Death Of A Salesman American Dream Essay

982 Words2 Pages

Everyone wants something, and no one plans on stopping until they get it. Whether it is religious freedom, wealth, safety, we all strive for one thing— opportunity. That is the epitome of the American dream in the society that we live in today. However, as our country has evolved, so has the perception of the dream. In “The Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, we can find a similar theme. Each character in the play represents the evolution of the dream through the years. For instance, Willy Loman, a materialistic, entitled man strives to get rich, and believes that being well-liked is the ultimate route to success. This mindset is much like the one of a twenty-first century American. However, in the play we also find a original version of the dream in Charlie and Bernard. Both of these characters believe that if one works hard, they will be successful. Overall, each character has a different idea of what the American dream looks like. In fact, numerous scholars have wrestled with the concept of whether or not the beloved dream is headed to its deathbed. Vanity fair writer, David Kamp, urges our …show more content…

At the end of the play Willy is so overwhelmed by his failure that his only solution is to kill himself. This is a significant metaphor regarding the demise of the dream, because it foreshadows the result of the envied dream in our world today. Much like the unwillingness of Willy to take responsibility for his failure, many Americans’ sense “of entitlement has spilled over into a lack of responsibility” (who wants to be a millionaire). Consequently, this a great interpretation of where the American dream is headed. The beloved dream is ultimately going to become obsolete, just like Willy Loman at the end of the play, if Americans continue to avoid hard work and traditional values to achieve

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