The American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

The struggle for financial security and success has always been prominent in the American culture. The idea of the American dream captures the hearts of so many, yet leaves almost all of them enslaved in the endless economic struggle to achieve high status, wealth, and a house with a white picket fence. In Arthur Millers, Death of a Salesman, we see how difficult it is for Willy Loman and his sons to achieve this so called American dream. In Lorraine Hansberrys, A Raisin in the Sun, she examines an African-American familys struggle to break out of the poverty that is preventing them from achieving some sort of financial stability, or in other words the American dream. Both plays explore the desire for wealth, driving forces that†¦show more content†¦I drive a man around in his limousine and I say, yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir; shall I take the Drive, sir? Mama, that ain’t no kind of job†¦that ain’t nothing at all (Hansberry pg.73).† When conside ring Willy’s circumstance, he insists that he is crucial to the company he works for, â€Å"if old man Wagner was alive I’d a been in charge of New York now (Miller pg. 4)† and that he should be a leader by now rather than simply being an employee. These quotes exemplify the idea that believing you deserve better than you currently have is a powerful force that encourages the struggle for the American dream. A final major similarity between the two plays is the fact that both of the men face prejudice for things that they cannot control. For Walter, a prejudice exists because of his skin color. He dreams of having the same opportunities as the white men and in this quote he expresses that to his mother â€Å"Mama – sometimes when I’m downtown, I pass them cool-quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ‘bout things†¦sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars (Hansberry pg. 74).† Death o f a Salesman only features white characters, however, a different type of prejudice is shown in the play. Because Willy is much older now, he doesn’t feel like he possess the energy or the capacity to continue making long trips. When this conclusion leads Willy to be fired, he pleads with Howard saying, You cant eat theShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1127 Words   |  5 PagesMany people dream of the American dream. To have a big house, two kids and a picket fence. In Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman every character uses lies and deceit as a way to escape reality. With this said, it is only Biff’s character that is dynamic, realizing the error of his ways. Constantly, each character escapes their problems with deceit. Even Biff remains in this state of falsehood, until he reaches his epiphany. The main character Willy Loman, is constantly fooling himself intoRead MoreThe Dysfunctional American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1231 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dysfunctional American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller In the American society, it is thought that if you work hard, no matter what circumstances, you can become rich and powerful. You can overcome deep poverty to become the richest man alive. This superhuman absurdity is what is referred to as the American Dream. Day after day, Americans struggle to achieve fame and prosperity, only to find failure and heartbreak. The American Dream in todays society is dead and isRead More Achieving the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1189 Words   |  5 PagesAchieving the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Willy Loman is a man on a mission. His purpose in life is to achieve a false sense of the American Dream, but is this what Willy Loman really wants? In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller analyzes the American Dream by portraying to us a few days in the life of a washed up salesman named Willy Loman. The American Dream is a definite goal of many people, meaning something different to everyone. Willys version is different fromRead More The Collapse of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,2034 Words   |  9 Pagesinvolves the American Dream, generally speaking. Some people think this dream is something automatically granted; or in contrast, as in the story â€Å"Death of a Salesman† written by Arthur Miller, as something that has to be achieved in order to be successful in life. The play takes issues with those in America who place to much stress on material gain, instead of more admirable values. American society is exemplified with Miller’s work a nd demonstrates how a dream could turn into a nightmare. Arthur Miller’sRead More The American Dream in Death Of A Salesman, by Arthur Miller Essay975 Words   |  4 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. 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His works meet the criteria for the American Authors Hall of Fame since they have themes important to society, are unique, and have universal appeal. Arthur Millers works meet the American Author Hall of Fames first criteria by dealing with themes highly importantRead MoreA Detailed Analysis of Death of a Salesman1199 Words   |  5 PagesLook at Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman has been accepted worldwide as one of the greatest American dramas to premier in theatre. The story behind the play is based on Miller’s interactions with his Uncle, a salesman whose efforts to obtain the â€Å"American Dream† and pass his success on to his two sons becomes his main focus. Miller’s life during the preparation of Death of a Salesman provides the spark and inspiration needed to pen a literary classic. Almost five decades later, Death of a Salesman’sRead MoreAnalysis Of Arthur Miller s Death Of A Salesman 1136 Words   |  5 PagesGarett Miller Mr. James Mahle THE2000 2 August 2, 2016 Arthur Miller’s Impact Arthur Miller was born in 1915, and he died in 2005. He is possibly the most well-known and influential American playwright. He grew up during the Great Depression, so many of his plays deal with the American middleclass lifestyle. His two most influential works are Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. Death of a Salesman is about the tragic white collar worker, Willy Loman, while The Crucible is about the Salem witchRead MoreWilly Loman And The American Dream Analysis1075 Words   |  5 PagesPursuit of Happiness in the American Dream In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Lomans pursuit of the American Dream is characterized by his selfishness, demonstrating how the American Dream can subtly turn into the American Nightmare. However, Willy’s role is quite important because he often led to failure through the creation of the American Dream and the real world. To fully understand the storyline of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, one must evaluate each member of the The American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Many people dream of the American dream. To have a big house, two kids and a picket fence. In Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman every character uses lies and deceit as a way to escape reality. With this said, it is only Biff’s character that is dynamic, realizing the error of his ways. Constantly, each character escapes their problems with deceit. Even Biff remains in this state of falsehood, until he reaches his epiphany. 