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Comment on Arthur Miller's play death of Salesman
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Many works of literature have the theme of a failed American Dream, which is the basic idea that no matter what social class an individual may be, they still have an equal ability to achieve prosperity and a good life for their family; however, there has been much debate over whether or not the American dream is still obtainable in modern society. One piece of American literature that substantiates the fact that the American Dream can not be gotten is Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman which describes the tragedy of the average person in America. A number of other writers also draw the inability to capture the American Dream. John Steinbeck demonstrates in his highly acclaimed novel The Grapes of Wrath how hard economic times can devastate the typical American family and their struggle for the American Dream. Similarly, Scott Fitzgerald exhibits Jay Gatsby’s vain venture to realize the American Dream in The Great Gatsby. All of the authors illustrate their opinion that having the American Dream is not feasible. Arthur Miller further argues through his play Death of a Salesman that the American Dream is an illusion not merely for Willy Loman, but for nearly everyone in America.
Willy Loman, the tragic hero of Death of a Salesman succumbs to the rules of society and therefore can not live the American Dream. Susan Abbotson, professor of literature at Rhode Island College writes in her analysis of Death of a Salesman from her book Critical Companion to Arthur Miller:
“In Miller’s opinion, the blame of failure should not be attached to insignificant cogs in the social machine like the Lomans but should be partially attributed to the larger social forces that operate people’s lives. Economics play an important part in the creation ...
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...esman. 1st ed. New York: Crown Publishers, 1987.
6. Print.
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a Salesman. Ed. Thomas Siebold. 1st ed. San Deigo: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. 75. Print.
Porter, Thomas. "Myth and Modern American Drama."Readings on Arthur Miller: Death of a
Salesman. Ed. Thomas Siebold. 1st ed. San Deigo: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1997. 111-12. Print.
Stanton, Kay. "Women and the American Dream of Death of a Salesman." Readings on Arthur
Miller: Death of a Salesman. Ed. Thomas Siebold. 1st ed. San Deigo: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. 134-35. Print.
Steinbeck, John . The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin Classics, 2006. 74. Print.
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Siebold. 1st ed. San Deigo: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1997. 78. Print.
Throughout the plot of Death of a Salesman, Willy Lowman believes in chasing the American Dream of
The protagonist of the play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman and protagonist of the play Fences, Troy Maxson are similar in the way both men are chasing after an American Dream. Willy Loman is an insecure self-deluded salesman who believes that “to be hard working, honest and have ambition were the ways of the American Dream” (Corruption of the "American Dream" In Death of A Salesman 124). Willy Loman also believes wholeheartedly in his misguided notion that the key to success is being “well liked” and making money (Miller 1920). What Willy Loman does not factor into his ideology of how to achieve the American dream is the value place...
America is a country built on the idea of The American dream; an idea that any person, white, black, brown, or even purple can achieve economic freedom and upward social mobility through hard work and determination. There are few men who hold this idea more dear than Willy Loman. Mistakenly, Willy focuses more on the ideals of wealth than the laborious journey it takes to become a successful business man. The American capitalistic society is competitive and people like Willy, who do not understand the environment they are in, will habitually have problems climbing the economic totem pole. Death of Salesman admits to a flaw in the American system, not everybody will be successful, but through characters, flashbacks, and the resolution it is clear that Willy’s lack of success is result of his own choices, and not society.
... Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin, 1996. Print. The. Sherk, James.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Seventh Edition. X.J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 1999
Gioia, Dana, and X.J. Kennedy. "Death of a Salesman" Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Compact Edition, Interactive Edition. 5th ed. New York: Pearson; Longman Publishing, 2007. 1212-1280. Print.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Eds. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 2128-2193. Print.
Porter, Thomas E. “Willy Loman and the American Dream.” Readings on Death of a Salesman. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Seventh Edition. X.J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 1999. 1636-1707.
Eisinger, Chester E. "Critical Readings: Focus on Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman: The Wrong Dreams." Critical Insights: Death of a Salesman (2010): 93-105.
"We Are All Salesmen Now." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 09 May 2014.
Miller, Arthur. “Death of a Salesman.” The Norton Introduction to Literature 10. New York: W. W.
Miller, Arthur “Death of a Salesman” Literature: Craft and Voice. Ed. Nicholas Delbanco and Alan Cheuse. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. 205-13. Print.
Eisinger, Chester E. "Focus on Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman': The Wrong Dreams," in American Dreams, American Nightmares,
"Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller ." Goodreads . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .