but his father did not understand his confusion which kept them estranged. Willy got his idea of the American Dream from a man named Dave Singleman.
Dave Singleman was an eighty-four-year-old salesman who was known across the town. Dave would pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room he made his living. “I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want,” said Willy as he realized Dave was a symbol for everything he wanted to be in life. Willy’s dream was to be a successful salesman who was remembered and talked about on his funeral day. The funeral would be crowded from door to door with salesmen and buyers who respected and valued him. In the order to achieve this, Willy put pressure not only on himself but on his son Biff as well. Willy told Biff that he had worked in a certain firm before only to realize that when Biff went to return to the firm his father was wrong, he had never worked there before as a salesman. Willy was so focused on this success that he believed certain things that were never true. Between the fighting, lies and constant contradicting, Willy’s dream disrupted the father-son …show more content…
relationship. Not only was Willy’s relationship with his son affected but also with his wife. Linda did nothing but love and care for him; she even put Willy before her own sons. Although, Willy did not care how much she loved him, he treated Linda with nothing but disrespect. The dream went wrong for Willy when he put the pressure on his sons to achieve that success as well. “And then he gave me one look and I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been! We’ve been talking in a dream for fifteen years,” pointed out Biff as he tried to put some sense into Willy. This warped dream of Willy’s, caused tragedy in the family because he stressed the importance of popularity over hard work and risk-taking over perseverance.
Willy grew up believing that being “well-liked” was important to becoming a success. He envisioned Biff, the once great high school athlete, becoming a success for the wrong reasons. In contrast, we see Willy’s friend Charley who lived the real American Dream as a successful man in the business world. Through Charley we see the rewards to chasing this dream, such as the access to more money, and being able to have a flexible enough job to offer Willy a spot. On the other hand, the Loman family was not lucky enough to have any type of reward from the hunt for this success. Through this play, we see how the American Dream drove Willy Lohman and the family crazy and obsessed with a false fantasy. Arthur Miller shows us that the American Dream is valid, but those who hope to substitute popularity and lucky breaks for hard work are likely to
fail.
Although the characters are not of noble birth nor possess a heroic nature nor experience a reversal of fortune, many of the elements in "Death of A Salesman" fulfill the criteria of a classic tragedy. The downfall and crisis points in the play are directly linked to the Loman family's combined harmartias, or personal flaws. The Loman's have unrealistic ideas regarding the meaning of success. To Willy, the foundation of success is not education or hard work, but rather "who you know and the smile on your face." Moreover, Willy ridicules the education Bernard has earned, declaring that his sons, Biff and Hap, will get further ahead in the business world because "the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked, and you will never want." Willy idolizes two men: his brother, Ben, who walked out of an African jungle a rich man, and an 84-year-old salesman who could "pick a phone in twenty or thirty cities and be remembered and loved, and finally honored by hundred of mourners at his funeral." To Linda, success is paying off a 25...
Willy Loman becomes incredibly involved in work-related matters, instead of the happiness surrounding his family life. He discourages Biff to take his own path, and instead, nearly forces him to become a salesman, in hopes that Biff will be more successful than he turned out to be. Willy tells Biff that his dreams will “cut down (his) life…!” Willy cannot simply hope for Biff and Happy to attain satisfaction in life, which is the element that Willy misses. He is so consumed by the idea of success that he had not once stopped to reflect on being a good father or loving his wife. Having an affair was one of his main problems-he could not put enough love into his family, so he put it anywhere else he could. He visited his mistress on business ventures, which is the only aspect of his life he truly appreciated. Therefore, his home life became full of lies, Biff saying that they “never told the truth for ten minutes.” Miller is, again, critiquing American households, since their typical values revolve more around money and presentation than a loving, kind, and caring home. Willy had a family who loved him, but he neglected to notice this, which lead to his unhappiness. Never placing any type of value of love and kindness can cause a person to become cold and bitter, which is exactly what Willy became. He may have avoided suicide if he had realized the love and care he could have been surrounded
The main character Willy Loman, is constantly fooling himself into believing that he is a huge success. He often lies to his family about how well he is doing, when truthfully his salary was taken away, and he has to borrow money from his neighbor, Charlie. When Linda asks him about his wages, he replies “I’ll knock ‘em dead next week.” (Miller 36) Willy says this, very well knowing that he will not. He fools himself, and lies to his children about his success. “The cops let me park where ever I want in Boston!” (Miller 31) This shows that he thinks he is a big deal in New England, when truthfully he is washed up. He exclaims that he is, “A vital New England man, but in reality he has not been helping the company or his family. His boss was looking to fire him for a long time. His whole life, he has had the wrong idea. “Success doesn’t come from just luck, popularity, or personality. All throughout the Death of a Salesman, Loman tells his two sons, Biff and Happy, that the key to success in life is to be “well liked” and that all you need is “a smile and a shoeshine.” (Brett) However, Willy completely ignored his true calling of working with his hands, to become a business man. He was so infatuated with the American Dream, he didn’t realize that he wasn’t a good Salesman, and would have succeeded as ...
