Willy Loman`s American Dream

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Willy Loman`s American Dream

Many perceive the American Dream as obtaining fame, fortune, and success. The

play" Death of A Salesman," by Arthur Miller, tells the story of traveling salesman, Willy

Loman, who encounters frustration and failure as he reflects on and experiences his own

life. Willy's quest for the American Dream leads to his failure because throughout his

life, he pursues the illusion of the American Dream and not the reality of it. His mindset

was on perfection, success, and his constant reminiscence of the past and foretelling of

the future, all contribute to his defeat in the end.

The reality of the American Dream is that people are capable of succeeding.

Success, though, requires one to work hard and be dedicated to both his/her professional

life and family life. Yet, the illusion of the Dream is that attaining material prosperity

defines success. Failing to acknowledge the importance of hard work in achieving the

American Dream is another aspect of the illusion. By ignoring the present, Willy fails to

deal with reality. He has a tendency of living in the past and thinking of the future. He
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always thinks that if he had done something differently then this could have happened, or

things will get better as time passes. His habit of distorting the past, never allows Willy

to realize what is going on right then and there in the present. At one time, when Willy

goes off down memory lane, he "says" to Biff and Happy, "America is full of beautiful

towns and fine, upstanding people. And they know me, boys...the finest people...there'll

be open sesame for all of us, 'cause one thing boys: ...

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