'The American Dream' - Death of a Salesman.
Death of a Salesman GCSE Coursework, By, Alessandro Moro 'The American Dream' Death of a Salesman is centred on Willy Loman who is a 63 years old salesman and has a wife named Linda and two sons, Biff and Happy. Arthur Miller creates the Loman family so that everyone in a way could relate to someone in the family in one-way or another. Many people in the late 1940's and the 1950's had lived through a very miserable depression, and it was during this time that the American Society and economy was changing as it was becoming more and more advanced technologically. Times were changing and the 'good old days' such as the travelling salesman and were being withered away. The American Society was changing in a way that people were becoming more and more competitive and people would try to get to the top by any means. It became a desire for many Americans and was what they strived for their whole life. The American Dream is based mainly on wealth and materialism. The sense of freedom is what people are striving for. Freedom from bills and debt is what Willy Loman is striving for in Death of a Salesman. The American Dream is seen as a perfect life, which consists of a house with a perfect family; a husband, wife, two children, all living happily and comfortably without any troubles. But very few Americans achieve that goal in their
Death of a Salesman - the American Dream
Death of a Salesman 'The American Dream´ is based on the 'Declaration of Independence´: 'We believe that all men are born with these inalienable rights - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.´ (Thomas Jefferson, 1776). This 'dream´ consists of a genuine and determined belief that in America, all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth; you work hard enough you will achieve anything. However, Miller says people have been 'ultimately misguided´. The origins of the American Dream seem to have been rooted in the pioneering mentality of the 18th and 19th century immigrants, most of whom came to America because of a promise of a new and better life. In particular, the opportunity to own one´s land. But land 'ran out´ and so cities developed and massive variations arose in wealth, which meant that this 'American Dream´ changed from being a potential reality, into being a dream, like the name implies. Most of Miller´s plays are directly or indirectly about the American Dream, because ultimately this dream wasn´t going to succeed as lots of people wished. 'Death of a Salesman´ written in 1949, is a moving destruction of the whole myth. To be hard working, honest and have ambition were the ways of the American Dream. This lead onto success, wealth and in due time - power. But this dream for everyone developed, and encouraged greed, selfish
Death of a Salesman and the American Dream.
Lawencia Lester 1-09-2004 Eng 1102 Death of a Salesman American Dream "The American Dream" is that dream of a land in which life should be better, richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and are recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. The Lomans are a family in search of the American dream. Willy Loman is an elderly salesman lost in false hopes and illusions. As he has grown older, he has trouble distinguishing between illusion and reality. Linda is Willy's wife and is the arbiter of peace in the family. She is protective of Willy. She wants him to be happy even when the reality of the situation is bad. Biff Loman is Willy's son.Biff was a star football player in high school, with scholarships to two major universities. He flunked math his senior year and was not allowed to graduate. He became a drifter and was lost for 15 years. Happy Loman is the youngest son. He lives in New York in an apartment. Happy which they call Hap
"The American Dream" in Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman
The American Dream "The American Dream" is that dream of a land in which life should be better, richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. American society is a curious thing. It has been praised, derided, ridiculed, and condemned throughout the years. In addition, over the years, people have flocked from foreign nations to come for diversity of America. They come with the hopes and dreams of the silver screens. However, many are faced with the brutal hardship, rather than the fairytale ending of a famous millionaire. Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman examines the clashing of dreams against American Reality through the eyes of Happy, Biff, Linda, and Willy Loman. Happy is the Loman's youngest son. He is also of low moral character. Happy has always been the "second son" and tries to be noticed by his parents by showing off. Hap tries to be on Will's good side and keep him happy, even if
The American Nightmare: Is Death of a Salesman a stanch critique of the American, capitalist dream?
The American Nightmare: Is Death of a Salesman a stanch critique of the American, capitalist dream? In some ways, Death of a Salesman is a harsh critique of the American Dream, however, in other ways, it seems to be promoting the idea. In the past, before the play was set, the American Dream used to be a promise of a land of freedom with equality and opportunities for everyone, however by 1900, this rosy and pleasant idea had changed. The Dream featured throughout the play, set in the 1940s, is, in fact, a darker seeming dream of both financial and social success resulting from minimal effort. It claims that if you wealthy, you can buy anything you wish for: popularity, success or even love. However, as this play illustrates, it is fragile and can collapse easily. The main way in which Arthur Miller uses the play to put across the American Dream and its effects is through the way in which it governs the lives of the Loman family, especially Willy. Willy could in fact be considered to be obsessed with the Dream. For example, he is continually talking to Ben, the only member of the Loman family who ever had 'that special something' needed to achieve it. This 'special something' could perhaps be the fact that he is a ruthless manager who does not care about the feelings or opinions of others and only really cares about earning money. For example, he never actually cared
The American Dream in Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire
Leon Nepomniatshy American Literature II December 9th, 2002 The American Dream in Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire The American Dream is a central aspect of the plot of the two plays in question. It serves as both the motivation for Stanley's behavior in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Willy Loman's vision that his son Biff refused to uphold in Death of a Salesman. In Miller's play, Willy turned his vision of the American dream into more of a culture. He sincerely believes that the key indicators of success are how much money and brand-name appliances you have, how "well-liked" you are, and how hard you worked to achieve all you've got. His two sons, Happy and more so Biff, are victims of their father's failed vision and his efforts to make himself look good despite his obvious failure (through lying and inflating facts). Biff's view of the American Dream is different from that of Willy's - he wants to define success for himself, and not let success define him, as it did to his father, as his words "I've always made a point of not wasting my life, and every time I come back here I know that all I've done was waste my life" (Baym 2118) indicate. Perhaps, this difference was brought about when Biff found out about his father's affair back at the age of 17, and exclaimed "You fake! You phony little fake!" (Baym 2166) at both his father and the American Dream.
