The struggle for financial security and success has always been prominent in the American culture. The idea of the American dream captures the hearts of so many, yet leaves almost all of them enslaved in the endless economic struggle to achieve high status, wealth, and a house with a white picket fence. In Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman, we see how difficult it is for Willy Loman and his sons to achieve this so called American dream. In Lorraine Hansberry's, A Raisin in the Sun, she examines an African-American family's struggle to break out of the poverty that is preventing them from achieving some sort of financial stability, or in other words the American dream. Both plays explore the desire for wealth, driving forces that encourage the continued struggle for dreams, and how those dreams can lead to the patriarchal figure’s downfall. However, the plays contain minor differences, which have a common underlying factor, that leads A Raisin in the Sun to have a much more positive outcome than Death of a Salesman. We know that both of our protagonist’s dreams involve wealth, which is the basis for almost all elements of the standard American dream, but what is it in particular that Walter and Willy are striving for? For Walter, the American dream involves becoming a successful business entrepreneur. This dream relies heavily on the idea of wealth, because Walter is both in need of the money to fund his liquor store venture, but also because with the profits of his venture he will be able to support his family on his own. The exchange between Mamma and Walter “Oh—so now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change . . . No—it was always money, Mama. We j... ... middle of paper ... ...ld like both Walter and Willy seem to think that it is. Rather they both show that striving towards wealth and the American dream leads to the downfall of their protagonists. They have similarity, but whereas Miller shows the final and absolute downfall of Willy though his suicide, Hansberry allows a redemption for Walter. She allows the family to be a saving grace that can pull him back from the edge. Regardless of the ending, both authors successfully wrote a play that makes us question the validity of this so called “American Dream” by displaying the desire for wealth, the driving forces behind that dream, and the ultimate downfall that can be a consequence of having an unrealistic dream. Work Cited Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. 10th ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. Print. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. 7th ed. New York: Penguin Group, 19
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Signet, 1988. Liukkonen, Petri. "Lorraine Hansberry." Lorraine Hansberry. Web. 11 May 2012. .
... American Dream that was sold in society at the time after World War II can overshadow the actual meaning in real life. The “American Dream” is, in the end, defined as a comfortable living in a happy house. Instead, the materialistic society back then attempted to sell it in terms of appliances and products that were not needed, and unaffordable. They marketed it to the middle-class by attracting them to the aspect of credit, buying it with money that they don’t have. As Willy’s neighbor claimed at his funeral, Willy was merely a victim of his profession, leaving him with an unhealthy obsession with an image that was unrealistic, especially for them. This dissatisfaction with his life, and his misinterpretation of the “American Dream”, led to his downfall as a tragic hero, and a death that went in vain, as his son failed to follow the plan he had laid out for him.
Most everyone in America would like to achieve financial success. Sometimes living in a capitalistic society entices many to become too materialistic. Greed is the characteristic that many Americans then attain. This is all in pursuit of the American dream. For most Americans, this high status is very difficult to achieve. In Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman, we see how difficult it was for Willy Loman and his sons to achieve this so called American dream, and these people were proud white Americans. In Lorraine Hansberry's ,A Raisin in the Son, she examines an African-American's family's struggle to break out of the poverty that is preventing them from achieving some sort of financial stability, or the American Dream. It focuses on Walter's attempt in "making it," or "being somebody." She also analyzes how race prejudice and economic insecurity affect a black mans role in his own family, his ability to provide, and his identity. What Hansberry is trying to illustrate is how Western civilization has conditioned society to have materialistic aspirations and how these ideals corrupt the black man's identity and his family.
Fourthly, Willy and his son Biff love for America may seem “crazy”, because they are failures. Willy absolutely missed series of opportunities and failed to make the drive to his business appointment. His boss fired him and no job willing to hire him. This unable him to make any money for his family. Willy shows that he loves the American dream, because he inspire his son Biff to ascend to achieve something. Willy wants Biff to do much better than. He’s tried of him collecting his briefcase when he arrives home. Willy ruminates Biff as a wealthy man, but Biff does not perceive it. Biff tendency of American dream is entirely different than Willy perception.
...ur promises of this country began to wither, and the nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable. The next generations must lower their sights, we know that it is mankind’s nature to have selfish and foolish characters, but we have got to act now. The way Arthur Miller depicts the Loman’s truly criticizes the fact that wealth and success are not the most significant attributes in real life. Death of a Salesman is a red light, it is another example of how America adopts one million ideas and dreams for success. Everyone wants to become the President of America, but when Willy fails to achieve his dreams, he becomes frustrated. His suicide is a caution for such modern values. Miller tried to show the failure of the American Dream while telling us that man is not a machine, he has emotions too. Willy gave his life in order to try and justify the waste of it….”