Miller amalgamates the archetypal tragic hero with the mundane American citizen. The result is the anti-hero, Willy Loman. He is a simple salesman who constantly aspires to become 'great'. Nevertheless, Willy has a waning career as a salesman and is an aging man who considers himself to be a failure but is incapable of consciously admitting it. As a result, the drama of the play lies not so much in its events, but in Willy's deluded perception and recollection of them as the audience gradually witness the tragic demise of a helpless man.
Miller uses Willy’s beliefs of success and inability to show his love for his family, to show Willy's flawed view of the American Dream. His lack of understanding life and confusion about the real American Dream make him wrongfully teach his sons in what it means to be successful. Also, his failure is due to never really understanding what it means to succeed. Willy is a salesman, but what he sells is the wrong American Dream.
The American Dream is what all Americans strive to achieve. It is the illusion of prosperity and happiness. The American Dream consists of three different elements, money, sex, and power. The plays “Death of a Salesman” and “The Glass Menagerie” are about families who strive to achieve the American Dream. These plays are a lot alike and they have more similarities than differences.
Miller uses the misapplication and failure of the "American Dream" to captivate the audience and make them feel sorrow for both Willy and Biff Loman. It is heart breaking to see this sixty-year-old man finally come to the realization that he is really not who he thought he was. In addition to that, the fact is pointed out by his own son, who turns out to be wiser than him. Unlike Willy, Biff finds out who he is, and that the American Dream is not for everyone.
Death of a Salesman is centered around one man trying to reach the American dream and taking his family along for the ride. The Loman's lives from beginning to end is a troubling story based on trying to become successful, or at least happy. Throughout their lives they encounter many problems and the end result is a tragic death caused by stupidity and the need to succeed. During his life Willy Loman caused his wife great pain by living a life not realizing what he could and couldn't do. Linda lived sad and pathetic days supporting Willy's unreachable goals. Being brought up in this world caused his children to lose their identity and put their futures in jeopardy.
Willy Loman spends the expanse of the play trying to achieve wealth, fame, and the like of others. These ideas epitomize the American Dream, to become a successful, well-liked businessman. Willy's true dream, however, was very different from this. Throughout the play you can see evidence that Willy feels trapped by this dream that he feels obligated to fulfill. Society has dictated to Willy that the American Dream is "the" dream, and no other dream is acceptable. Because of this dictation, Willy abandons his true dream of living on his own, in the country, where he can support himself by farming, and living from the land. The proof of Willy's true dream appears in short scattered bits. "God, timberland! Me and my boys in those great outdoors! Yes, Yes! Linda, Linda!" he cries exuberantly at the idea of moving away from the city. By the idea is quickly killed by the society surrounding him. "You wait, kid, before it's all over we're gonna get a little place out in the country, and I'll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens..." once again, society surrounding Willy crushes this dream, his true dream, forcing it back into the subconscious of Willy's mind, where it remains for the duration of the play, only surfacing at a few times, when the dream that Willy is trying to fulfill becomes so horrible that he remembers that he had another dream, or when the false dream is looking as if it might be coming to a close, and he will be able to move on to take on his real dream.
