(Based on Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller) The American Dream, the aspiration held by many people in the United State to live better (have a house

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A Criticism to Idealism

by Juan Pablo Cáceres

(Based on Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller)

The American Dream, the aspiration held by many people in the United State to live better (have a house, a spouse and a happy family). An ideal, that through hard work, courage and conviction, someone can achieve prosperity and happiness. That was the credo of Willy Loman, his ideology, what he lived for, but is it worth? Can you really rely on some ideal?

Idealism in literature is the representation of things in an ideal form. It is related to a direct knowledge of subjective mental ideas. I believe this is the motor that moves us throughout life, it give us hope, trust in the future, helps us set goals. Without idealism the mankind would be lost. But as everything in this world, there must be a balance between ideals and reality, otherwise it will become a utopia, some romantic dream with no real future. The play “Death of a Salesman” is the perfect example to support this thesis, its main character, Willy Loman; a sixty one years old salesman, in a capitalistic world is at the bottom of the hierarchic order. He posses nothing, and he makes nothing, so he has not got any sense of accomplishment whatsoever. Apart from that, he is blinded by the theory that if a person is well liked and has a great deal of personal attractiveness, all doors will automatically be opened for him. And success will be guaranteed. He built his life around these dreams. However, for Willy to live by these ideals necessitates building or telling many lies, and these illusions replace reality in Willy's mind. He goes around telling lies about how well liked he is in everywhere he goes, and how vital he is to New England. Occasionally he started to believe his own lies and becomes keen and exited. Like when he was telling his family he had banked more money than he actually did.

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The core of Willy’s life was a fraudulent aspiration, based in ideals and dreams which were never fulfilled, that is why he filled his sons so full of this concept of being well-liked, therefore, when Biff failed math he made a journey to Boston in searching for his father. He thought that since his father were so well-liked, he will be able to convince the math teacher to change the grade, and that was the mentality they have throughout life. It was during this time that Biff encountered his father in the hotel room with another woman. This was the ...

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