Laban, Linda. “Raisin in the Sun Raisin’s in the Rounder”. Boston Globe. 5 Apr 2001: pgs 8-11.
In history there have been an uncountable amount of plays made, but there have only been two that fully captured the American dream like A Raisin in the sun and Death of a Salesman. In both plays the protagonist is trying to achieve the American dream, but it is near impossible when neither of them has the respect of their superiors or the people around them. It is amazing that two different plays can so closely parallel each other when they have a time gap of over 10 years.
Willy grew up believing that being “well-liked” was important to becoming a success. He envisioned Biff, the once great high school athlete, becoming a success for the wrong reasons. In contrast, we see Willy’s friend Charley who lived the real American Dream as a successful man in the business world. Through Charley we see the rewards to chasing this dream, such as the access to more money, and being able to have a flexible enough job to offer Willy a spot. On the other hand, the Loman family was not lucky enough to have any type of reward from the hunt for this success. Through this play, we see how the American Dream drove Willy Lohman and the family crazy and obsessed with a false fantasy. Arthur Miller shows us that the American Dream is valid, but those who hope to substitute popularity and lucky breaks for hard work are likely to
Death of a Salesman is centered around one man trying to reach the American dream and taking his family along for the ride. The Loman's lives from beginning to end is a troubling story based on trying to become successful, or at least happy. Throughout their lives they encounter many problems and the end result is a tragic death caused by stupidity and the need to succeed. During his life Willy Loman caused his wife great pain by living a life not realizing what he could and couldn't do. Linda lived sad and pathetic days supporting Willy's unreachable goals. Being brought up in this world caused his children to lose their identity and put their futures in jeopardy.
The American Dream is something we all strive for, whether it is subconscious or outright, most all of our major goals in life fall along the same path towards wealth and power. Known as a national ethos of the United States, the American Dream is said to give the people opportunities of prosperity and success no matter what economic or social background they came from. The story, “The Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller tells the story of Willy Loman and his failure to achieve the American dream ending in his ultimate downfall. He is a salesman, living in New York city in the late 1940s, with his wife and two sons, often finding himself unhappy and struggling to discover his true identity in his version of American society. A key factor
The first component of the American dream, in Willy’s eyes is a successful career. Always the dreamer, he attempts to make his mark as a salesman because “selling [is] the greatest career a man [can] want” (1492; Act 2). But when he falls short of his goals, he blames the superficiality of the business world, as evidenced in his thoughts about Bernard:
The American Dream is a universal goal sought out by many, and is thought to be the pathway to success, prosperity and happiness. At a young age, most are exposed to the concept of the American Dream and feel pressured by society to follow these ideals. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the quest for the American dream, and the nature of that dream is revealed in Willy’s life and death. In the play, Willy Loman’s version of the American Dream is influenced by others, and he is burdened with the responsibility of making that dream come true for his family. Throughout the play, Willy is constantly attempting to drive his sons towards success to create a better life for them. In the end, Willy’s boundless love for the American Dream causes
Hansberry Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. [1959] Literature. 5th ed. Eds. James N. N. Pickering and Jeffery D. Hoeper. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, O. 1700-57.
Is it right to blame society when the stronghold of trust in the American Dream diminishes or dies? The critical point in Death of a Salesman was the mission for this dream. Miller depicts this in his character Willy Loman and his deceived mission of this dream. Arthur Miller's outline of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman was created in post bellum America. Around then, the thinking was more than essentially a declaration; it was a lifestyle. In attempts to further the onlooker's understanding of the story, one must portray the American Dream. After World War II, the United States thrived and flourished monetarily. The possibility of achievement was the establishment of the American Dream. The possibility of a free market framework was reborn and by living in a capitalistic free market, everyone in America had an open door to get rich and be productive. To put it fundamentally, the American Dream was portrayed as "an American flawless of a playful and powerful life which all may want: the American Dream addresses a reaffirmation of standard American hope. Arthur Miller makes the spectator grasp the dream is a lie, in light of the way that it is not for everybody. In the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is an impeccable outline of somebody who is attempting to search for this dream. “Death” in the title insinuates Willy's authentic destruction. The play is tormented with conspiring and refusal of reality and self-image, in which don't permit Willy Loman to accomplish independent satisfaction. Willy Loman's life is far from merry and successful.
The American dream today is based on the fact that anyone living in America can achieve a perfect life if they work hard. Willy Loman, the father in the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, tries his hardest to reach the American dream as he grows up. The Loman’s life from beginning to end is a troubling story based on trying to become successful, or at least happy. Throughout their lives they encounter many problems causing Willy to have a tragic death due to the desire of succession. Willy wants to provide his wife Linda, and two sons Biff and Happy, the perfect life. Willy strives for the American dream throughout the entire play, yet never achieves what he hopes because there are too many problems standing in his way.