Willy Loman And The American Dream

Barack Obama made history by being elected President of the United States, twice. This is just one more example that the American Dream is without a doubt achievable. Its pursuit is not easy; it requires undeniable hard work, modesty and optimism. Armed with these characteristics, seekers of this lifestyle will undeniably succeed. Success, though, is an interesting concept, for it can entail many superficial qualities. Willy Loman, the tragic hero of the play Death of a Salesman, sees only the superficial qualities of this dream. He views success solely as likeability (linked with attractiveness), and wealth. Ignoring all methods to honorably achieve these, Arthur Miller demonstrates how Willy’s search for the superficial qualities of the

In "Death of a Salesman" Arthur Miller was attempting to create fully rounded characters. He wanted to figure out their emotional reactions to the failure of the American Dream. Willy Loman tried to pursue all the optimism of a salesperson. Charley is the neighbor of the Loman family. He is practically the definition of an American ideal. He is hardworking, successful, kind, and generous. He even offered Willy a job because he realized Willy was struggling financially. Charley says to Willy, “you want a job?” So Charley is just trying to give Willy a helping hand. Willy is a little jealous of Charley so Willy refused the job. Charley eventually said to Willy, “When the hell are you going to grow up?” Willy only earns commission on his sales job and he has not been able to make a lot of money. Charley has also paid the mortgage on Willy’s house even though Willy keeps saying he will pay him back. Unlike Willy, Charley raises his children to study

Willy also has strong feelings toward appearances. He even goes so far as to tell his kids “That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want” (1594). Even Willy’s views of himself are romanticized; he thinks he is essential to his job, even though we soon find out that he isn’t. He goes on and on to his sons about how much people like him, and how he has so many friends and so much respect everywhere he goes.

Since the beginning of its time, America has set a global standard for offering chances at prosperity and career opportunities for qualified adults. Its people have been implicating the idea of the “American Dream” into its culture for many years and has become widely recognized by individuals all across the world. People pack up their lives and families to travel to American soil to try at a chance of a better life, and in doing so, they too venture on a path to achieving this so commonly understood “American Dream.” Arthur Miller, a well-known literary writer in America, seems to disagree with this national phenomena, offering a different view in his play Death of a Salesman. In this play, he demonstrates through the life of an average

The American Dream is a sought after idea sold to Americans and immigrants alike. It promises the opportunity to create a better future for oneself. So long as said individual works hard it promises a happy ending. Arthur Miller reveals the reality of the American Dream in his play Death of a Salesman through the life of Willy Loman and his family. Willy represents the primary target audience as a working class man providing for his family. His pride causes him to be two steps behind in his life-long quest to achieve the American Dream and his family inherit his failures in their own individual quests.

In the drama, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller portrays Willy Loman, an average traveling salesman in Brooklyn who wants to live the dream. In the late 1940’s, the American dream was not so much of having an enormous amount of money, but a comfortable wealth and to be able to live a perfect modern American life. Willy Loman’s dream is to be successful in business and be someone who is “well-liked” by everyone. “Willy believes that personality, not hard work and innovation, is the key to success.”("The

Former American Lawyer and politician Robert Ingersoll once said, “In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences.” Ingersoll states that all actions have the same general result, people do not get rewarded nor punished, but instead they suffer from any plausible repercussions of these actions. As Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller tries to pursue his own american dream, he leaves behind a series of consequences due to the decisions he makes throughout the novel. Willy creates an unrealistic american dream for himself, which causes the family to struggle with him and his worthless belief of himself.

The American Dream is the belief that if you work hard you will gain success and wealth in life. In Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller, the idea of the American dream is shown through the main character Willy Loman. Willy has a flawed perception of success and the American Dream. His desire for wealth and popularity is what eventually leads to his downfall. His obsession with his image and his desire to be someone he wasn’t overtime drives him crazy and leads to his death.

America’s social system and class divisions create barriers to those who want to obtain the American Dream because diligence is needed, and unequal opportunity, and there’s disillusionment Individuals of the lower class need to work harder, on account of the poor conditions and battles that they need to persevere. In Death of a Salesman, the main character Willy Loman has confidence in the American Dream of simple riches and upscale life which later drives him to his grave. At a certain point in the scene, Willy Loman was having a discussion whit his child, Biff Loman. And pointed out the fact that "[He is] not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like the rest of them! "

Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck portray the failure and hopelessness of the American dream in the play “Death of a Salesman” and in the novella “Of Mice and Men”. The American Dream is the idea that any man or woman can make his or her own fortune, despite his or her past. The principles of the American dream is hard work and determination it is believed that will ensures success. Through the creation of the main characters of the play and novella Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck show that the American dreams is fraudulent. Arthur Miller shows this through failure and hopelessness of the American dream through the protagonist Willy Loman a leader of the Loman family.

Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck portray the failure and hopelessness of the American dream in the play “Death of a Salesman” and in the novella “Of Mice and Men”. The American Dream is the idea that any man or woman can make his or her own fortune, despite his or her past. The principles of the American dream are hard work and determination it is believed that this will ensures success. Through the creation of the main characters of the play and novella Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck show that the American dreams is fraudulent.

A child develops its ideas and behaviors dependent on its environment and the people that surround it. Ideas that can have many different meanings based on the person, such as the American Dream, can lead children into a life of confusion, since they don't know which meaning to stick to. Such is the case even for adults who, for example, don't know which definition of success and the American Dream is the best for them personally. People can lose themselves and what they believe in if they get lost in all of the possibilities of success, and end up as empty shells that never achieved anything. As if in warning, Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman", depicts many realizations of the American Dream through its characters, and documents

The American Dream is an expectation most people long to fulfill. Americans expect to achieve the success that can create a stable and self ensuring purpose for their family. The play, The Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller is a story that depicts the struggle of achieving that American Dream at an old age. Willy Loman is a delusional father of two grown, sons. Willy is often seen as confused and living in the past.

The American Dream is a national set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. In the death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, we how this set of idealistic morals can be warped by one man’s mistakes. "Be liked and you will never want. "-Willy (Pg.33). Willy is reteaching the value of being well liked to his sons.

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