The Pursuit of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

758 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Arthur miller view on the american dream

American Dream is supposed to be powered by fair ambition and driven by hopes and aspiration. This plain but revolutionary notion led to so many successes yet so many downfalls. As the American Dream has become misunderstood overtime, it seems so difficult to realize what is the true idea of American Dream that is so much more meaningful than just desire. In “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Willy’s American Dream is an endless pursuit of money and fame without proper effort.
Willy’s pursuit of fortune is different from others. He thinks fortune is all about opportunities that once you’ve got, you can live your entire life in success. This extremely unrealistic idea is nearly impossible to take place on Willy, but he failed to realize that. “The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he's rich! The world is an oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress!” (Miller 1572). Willy never understand that the engine behind the American Dream is not waiting for opportunity to come down to you, but actually to put in enormous amount of effort that is significantly more compare to others. He saw the success and wealth his brother Ben acquired from the diamond mines in Africa, but he would never understand how hard Ben worked and how many obstacles Ben overcame. In fact, Willy does not even understand his own duty as a salesman.
Willy never understands the true characteristics for a salesman to have in order to be successful. Instead, he thinks as a salesman the only thing you need is to be popular, which falls short when it comes down to reality. “It is necessary to make a good appearance and to be well-liked. Appearance is a key concept, for a salesman m...

... middle of paper ...

...ke to have a wrong American Dream at the first place, but it is Willy’s insatiable pursuit that ended him. “The desire to obtain such wealth became so intense for some that Merle Curti, author of The Growth of American Thought, calls it a “quest” that Americans embark upon as they seek out “material fortunes as ends in themselves” (Packer-Kinlaw 508).” Willy Loman is just one example of thousands of other Americans who are never going to be satisfied because of their desire to be successful. The tragedy of Willy Loman shows that because he never realizes what he already had, he never cherishes his family and things other than success.
Willy Loman’s American Dream is distorted because of his lacking realization of hard work, and his obsession with money and fame. His concentration on the appearance caused most of his misunderstanding of success, and the end of him.

Show More
Related

  • Dreams and Failures in Arthur Miller´s Death of a Salesman and Thornton Wilder´s Our Town

    2330 Words  | 5 Pages

    After seeing both his father and brother find success, Willy attempts to prove himself to his family by chasing after his own version of the American dream. Willy grows up in the “wild prosperity of the 1920’s” when rags-to-riches tales inspire everybody, making them believe that “achieving material success [is] God’s intention for humankind (Abbotson, Criticism by Bloom). Willy’s father, a “very great” and “wildhearted man,” made a living traveling and selling flutes, making “more in a week than a man like [Willy] could make in a lifetime” (Miller 34). Even though Willy barely knew his dad, he built him u...

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman And The Piano Lesson Essay

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... American Dream that was sold in society at the time after World War II can overshadow the actual meaning in real life. The “American Dream” is, in the end, defined as a comfortable living in a happy house. Instead, the materialistic society back then attempted to sell it in terms of appliances and products that were not needed, and unaffordable. They marketed it to the middle-class by attracting them to the aspect of credit, buying it with money that they don’t have. As Willy’s neighbor claimed at his funeral, Willy was merely a victim of his profession, leaving him with an unhealthy obsession with an image that was unrealistic, especially for them. This dissatisfaction with his life, and his misinterpretation of the “American Dream”, led to his downfall as a tragic hero, and a death that went in vain, as his son failed to follow the plan he had laid out for him.

    Read More

  • Pursuit of the American Dream in Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    People from all around the world have dreamed of coming to America and building a successful life for themselves. The "American Dream" is the idea that, through hard work and perseverance, the sky is the limit in terms of financial success and a reliable future. While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic results.

    Read More

  • Death Of The American Dream In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream, as referred by all, speaks of the great nation – America - which upholds the notion of “equality, liberty and fraternity” and, that all men are created equal by the Creator and hence, are given equal rights for equal opportunity at success. The American Dream glorifies the nation of America as the highest Super-power in the wor...

    Read More

  • Willy's Tragic Flaw and the Effect it Has Upon his Sons in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Willy Loman will bring his downfall upon himself as he entices his own disillusions and the bedrock of his values pertaining to success and how one can achieve it. His failure to recognize the fruitless outcome of his own idealism will seal his fated suicide and have a determining effect on the failures of his two sons that when adolescent, idolized their father as a guid...

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Death Of A Salesman, by Arthur Miller

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Success: Accomplishing Your Dream Completing the "American Dream" is a controversial issue. The American Dream can be defined as having a nice car, maybe two or three of them, having a beautiful, healthy family, making an impact on the world, or even just having extra spending money when the bills are paid. In the play "Death Of A Salesman," by Arthur Miller, the "American Dream" deals with prosperity, status, and being immortalized.

    Read More

  • Willy's Wrong Dreams in Death of a Salesman

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    Willy had quite a few ‘wrong’ dreams and they could have turned into ‘right’ dreams if his perception of the American dream was right. Dave Singleman was the man who sowed the false umbrella dream in Willy’s mind. This umbrella dream was the American dream, for all the smaller dreams Willy came up with, started with the pursuit of the American dream. However Willy’s perception of this dream was warped and therefore the rest of his dreams turned out wrong. His version of the American dream was to be able to achieve success and wealth through being well liked and popular, and not through hard work and skill.