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 â€Å"I’ll†¦show more content†¦His negligence and static personality contribute to the death of his father. Instead of dealing with problems, he likes to run from them. He is in the false idea that he can get away with anything he wants, just by lying. He sent his father to Florida, because he was acting â€Å"too crazy† for him, and he was embarrassed. (Miller 21) Happy is so fake, that he doesn’t even realize it. â€Å"Everyone around me is so false; I’m constantly lowering my morals.†(Miller 23) This is ironic, because Happy is the one who is licentious and has no morals. He tells himself anything, as if to fool himself to get by. Eve n after his father’s death, it changed nothing. He’s still going to stay in the business field and â€Å"beat this city.† His idea of creating the Loman Brothers sporting good company is completely far-fetched. He is the assistant to the assistant buyer, and he believes that he has the skill, success and prowess to attain this goal, which he has none. â€Å"Happy lives in Biff’s shadow but he has adopted Willy’s value system. Willy is unequal with his sons as he tends to praise Biff and to ignore Happy. Sharing Willy’s capacity for self-delusion, Happy wants to emulate his father in order to get attention.† (Younkins) The entire family is deceived by Happy’s lies, and he clouds the reality, and does not allow the family to address the problems directly and efficiently. We can see that Happy lives in a dream world, because he does not recognize the severity of hisShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthu r Miller1598 Words   |  7 Pagesalways been prominent in the American culture. The idea of the American dream captures the hearts of so many, yet leaves almost all of them enslaved in the endless economic struggle to achieve high status, wealth, and a house with a white picket fence. In Arthur Millers, Death of a Salesman, we see how difficult it is for Willy Loman and his sons to achieve this so called American dream. In Lorraine Hansberrys, A Raisin in the Sun, she examines an African-American familys struggle to break outRead MoreThe Dysfunctional American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1231 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dysfunctional American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller In the American society, it is thought that if you work hard, no matter what circumstances, you can become rich and powerful. You can overcome deep poverty to become the richest man alive. This superhuman absurdity is what is referred to as the American Dream. Day after day, Americans struggle to achieve fame and prosperity, only to find failure and heartbreak. The American Dream in todays society is dead and isRead More Achieving the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1189 Words   |  5 PagesAchieving the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Willy Loman is a man on a mission. His purpose in life is to achieve a false sense of the American Dream, but is this what Willy Loman really wants? In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller analyzes the American Dream by portraying to us a few days in the life of a washed up salesman named Willy Loman. The American Dream is a definite goal of many people, meaning something different to everyone. Willys version is different fromRead More The Collapse of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,2034 Words   |  9 Pagesinvolves the American Dream, generally speaking. Some people think this dream is something automatically granted; or in contrast, as in the story â€Å"Death of a Salesman† written by Arthur Miller, as something that has to be achieved in order to be successful in life. The play takes issues with those in America who place to much stress on material gain, instead of more admirable values. American society is exemplified with Miller’s work a nd demonstrates how a dream could turn into a nightmare. Arthur Miller’sRead More The American Dream in Death Of A Salesman, by Arthur Miller Essay975 Words   |  4 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. Willy Loman, a hard worker aged to his sixties neverRead MoreThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1096 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald In a majority of literature written in the 20th century, the theme of the American Dream has been a prevalent theme. This dream affects the plot and characters of many novels, and in some books, the intent of the author is to illustrate the reality of the American Dream. However, there is no one definition of the American Dream. Is it the right to pursue your hearts wish,Read MoreArthur Miller Criticism913 Words   |  4 Pages Arthur Miller is a highly distinguished author. He is considered by many to be one of Americas greatest writers. As distinguished a writer he is, Miller deserves to be selected for a spot in the prestigious American Author Hall of Fame. His works meet the criteria for the American Authors Hall of Fame since they have themes important to society, are unique, and have universal appeal. Arthur Millers works meet the American Author Hall of Fames first criteria by dealing with themes highly importantRead MoreA Detailed Analysis of Death of a Salesman1199 Words   |  5 PagesLook at Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman has been accepted worldwide as one of the greatest American dramas to premier in theatre. The story behind the play is based on Miller’s interactions with his Uncle, a salesman whose efforts to obtain the â€Å"American Dream† and pass his success on to his two sons becomes his main focus. Miller’s life during the preparation of Death of a Salesman provides the spark and inspiration needed to pen a literary classic. Almost five decades later, Death of a Salesman’sRead MoreAnalysis Of Arthur Miller s Death Of A Salesman 1136 Words   |  5 PagesGarett Miller Mr. James Mahle THE2000 2 August 2, 2016 Arthur Miller’s Impact Arthur Miller was born in 1915, and he died in 2005. He is possibly the most well-known and influential American playwright. He grew up during the Great Depression, so many of his plays deal with the American middleclass lifestyle. His two most influential works are Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. Death of a Salesman is about the tragic white collar worker, Willy Loman, while The Crucible is about the Salem witchRead MoreWilly Loman And The American Dream Analysis1075 Words   |  5 PagesPursuit of Happiness in the American Dream In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Lomans pursuit of the American Dream is characterized by his selfishness, demonstrating how the American Dream can subtly turn into the American Nightmare. However, Willy’s role is quite important because he often led to failure through the creation of the American Dream and the real world. To fully understand the storyline of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, one must evaluate each member of the