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Death Of A Salesman American Dream Essay

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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the “American Dream” as, “an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity; also: the prosperity or life that is the realization of this ideal.” Death of a Salesman chronicles Willy Loman’s obsession and pursuit of his own personal “American Dream,” which is based on his own belief that charisma and popularity are more important than hard work and genuine ingenuity. Willy’s obsession with wealth and popularity are threatened when he is fired from his job as a salesman, causing him to commit suicide because he believes that he is worth more dead than alive to his family. Although Willy’s son, Biff, shows potential for greatness in his early life, Willy’s misguided …show more content…

Howard Wagner is Willy’s boss and throughout the play, he treats Willy badly, despite Willy’s long time loyalty to the company. Howard initially cuts Willy’s pay and forces him to work only for commission. When Willy goes to talk to Howard about a possible way he could continue to work for the company in New York, as he is an old man and the traveling to New England has become difficult for him, Howard ignores Willy for most of his visit. He would rather listen to the recorded voices of his family on his wire recorder than listen to the concerns of a faithful employee. In fact, Howard actually uses this meeting with Willy to fire him. He rudely tells Willy to, “pull himself together” because he has some people to see, demonstrating how Howard has little sympathy for Willy because he sees himself as superior (Miller 82). Willy receives no compensation or help despite the fact he has been working for Howard for thirty-four years. Miller uses Howard to show how the values of American businesses are skewed; they no longer have any respect for those that they employ. They will cross any ethical line to make a profit, and things like loyalty are not important to

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