Death Of A Salesman And A Streetcar Named Desire Analysis

In both and Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and Tennessee’s Williams “A Streetcar Named Desire” their use of realism versus illusion plays a vital role in the portrayal of the falseness of the American Dream. The use of realism versus illusion is very evident through many of the main characters in both works. In “A Street Car Named Desire” the women are in an elusive state as they look for the perfect relationship, but cannot grasp one due to the events that took place in their past. The men in the Loman family in “Death of a Salesman” live in a dreamlike state waiting for the American Dream to influence their lives for the better yet they never complete any actions that would lead them to the success they so desire.

Willy Loman has raised his sons to believe that glory and success would come to them as they are handsome and athletic. Both Willy and his two sons Happy and Biff crave the perfect American dream in which they have the perfect families and are much more than financially stable. However, none of the men take action on their desire for the American dream. Willy works as a Salesman, Biff works as a farmhand, and Happy is a salesclerk. Not one of these occupations provides great financial success or stability, especially not during the post war era.

Willy is

the most affected by his lack of success when it comes to gaining the American Dream. Willy’s desire for and lack of success causes his mind to fracture. His inability to reach his idea of the American dream leads him into such a terrible state of anxiety that he kills himself. Willy’s mind is in an elusive state for too long and his inability to grasp realism kills him. He is never able to grasp the idea that his life as it was with financial stability, a loving wife, and handsome children provided him with a stable life. He believed he needed more and his need for more led to his death.

Stella and Blanche Dubois are the main characters in “A Streetcar named Desire.” They both are living in an elusive state when it comes to their relationships. Their American Dream consists of an image in which they are in the perfect relationship with the perfect man and have perfect families. Both girls were sexually abused and harassed during their childhood. This led them both into a false sense of security within an abusive relationship as they grew older. Stella marries Stanley Kowalski who is very violent and breaks their possessions and beats Stella. Even when Stella is pregnant with his child he hits her against a wall, yet Stella continues to go back to him because she gets a false sense of security from the abuse she receives from Stanley. Blanche is so used to being sexually abused that she feels she must be sexually involved with everyone she encounters. It is possible she feels as though it would be better to willingly subject herself to any man she meets because she fears if she does not first volunteer to interact with him, he will take charge and force her to be sexually involved with him. Blanche’s constant flirtatious behavior leads to her rape. She is raped by her own brother-in-law, Stanley. When Stella learns of her husband’s actions she refuses to believe them. Stella chooses to live the rest of her life in a state of illusion rather than except the reality that her own husband would rape her sister. Blanch can no longer hold on to herself after all that she has gone through and is inducted into a mental institution having lost all grasp on reality.

The falseness of the American Dream is portrayed in both “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller and “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams through illusion and realism.

The use of realism versus illusion is very evident through multiple characters within the works The men in the Loman family in “Death of a Salesman” live in a dreamlike state waiting for the American Dream to influence their lives for the better yet they never complete any actions that would lead them to the success they so desire. . In “A Streetcar Named Desire” the women are in an elusive state as they look for the perfect relationship, but cannot grasp one due to the events that took place in their

past.