Examine "Death of Salesman" by Arthur Miller as a challenge to the American Dream
Death of Salesman by Arthur Miller as a challenge to American Dream To pass a laborious life and also die an inglorious death from frustration is the typical picture of the life of an individual in a third world country.But it is absolutely an unlikely happening for a citizen of America,the land of plenty and wealth.Arthur Miller’s Death of Salesman presents a very similar situation and thus indirectly poses a challenge to the American dream,that to be an American is to enjoy a life of plenty,equality and happiness. No American should get lost and die an unlamented death. The American Dream' is based on the 'Declaration of Independence': 'We believe that all men are born with these inalienable rights - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' This 'dream' consists of a genuine and determined belief that in America, all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth; if you work hard enough you will achieve anything. However, Miller believes that people have been 'ultimately misguided' and Miller's play, Death of a Salesman, is a moving destruction of the whole myth. The tragedy of Willy Loman, says Arthur Miller, is: “Willy gave his life, or sold it, in order to justify the waste of it…” Willy represents Every low-man in America. Hence, it is a tragedy of every American. The play is really a challenge to the American Dream because it is the
What view of the American Dream does Miller present in “Death of a Salesman”?
What view of the American Dream does Miller present in "Death of a Salesman"? In "Death of a Salesman" Miller presents a corrupted view of the American Dream. It has become corrupted due to the increased importance of consumerism and materialism instead of the traditional values of spiritual happiness and physical comfort. In "Death of a Salesman" Willy's view of the American Dream is solely about material wealth, overshadowing the importance of freedom and spiritual fulfilment. The play is about how the American Dream translates from the original context of agriculture, and freedom through the ownership of land, to the modern day urban existence. Willy and Happy have been brought up to believe that achievement can only be measured in terms of wealth, as shown by Happy when he says "Yeah, but when he walks into the store the waves part in front of him. That's fifty-two thousand dollars a year coming through the revolving door." This is due to the fast economic development and urbanisation of America after World War II. The urban society found it difficult to relate to the traditional ideas of property and freedom. The play therefore romanticizes the rural-agrarian dream but does not make it genuinely available to Willy, instead it is just part of Willy's fantasies, as is shown when he tells Linda that "Before it's all over (they're) gonna get a little place out in the
Death of a Salesman: The Loman's Misguided American Values
Rick Welch Professor Frantz Writing Seminar December 2, 2002 Death of a Salesman: The Loman's Misguided American Values Arthur Miller's The Death of a Salesman explores the Lomans' values. The entire family values a misconceived notion of the American dream. The American dream is something that we all chase after, yet we have different concepts of it. Willy Loman's vision of this dream is a rather distorted one; he and his family never really obtain the dream. They never actually have all the stability, success, security, and love that they expect they will, and are constantly worrying about finances. After hearing his bills, Willy exclaims: "A hundred and twenty dollars! My God, if business don't pick up I don't know what I'm gonna do!" (Miller 1933). This constant worrying about money also eliminates the chance for having a happy, communicating family, because it inhibits all of Willy's time. Willy Loman is a part of our capitalist society; he measures success by material wealth and popularity. One author writes, "Miller dramatizes the limited nature of Willie's values of material success and continual optimism" (Magill 1). Wealth and success are all the things that he values; he believes that they are the American dream. Willy teaches these values to his sons, "It's not what you say, it's how you say it -- because personality always wins the day" (Miller
Death of the American - Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman
Karen Haight 5.14.02 Hon. English 11 Block 7 Death of the American Dream "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/The wretched refuse of your teeming shore/Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me/ I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Inscribed in the base of the Statue of Liberty, this poem by Emma Lazarus defines the glorified, insatiable drive for wealth that is the American Dream. This dream, based in the belief that every person possesses the capacity to work hard and subsequently achieve fiscal success, has been a part of the American experience since its beginning. From the time of the discovery of the New World, millions of individuals have flocked to the United States in the hopes of capitalizing on the opportunities that accompany the freedom available to American citizens. Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman are two such individuals; people whose lives revolve around the belief that accumulating friends and material possessions will bring them happiness. The nobility and viability of the modern version of this quest, historically lauded as an American ideal, is examined in both Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and in Miller's "Death of a Salesman." Through the characters of Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman, the authors portray the American Dream as an unattainable, misguided quest for monetary success that never brings satisfaction
