American Dream from Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller.

“American Dream” from “Death of a Salesman”

By Arthur Miller

               The American Dream is a term that was first coined by James Adams in his book “The Epic of America” written in 1931.The American dream is a dream of a land where life is better and richer for everything else. It is a dream of a social order where man and woman shall be able to the maximum stature that they are inherently capable of, to which they will be identified by others.

              The dream is a national ethos of American where the ideas of democracy are used as a premise for prosperity and the idea of the dream is rooted in the second sentence of the declaration of independence which states “all men are created equal and they are endowed by the creator with certain alienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The dream consists of genuine and determined belief that in America all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth, “If we work hard enough, we all achieve anything”.

             The origins of American dream seem to have been rooted in the pioneering mentality of 18^th and 19^th century immigrants, most of the came to America because of a new and better life, in particular the opportunity to own one’s land. Some Americans, they see the dream as living a simple fulfilling life that has less focus on financial gain and materialism.

            Arthur Miller was a prominent figure in American theater and many of his plays are considered classics. One of his most famous plays critically acclaimed “Death of a Salesman”, is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest representation of the American dream. Most of the Miller’s plays are directly or indirectly about the American dream. This leads to

Success

Wealth

&

Power

But this dream for everyone develops and encourages greed, selfish behavior, pride and rivalry between one another. Miller created “an attack on some of the basis values of American business culture.

             Willy Loman is “Caught up” in the American Dream. It causes business to develop in the world. Capitalism and also the profit motive and competitive instinct makes Willy have a weakness in his personality. This weakness is caused by a combination of business pressures. Willy wants to prove himself through a successful salesman but as he fails, his own life destroys.

              It is the struggle of each character’s pursuit of the “American Dream”. This is one of the central themes of the story. It has often been said that “Death of a Salesman” is a harsh criticism of the “American Dream”.

             The protagonist of “Death of a Salesman” is Willy who has the “American Dream” that is the ability to become prosperous by mere charisma or achieving the powerful personal quality which will be used to attract and impress other people. He believes that no hard work and innovation are the key to success. Willy wants to make sure this boys are well-linked
and popular. For example, when his son Biff confesses to making fun of his math teacher’s lisp, Willy is more concerned with how Biff’s classmates react.

“ Biff-I crossed my eyes and talked wit a lithp.

Willy-(Laughing) you did? The kids like it?

Biff-They nearly died laughing! “

           

              Willy’s older brother Ben’s dream is to the ability to start with nothing and somehow make a fortune. Ben says,

                       

“ William, when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen, when

I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, i was rich! ”

Ben’s character signifies that a few people can achieve the “rags to riches” version of the “American Dream“.

               Biff has Inner conflict. If he can resolve this, his dream will pursue the “right” dream. He is pulled by two different dreams. One dream is his father’s world of business, sales and capitalism. Another dream involves nature, the great outdoors and working with his hands. He thinks that his father should have been a carpenter or should have lived in another, more rustic part of the country. Willy sold nameless, unidentified products and watched his “American Dream” fall apart.

              The death of a salesman is an attack on the idea of the “American Dream” showing that it is not always successful it has a darker side. It shows that common people also suffer from downfalls which are just as steep as those of people with high status. When people live denial and do not realize their role in the failure to these dreams to materialize, it in most causes becomes detrimental to themselves. Death of a salesman is an antithesis of the happy ending to the fulfillment of the “American Dream”. When Willy’s affair with the woman is exposed, he manifests a denial of emotion as he manages to stay calm and collected in order to focus on the goal of Biff achieving his dream. His relationship with Biff exposes the lack of empathy and exploitation of others. So, believing in the “American Dream” that population equates to success and happiness is not only a pitfall of the Loman’s family, but of society as well.