death of a salesman paper
Chantel McNeil
Mrs.Coughlan
English 112
Oct 9, 2013 The Wrong American Dream
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman focuses on the American Dream, or at least Willy Loman’s version of it. Willy is a salesman who is down on his luck. He bought into the belief in the American Dream, and much of the hardship in his life was a result. Many people believe in the American Dream and its role in shaping people’s success. Willy could have been successful, but something went wrong.
He raised his two sons to believe in the American Dream, and neither of them turned out to be successful either. By the time Willy got to be an old man, his life was horrible. One son, Biff, was a hopeless dreamer who wasn’t able to keep at least one job. He could have been successful through on an athletic scholarship, but he blew the chance by failing math and never having the drive to go back to pass it. Happy, the other son, had a job, but was basically all talk, just like his father Willy.
Willy Loman’s wrong view of the American Dream caused tragedy in his family because he was so stressed about the importance of popularity over hard work and risk-taking over perserverence. Willy grew up believing that being "well-liked" was important to becoming successful. He believed that being well-liked could help you charm yourself through life and also open doors in business. He is proud that the neighborhood boys flock around Biff and respond to Biff’s athletic abilities, and instead of nerdy Bernard, who is too focused on school and his studies to be popular. Even though Biff turns out to be a failure in his adult life, Willy holds on to the hopes that a business man who Biff met years ago will offer him a promising job. Willy thinks Biff will get the job if only he can be his old likeable self and have the same confidence and grace he had when he was a teenager.
Coming near to the end of the play, Willy encounters the once-nerdy Bernard, who is now a
Mrs.Coughlan
English 112
Oct 9, 2013 The Wrong American Dream
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman focuses on the American Dream, or at least Willy Loman’s version of it. Willy is a salesman who is down on his luck. He bought into the belief in the American Dream, and much of the hardship in his life was a result. Many people believe in the American Dream and its role in shaping people’s success. Willy could have been successful, but something went wrong.
He raised his two sons to believe in the American Dream, and neither of them turned out to be successful either. By the time Willy got to be an old man, his life was horrible. One son, Biff, was a hopeless dreamer who wasn’t able to keep at least one job. He could have been successful through on an athletic scholarship, but he blew the chance by failing math and never having the drive to go back to pass it. Happy, the other son, had a job, but was basically all talk, just like his father Willy.
Willy Loman’s wrong view of the American Dream caused tragedy in his family because he was so stressed about the importance of popularity over hard work and risk-taking over perserverence. Willy grew up believing that being "well-liked" was important to becoming successful. He believed that being well-liked could help you charm yourself through life and also open doors in business. He is proud that the neighborhood boys flock around Biff and respond to Biff’s athletic abilities, and instead of nerdy Bernard, who is too focused on school and his studies to be popular. Even though Biff turns out to be a failure in his adult life, Willy holds on to the hopes that a business man who Biff met years ago will offer him a promising job. Willy thinks Biff will get the job if only he can be his old likeable self and have the same confidence and grace he had when he was a teenager.
Coming near to the end of the play, Willy encounters the once-nerdy Bernard, who is now a
Cited: Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1986