Death Of A Salesman And The American Dream

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How far are people willing to go to achieve their dreams? There’s a saying by Tommy Hilfiger that goes, “The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream”. In the story, Death of a Salesman, the protagonist named Willy wants nothing more than to live the American Dream. Willy’s insatiable hunger for success causes him to put making money in front of taking care of his son. When Willy gets fired from his job, he is faced with an ultimatum that could lead to the loss of his own life. Through this, Willy realizes that the American Dream isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. The concept of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman was based on the idea that everyone …show more content…

This passing of inheritance creates a legacy of wealth that continues from generation to generation. When a legacy is formed, children with that tradition are born into financial security. This heritage of prosperity leads to the nation’s well-off population being filled with trust-fund babies. These lucky individuals skip the jump from “working-class [member] to middle-class citizen” (Decker 6). With the bulk of rich Americans holding onto the country’s revenue, how does an average hard working man expect to get a piece of the pie? As money is passed down a straight path from parent to child, the remaining riches are few and far between. With this in mind, it’s obvious that practically no one has the opportunity to reap the benefits of fortune. With mediocrity as the only outcome in one’s life, Happy announces in Act I, “I don’t know what the hell I’m workin’ for” (Miller 1008). On the contrary, there are those who have shown that wealth is not limited to a select few, but open to all, if one is determined enough to earn it. These extraordinary people are known as self-made millionaires. Everyone has a chance to achieve their goals, no matter how unobtainable they may seem at the time. Self-made millionaires prove to the world that financial success is not bound to those who have received it from their parents. There is plenty of money in the world for people to become wealthy off of as long as one has “virtues of thrift and hard work” (Decker 13). All that matters is if one is willing enough to give everything they have to attain it. Therefore, fortune is available to everyone who is passionate enough to go after

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