Death Of A Salesman The American Dream

The American Dream is the belief that despite the social class system, everyone has equal opportunity to become rich through means of hard work and ability. The American Dream is one that has existed and prevailed over time. The actual effects of this dream are not what was intended when this ideal originally came into play. The middle class ideal used to be living comfortably and having just enough money to get by, or a little more to support one’s family. In the times of Death of a Salesman, or the late 1940s, the struggle Willy goes through to achieve financially stability for his household is highlighted. Willy goes over the edge to make sure his family is getting by and did not search for additional money, rather he made what was necessary

It is increasingly harder to find jobs especially due to the increase of immigrants coming into America. It used to be that one could skip college and still be successful, but as competition has increased among Americans and immigrants, the people who want class mobility must get the best education they can afford (Kristof nytimes.com). At the time Death of a Salesman was written, the author worried people would identify with Willy’s struggles too much. The original audience was the average, middle class individual searching to maintain his middle class status and only gain what is necessary to survive. This audience did identify with Willy, but as time passes, this middle class turns into a different type of class. This “new” class is not a class at all, rather it is a class who associates happiness with money and wealth and looks at success as becoming rich. No one wants to be the typical middle class man anymore. Since people do not want to have just enough money to support their family and want the most money possible, the middle class is continually declining (Siegel nytimes.com). Before the appeal of the American Dream, Willy used to be a businessman who could walk in and make a sale, but gradually his success declines as more individuals entered the field, leading to Willy’s unemployment (Miller

Although America is thought to be the “land of opportunity,” studies suggest that Americans’ rate of economic mobility is lagging behind other countries such as Canada and Western Europe (Florida nytimes.com). As Willy is unable to achieve the American Dream or enough money to support his family, the burden of the dream falls upon Biff, Willy’s oldest son. Biff can not keep a steady job and feels a large amount of pressure to do well and achieve the American Dream because of his father’s failure to do so. Willy pushes Biff to pick up where Willy left off in achieving his American Dream. The pressure weighing on Biff causes him to run away from all responsibility rather than motivate him to be successful (Miller 131). In America, around 62 percent of individuals born into the upper class remain in the upper class and around 65 percent of individuals born into the lower class remain in the lower class. This is because there is an increasing amount of importance regarding family background, making it harder for individuals to move up into the middle class. Due to the increasing interest in achieving the American Dream, the average American’s income has grown higher because the country as a whole is richer. However, the middle class remains fluid with only 23 percent of individuals remaining in the class while 36 percent move up and 41 percent move down (DeParle, nytimes.com). If a child grows up in a