Death Of A Salesman American Dream Essay

Although Death of a Salesman is not a direct critique of the American dream, Arthur Miller strives to show the damaging effects of the idea on the lives of the society. Throughout his life, Willy Loman has created a distorted image of the American dream, which proved to be the cause for his downfall. The protagonist believed that being well-liked, as opposed to hard work and ambition, is the key to success. The real tragedy is that Loman became so entangled in his dream that he ignored such values as love of the family. He instilled the idea in the minds of his sons and wanted them to follow its impossible standards. Abbotson in her works argued that while the Loman family did live according to Willy’s ideals, such dreams are highly ambivalent,
especially when they turn out to be so patently false . She also stated that these ideas might prove to be a destructive force in their lives. Her words found the reflection in the play’s reality, when Willy killed himself in order to get the money from his life insurance policy for his family. By committing suicide, he confirmed that the American dream is the powerful ideal which can distort the image of reality and instill in people the idea that an individual is worth as much as their financial situation.
S.
Goyal argued that there are two versions of the American dream: the historical and modern . The historical dream was described by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America, and stated that all people should live richer and better, with equal opportunities to achieve success, while the modern one revolves around the business world. It was clarified that the key to success is hard work and on that basis the dream was built. However, the dream had changed and turned into the something completely different, which was exemplified in the play. Salesmanship gained popularity and it was used as a mean toward the success, neglecting the needs of the individuals and focusing on the profit, which meant selling everything regardless of its usefulness. The society’s high expectations of the American dream and Willy’s fixation of the concept were behind his wrong dream and eventually led to his
downfall.
The relationship between the protagonist and his neighbor, Charley, contributes immensely to the portrayal of the American dream in the play.
These two men represent two strikingly different visions of wealth and success. Willy epitomizes the ‘corrupt’ vision of the dream, whilst Charley’s idea is the ideal one . A central theme of the play is how Miller portrays the society’s responses and interpretations of the American dream and the effects of those visions. Like Abbotson said, Miller sees many people’s lives poisoned by their desire to be successful , thus he introduces the characters of Charley and his son as role models and the solutions to the problem. Charley becomes the epitome of a fulfilled life, a person who knows the secrets of achieving wealth and success and has worked hard to gain financial security. His achievements in the business world have profitably influenced his personal life, hence the man embodies the idea that hard work is the key to happiness. On the other hand, Loman’s dream was intertwined with the cult of personality , which was often emphasized in his actions and speeches: it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it – because personality always wins the day . He equaled success with being well-liked and popularity, while forgetting about the most crucial thing: hard work. Charley’s way of living symbolizes everything the main protagonist has always wanted, and therefore the relationship between two neighbors reveals the misconception of Willy’s
understanding of the American dream.
But Willy is not the only one influenced by the wrong dream; his family is also affected by the way he acts and disciplines them. When Biff confided in Willy about making fun of his math teacher’s lips, the protagonist’s main focus was the reaction of his son’s classmates. Being popular was the biggest achievement in the man’s eyes, so the only thing that was important to him was whether the kids liked his son’s actions. Because of the way he was brought up, Biff felt torn between two different dreams. One of them, the world of business and sales, was instilled in his mind by Willy; the other one is Biff’s own dream. Despite the fact that he shared the same set of morals as his father, he created his version of the American Dream and discovered who he truly is. It was only during Willy’s funeral that Biff was finally able to see clearly how damaged his father was and how the distorted idea of the American dream has destroyed his life. Nonetheless, Miller’s idea of an ending is far from optimistic. Along with Willy Loman, his salesman dream to achieve success and gain popularity metaphorically dies. By committing suicide, Loman tries to keep the it alive, as the money from life insurance would be enough for his son to take over his job. However, Biff rejects his father’s dream, recognizing it as a destructive force, which brings nothing but misery, and decides to follow his own version of the American dream, the right one. He had the wrong dreams, all, all wrong – the observation which he makes standing at his father’s graveyard is the most important part of his journey, as it is the moment when he decides that he will not repeat Willy’s mistakes. Biff turns away from his father’s dream and engages himself on his ranch at the countryside.
Arthur Miller analyzes the myth of the American Dream and focuses on its effects on the modern American society. Willy Loman embodies the arrogance of the society and his misunderstanding of the basic concept is presented as the cause of his downfall. The author clearly portrays the fatal flaws of the protagonist and through his failure strives to present the consequences of distorting the idea of the American Dream. What happened to the protagonist, could happen to everyone and this is what makes Death of a Salesman such a poignant and powerful literary work. But what truly distinguishes Miller’s play as one of the most accurate representations of the American society is its portrayal of a timeless human dilemma : how to follow the dream without losing oneself?