Death Of A Salesman Essay

Willy Loman, the main character in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, wants to live the American dream. He is consumed with his own misguided beliefs regarding success, which causes his life to be similar what Wyoming Senator Craig L. Thomas said about the American Dream: “You stuff Someone into the American dream, and it becomes a prison.” Willy’s obsession with the American Dream, believing that being well liked equates with success, keeps both he and his sons in a state of emotional immaturity. These beliefs causes the American Dream to be a prison. The Loman family’s American Dream becomes their prison, constructed of deception and false pride. They cannot escape their immature behavior of

     In Death of a Salesman, a play written by Arthur Miller, Miller reflects the theme that every man needs to be honest with him self and act in accordance with his nature by displaying success and failure in different lights. Miller embodies the theme through characters in the play by explaining how their success and failures in being true to themselves help shapes their fates. Strongest evidence of Miller’s theme is reflected in the characteristics of Biff Loman, Benard, and Willy Loman. Through out the play, these three characters never give way to other’s influence and what other’s view of being successful is.

The story ‘Death of a Salesman’ written by Miller focuses on a man doing all he can to allow him and his family to live the American dream. Throughout the story it is shown how the Loman’s struggle with finding happiness and also with becoming successful. Throughout their entire lives many problems come their way resulting in a devastating death caused by foolishness and the drive to be successful. Ever since he and his wife, Linda, met she has been living a sad and miserable life, because she has been trying support his unachievable goals. Also by him being naïve put his children’s lives in jeopardy and also made them lose sight of who they really were. Miller uses the Loman family to show how feeling the need to appear a certain way to the public and trying to live a life that is not really yours can turn into an American nightmare.

The American Dream is something many Americans desire. The desire to the mind – set or belief that anyone can be successful if they worked hard for what they’ve been yearning. It is considered to be a ‘perfect life’; it can be full of money, contentedness or even love. There are many divergent opinions given by people. Walter Younger from Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of the Salesman’ both have their own views on the American Dream and how it can be achieved. Walter Lee Younger, a

The United States in the mid-twentieth century was a time of change. In the 1960’s the civil rights and women’s rights were in their embryonic stages. All of these ideas coming together created the illusion of The American Dream. Back then; the American dream was equated with freedom and material prosperity, two concepts that ring true today. The definition of the American dream changes as society in the United States changes, and the connotation and reality of the American Dream is disheartening. Two literary compositions give a realistic outlook on what the American Dream really is. In Death of a Salesman and The American Dream, Arthur Miller and Edward Albee masterfully relay the true nature and ideologies of The American Dream.

Everyone wants to be successful. We all dream of having a decent job, a house, a car or two, good social connections and the respect of our peers. We dream of opportunity and freedom. In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, many characters are pursuing their own version of this dream, but they go about it in many different ways. Some see work and perseverance as necessities. Others think personal charm and popularity are essential in obtaining their dreams. We see the American Dream through the eyes of many different characters, giving us perspective of our own priorities and goals. Once we see the American dream from all of these angles we have to decide how we will interpret it, and how we will react.

In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy is both sympathized with and looked down upon throughout the story. Willy is a very complex character with problems and faults that gain both sympathy and also turn the reader off to him. Willy Loman is both the protagonist and the antagonist, gaining sympathy from the reader only to lose it moments later.

The “American dream” is very difficult to obtain. The goal of obtaining a big home, great education, good job, and a family is something most people wish for but never truly obtain. Life brings many obstacles, both internal and external, and as they arise the handling of them determines ones success or failure with achieving the American dream. Arthur Miller portrays the pitfalls of the American dream in his play Death Of a Salesman through his characters and their development. Each of his characters has their own version of their American dream and they each try to achieve it differently. Along with different methods each character has their own flaws and here lies the pitfalls of the American dream.

“For many, the American dream has become a nightmare” The American dream is the idea that every US citizen has the equal opportunity to meet success through hard work, determination and initiative. This dream has led many in the US to push and strive for approval and self-worth and more often than not it is not achieved and causes the feeling of self-doubt and disappointed that leads to depression and a fear of abandonment and betrayal. In the book Death Of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, the idea of achieving this ‘Dream” and it's outcome when not achieved contributed to the deep fear of abandonment and betrayal as well as the ultimate downfall and death of Willy Loman.

In the play Death of a Salesman, Linda Loman serves as the family's destroyer. Linda realizes, throughout the play, that her family is caught up in a bunch of lies. Linda is the only person that can fix the problem and she doesn't.

First of all, we would like to make clear the definition of success. It simply means the accomplishment of one's goals, which also shows the subjectivity of the concept. In the book “Death of a salesman” the idea of one’s success has a big variety, since each one of the characters has a different point of view on it. Willy, the main character, has his idea of success based on the American Dream, in which he strongly believes that working hard, being well-liked, having luck, and not losing the faith, are the keys to eternal success. It is also important to mention, that for Willy this dream of success represents having wealth, being popular, and attractive to women. But does this dream really come true in the drama? The title gives us no doubt; “death of a salesman”, without

nor ever was he. He chose to follow the American dream and he chose to

II-practical part: Death of a Salesman (1949) by Arthur Miller 1- Title: a) Arthur miller masterpiece’s title has various meanings on different levels that could be seen by different perspectives. b) The title describes the protagonist destiny, moreover such title success to summarize the whole play. 2- Themes: a)

Arthur Miller and his siblings were raised by a successful business man until the Great Depression, which caused their father to lose his status (Rollyson 8). Miller did odd jobs as a way to help his father pay bills. He struggled through school but was able to attend the University of Michigan (Rollyson 8). It was there in which he began to write plays, receiving the Hopwood Award several times (Rollyson 8). He was known to be a socialist pushing for a movement of America to make things fair for those who were greatly affected by the Depression. Some of his earlier work reflected this.

Tragedy was a very controversial issue in literature until recent years. Recent figures in literature have set a clear definition for tragedy. Author Miller is one of these figures. Plays and novels have distinguished the definition of tragedy. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary tragedy is a serious piece of literature typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror. Miller’s explains that a tragic hero does not always have to be a monarch or a man of a higher status. A tragic hero can be a common person. A tragedy does not always have to end pessimistically; it could have an optimistic ending. The play Death of a Salesman, by