Willy's image of America is a mistaken one.

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Willy’s image of America is a mistaken one; it is no longer that land of opportunity but a concrete jungle.” Discuss

        In the Twentieth Century, America became more popular as more people from overseas were attracted to the ‘American Dream’. This meant that the population in America increased and so life in America became more competitive. Those who wanted to succeed needed to be strong in character and in mind; there was no place for the weak. Therefore, only some would survive and make it to prosperity and the others would be ‘trampled upon’ and left behind in the race for success. “That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control! The competition is maddening!” Here in Act 1, Willy can be seen recognising that an increase in people means an increase in competition. Therefore, people have to try harder in order to become successful, since they have to beat those who are trying for the same position. In the context of the play, this means that a salesman may achieve something big, whereas an ordinary worker, however secure the job, will never earn large amounts. Since money is the key to success, those who do not earn large amounts of money cannot survive in the capitalist world. This is because they are unable to purchase products that those with a lot of money have. Even though Willy is a salesman, he has never made large amounts of money. So, there is no opportunity for him to succeed on personality and popularity alone. It would take much more hard work and determination for him to survive in the ‘concrete jungle’. “Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived.”  Here we can see Linda in Act 1 defending Willy, but she is also highlighting that Willy is an ordinary man and he is nothing ‘special’. Therefore, he has nothing extraordinary that will enable him to stand out of the crowd and be noticed.

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        Furthermore, Miller demonstrates that the American Dream leaves those who need a bit more community support, who cannot advocate for themselves as strongly, in the dust. If America is the land of opportunity, then even the poorest man should be able to move upwards in life through his own hard work. “There was a man started with the clothes on his back and ended up with diamond mines.” (Page 32) This quotation shows that Willy strongly believes in this aspect of the American Dream, that even the poorest people can become successful. This belief may keep Willy determined enough to ...

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