The main character, Willy wanted to achieve his American dream to show people he was just as powerful as his brother. Willy’s flaw is that he thinks way too much about what others believe about himself. He has constantly stated throughout the play how he will be successful and will shock the world, “Don’t say? Tell you a secret, boys. Don’t breathe it to a soul. Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home any more.” (Miller 65). Willy’s attempt to chasing his American Dream showed how Whitman’s argument does not apply to all. Willy has opportunities to succeed in his life. He was his own enemy throughout the play and Miller makes it clear that he never has a set dream and just hopes to be what society wants him to be, “You wait, kid, before it’s all over we’re gonna get a little place out in the country, and I’ll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens” (Miller 88). Willy Loman struggled to achieve his dreams like all Americans do. Although Willy meant good, he lacked in confidence and was truly insecure. Miller would hear a different sound than Whitman for Americans, more of a tragic suffering as his characters
In the story, several examples are used that call out the American Dream being fake. Many examples are used that depict Willy as a man that has worked his whole life and has nothing to show for it. The story has Willy angry with his wife, sons, and at the world. “Willy: How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand? In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!” (Miller 7). In this quote, Willy makes fun of Biff’s (Willy’s son) way of life and compares it to his own. Since Biff is not making enough money and not doing things the way Willy would like, he considers him a failure. From Biff’s perspective, he describes his own happiness on several farms across different states. This causes Biff to be happy even though he is not making a large amount of money. The American Dream in Biff’s case, is more of a way to gauge happiness instead of income and having a good
The death of the American Dream is on the horizon, and for some the reality has set in. The pretense of the dream has become more fiction than fact. Faith in the American Dream has caused many to fall victim to the constant pursuit of happiness and success. Willy Lowman was one of many who fell into the delusion of what the American Dream offered, for it was his false hope which led him to his ultimate demise. Arthur Miller plays on these themes which look at the critiques of the American Dream, instead of the rags to riches model from writer Horatio Alger. Examining the different perspectives of the pursuit, many come to the notion that this dream is no more than subjective to the individual searching for validation in life. The reality of
The American Dream is defined as the ideal that every US citizen has an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. While many strive for this ideal, some take it to the extreme by letting it run all components of their life. In his play “Death of a Salesman”, Arthur Miller repeatedly interrupts Willy Loman’s present state of mind by infusing various interruptions and challenges his grasp on reality by feeding a false truth that constitutes man’s blindness to the American Dream.
Claim: In his novel The Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller illustrates for the reader that the American Dream defined by obtaining money, reputation, and success is a misguided use of the concept.
The rise of consumer capitalism produced an interesting cultural psychology. The promising American frontier became the world of business. Thousands of new niches opened in American culture, and the aspiring young man with talent and a dream could not help striking gold somewhere in the jungle of economic transactions. Willy, despite his inability to advance beyond his position as a common salesman, still believes he lives in "the greatest country in the world." His dream of success for himself and his sons has an aura of American Manifest Destiny. He believes that natural charisma, good looks, and confidence are the most important attributes needed for success. Biff's failure to move ahead despite his "personal attractiveness" bewilders him. Both his sons are built like Adonises; they are "well liked" and seem destined for easy success. Clearly, Miller wanted to capture the flavor of American culture in this play. Willy's peculiarly American job, his all-American sons, and his commitment to the American dream bind together the myths and symbols of American culture. Moreover, the dialogue of the play is littered with American slang: lazy bum, gee, Pop, fella, babe, flunk, and knock 'em dead. The dialect is likewise American: coulda, oughta, woulda, and gotta. Therefore, it is important to read the play as a commentary on American values as well as an examination of one man's mental decline. Willy's failure to succeed is partly due to his own personal flaws, but it is also due to the cultural values that shape his life. Willy is a salesman. His job requires that he appear confident and self-assured. This facade protects him from the inevitable indifference of reluctant buyers. Ironically, Willy's facade is his first and most important product. He has to successfully sell himself before he can sell his product line. Willy's primary problem is that he cannot separate himself from his professional role. Therefore, a buyer's rejection of Willy's sales pitch constitutes a personal rejection. It threatens Willy's view of himself, as he conflates his personal identity with his professional role.