On Death of a Salesman, play by Arthur Miller

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A Theme Analysis on Death of a Salesman

“Every year, an average of 1.8 million people immigrate to the United States” (migrationpolicy.org). The reason behind someone leaving their native land so they can venture into uncharted territory is powerful and enchanting. It is the same reason why today there are people who possess elevators and bowling alleys in their homes, while others are faced with the burden of depending on food stamps and sleeping under park benches. Immigrants would agree that opportunity is the popular reason for these causes. The opportunity of a better life intrigues humans all around the globe. In their home land, they hear rumors that the United States can provide freedom, along with an outstanding future for their family. Although, most of them do not realize that opportunity, in general, can be as kind as a mother’s touch, but it can also be as cruel as Arizona’s summer weather. Consequently, they come to America full of confidence and ready to track down and seize the American Dream. In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, Miller uses a variety of characters to express the successes and failures behind the American Dream.

During their quest to reach the top of the totem pole, Willy Loman and his two sons slip and are left behind. Deluded and troubled traveling salesmen like Willy Loman do not come around every day. His belief that the American Dream consists of simple success and wealth is extremely sincere. Nevertheless, he never manages to achieve it. Instead, Willy is stuck with the hope that his sons will succeed where he has failed. One of his sons, Biff, experiences a dazzling life in high school with almost everything going his way. However, Biff fails math and as a result he is not able ...

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...r’s, Death of a Salesman. As people ponder about the American Dream, they are engulfed into a whirlpool of delusional thought. Once they move to America, their main focus is to achieve financial success. Their brain becomes programmed to do anything to accomplish this lifelong goal. Not one thing will get in their way of being wealthy. As they start working, some become excessively preoccupied and they start to neglect everything else in their lives. Recreational activities vanish as fast as the speed of light. It might even be detrimental to the point where they would rather be at work on a day off instead of spending time with their family. Is this what they really want in the first place? Do they want to dedicate their lives to a mission that might or might not be successful? It seems that as they slowly get sucked in, their lives are put in a riskier situation.

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