Willy American Dream

In the tragic play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the post-war historical context highlights Willy’s economic situation, definition of success, and ambiguous identity to emphasize the flaws of the American Dream. His juncture after WWII is a contributor to Willy’s inability to achieve prosperity. Willy’s poor financial status is a product of Americans’ pride in their freedom after the victory of winning the war. Society’s people were ambitious to prove that capitalism is better than communism. To prove their point, people worked to become rich and live lavish lives. Other people wanted to live well by buying with money they do not have through credit. The economy became weak from people living outside of their means, and Willy

The public believed becoming wealthy makes one successful. Their pride after the United States’ victory from WWII made them think that being successful expresses America’s strength. Willy wants success himself, but the average American defines success by wealth. Nevertheless, Willy feels that popularity among other salesmen makes him successful, such as when he sees an old man’s publicity and asks, “What could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?” (Miller 57). Success in wealth would signify the extravagant life of an American due to being established among an abundance of material things, and the status-quo is prideful in America’s open market and ability to indulge in the burst of goods. The time period emphasizes Willy’s false image of success, for he wishes to live happily in a country he views as great, but never will without a steady income. Without money, Willy is giving his family an unsure future that causes stress for all concerned in the household including himself. Furthermore, he is fueling his own sorrow because popularity in his company will never fulfill him. Money can not bring direct happiness to a family, but it can ease stresses to make one’s goals easier to achieve. Additionally, families with nice things

Willy’s desire to be popular makes who he actually wants himself to be unclear. Because of his actions depending on his wish for fame, he looks to other people to create his own self-image. His insecure idea of the man he wishes to be causes him to fail to stand as a good husband and a father. People in 1940’s society felt that financial success was an obligation alongside good parenthood and a relationship with the spouse. Willy does not represent a good father due to his lack of attention for Happy and his failure to discipline Biff. He disapproves of most of Biff’s actions and does not support Biff, for he yells, “Biff is a lazy bum!” (Miller 8). Willie should balance between supporting Biff and keeping him on course, but he does not do so because of his hypocritical qualities such as expecting fame and fortune from Biff but does not have those achievements himself. Stressing his wife with a low income when he can easily get a higher paying job makes Willy a poor husband. Because of his lack of any good family characteristics and having no individual traits without a reputation, Willy has an ambiguous identity that is brought to light by post-WWII societal standards. Willy has a vague understanding of what the American dream is; he does not represent America positively, and his qualities are made apparent by the average man’s desire to boast about America’s fine standard of