    Read More

  • Failure of the American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Willy Loman equates success as a human being with success in the business world.  When Willy was a young man, he heard of a salesman who could "pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room, at the age of eighty-four, make his living." (81) This salesman is Willy's inspiration; someday to be so respected and so well known that he can still provide for his family, even at an old age.  Of course, Willy is no good at being a salesman because his heart isn't in it.  The only time Willy puts his heart into anything is when he works with his hands, and his son, Biff, comes to realize this.  "There's more of him in that front stoop than in all the sales he ever made." (138) Willy never comes to the realization that it is not being a salesman that he cares about, but rather being well known and, perhaps more importan...

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman American Dream Essay

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    An American dream is a dream that can only be achieved by passion and hard work towards your goals. People are chasing their dreams of better future for themselves and their children. The author Arthur Miller in Death of a Salesman has displayed a struggle of a common man to achieve the American dream. Willy Loman the protagonist of the play has spent his whole life in chasing the American dream. He was a successful salesman who has got old and unable to travel for his work, and no one at work gives him importance anymore. He is unhappy with his sons Happy and Biff because both of them are not successful in their lives. Moreover, Biff and Happy are also not happy with their father Willy because they don’t want to live a life that Willy wants them to live. The heated discussions of Willy and his older son Biff affect the family and the family starts to fall apart. However, Willy is unable to achieve the American dream and does not want to face the reality that his decisions for himself and his family have lead him to be a failure in the society. In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the protagonist Willy Loman spends his whole life to achieve the American Dream by his own perception and denies facing the reality, just like nowadays people are selling themselves and attempting to find success in life.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman: The Flaws and Failures of Willy Loman

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    Willy Loman is a 60 year old senile salesman who desperately wants to be a successful salesman; however, his ideas about the ways in which one goes about achieving this are very much misguided, just as his morals are. He believes that popularity and good looks are the key to achieving the American dream, rather than hard work and dedication. He not only lives his entire life by this code, but instills his delusional beliefs in his two sons Biff and Happy. As a result, his sons experience similar failures in their adult lives. Willy led a life of illusion, lies and regret which not only ruined his life, but gad a negative impact on the lives of family as well.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The American Dream In Death Of A Salesman

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within the play Death of a Salesman, the “American Dream” is prevalent throughout its entirety. The american dream has stood as the symbol of happiness and success for multiple generations in the United States. The main character, Willy Loman, has become obsessed with the idea of achieving this sought after goal. While of course everyone would love to be able to live a life well lived, Willy takes it too far. The ideal that everyone should be able to achieve success no matter their background intrigues the titular character to the point of obsession. I believe that his fixation on “making it” in life; is what led to the psychological breakdown and eventual suicide of Willy Loman.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in "Death of a Salesman" and "Seize the Day"

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s society the term “American Dream” is perceived as being successful and usually that’s associated with being rich or financially sound. People follow this idea their entire life and usually never stop to think if they are happy on this road to success. Most will live through thick and thin with this idealization of the “American Dream” usually leading to unhappiness, depression and even suicide. The individual is confused by society’s portrayal of the individuals who have supposedly reached the nirvana of the “American Dream”. In the play “Death of a Salesman” Willy thinks that if a person has the right personality and he is well liked it’s easy to achieve success rather than hard work and innovation. This is seen when Willy is only concerned how Biff’s class mates reacted to his joke of the teachers lisp. Willy’s dream of success for his son Biff who was very well liked in High School never actually became anything. Biff turned into a drifter and a ranch worker. In the play “Seize the Day” Tommy who is financially unstable also pursues the idea of getting to the “American Dream” and becoming wealthy. He foolishly invests his last seven hundred dollars and eventually loses it leaving him broke and out of work. In both plays following the American Dream is followed in different characters and in both the characters are far away from it leaving them broke and forgotten by almost everyone.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    456 Words  | 1 Pages

    What is the "American Dream"? The "American Dream" cannot be defined. I know that my "American Dream" consists of a Porsche, a large house, and a happy family. Willy Loman's definition does not differ greatly from mine although while trying to pursue this dream, Willy's mind slowly drifted further and further away from reality. The "American Dream" is the idea that any man or woman can make his or her own fortune, despite his or her past. Willy is trying to achieve success through this thought, believing that being "well liked" and working hard will be enough to ensue his success. Willy was wrong.

    Read More

  • The Collapse of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,

    2029 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...y he is so obsessed with trying to attain it. He is the product of his own illusions and of a society that believe that with hard work everything is possible. The reader can understand that Willy’s skewed perspective of the “American Dream” is due to his distortion of his life and the dream that he thinks he lives in everyday.

    Read More

  • The Character of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Willy Loman is a firm believer in the "American Dream:" the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness.  His particular slant on this ideal is that a man succeeds by selling his charisma, that to be well liked is the most important asset a man can have.  He made a living at this for 30 years, but as he enters the reclining years of his life, people have stopped smiling back and he can no longer sell the firm's goods to support himself.  His ambition was one of greatness, to work hard and to be a member of the firm; and if he could not succeed in this respect, that he should at least be well-liked and be able to sell until the day of his death:  When his friends would flock from all over the country to pay their respects.

    Read More

More about The Pursuit of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Open Document