Salesman American Dream

America is often called “the land of opportunity,” but is that the truth in reality? Playwright Arthur Miller essays this question in his American tragedy Death of a Salesman. The protagonist, Willy, spends his life striving for the American Dream. Full of bad business and a meager amount of income, his disappointing quest ultimately leads him to his death. Although many Americans believe the American Dream is attainable for all, Miller presents a different reality full of failure and false hope, displaying that effort only guarantees a chance for success.
Like most Americans, Willy holds conviction that through purposeful application the American Dream can be attained. In act one, when Willy is trying to teach Biff a lesson in steadfastness,

Throughout the play, Willy aspires to attain more external goods. Mentioning things like running his own business so he will “never have to leave home” (30) and having a place out in the country to “raise some vegetables [and] a couple of chickens” (72), Willy wishes to have these things. Unfortunately, Willy never formulates a plan or takes any action to realize these dreams. Some might say that by not enacting a plan that he internally knows that he will not have a farm or his own business. Additionally, Willy never admits to himself that he will never acquire these aspirations which fill him with false hope because even though he knows deep down he will not have these things, his pride does not allow to acknowledge that. Another example of Willy’s pride is the false conviction he has in his job, calling his role “vital in New England” (14). In reality, Willy is quite expendable and makes a living “on straight commission, like a beginner” (57). Willy’s employment and economic failures fill him with false hope and his pride does not allow Willy to tell his wife about his predicament. In fact, Willy is so strapped for cash that he “goes to Charley and [borrows] fifty dollars and pretends it’s his pay” [57]. Willy’s tendency to continually lie to himself and believe in his success is not surprising. In a study by The New York Times, they found that Americans “believe unduly in their own capacity to move up the economic ladder, and these beliefs increase our