The Pursuit of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

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American Dream is supposed to be powered by fair ambition and driven by hopes and aspiration. This plain but revolutionary notion led to so many successes yet so many downfalls. As the American Dream has become misunderstood overtime, it seems so difficult to realize what is the true idea of American Dream that is so much more meaningful than just desire. In “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Willy’s American Dream is an endless pursuit of money and fame without proper effort.
Willy’s pursuit of fortune is different from others. He thinks fortune is all about opportunities that once you’ve got, you can live your entire life in success. This extremely unrealistic idea is nearly impossible to take place on Willy, but he failed to realize that. “The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he's rich! The world is an oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress!” (Miller 1572). Willy never understand that the engine behind the American Dream is not waiting for opportunity to come down to you, but actually to put in enormous amount of effort that is significantly more compare to others. He saw the success and wealth his brother Ben acquired from the diamond mines in Africa, but he would never understand how hard Ben worked and how many obstacles Ben overcame. In fact, Willy does not even understand his own duty as a salesman.
Willy never understands the true characteristics for a salesman to have in order to be successful. Instead, he thinks as a salesman the only thing you need is to be popular, which falls short when it comes down to reality. “It is necessary to make a good appearance and to be well-liked. Appearance is a key concept, for a salesman m...

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...ke to have a wrong American Dream at the first place, but it is Willy’s insatiable pursuit that ended him. “The desire to obtain such wealth became so intense for some that Merle Curti, author of The Growth of American Thought, calls it a “quest” that Americans embark upon as they seek out “material fortunes as ends in themselves” (Packer-Kinlaw 508).” Willy Loman is just one example of thousands of other Americans who are never going to be satisfied because of their desire to be successful. The tragedy of Willy Loman shows that because he never realizes what he already had, he never cherishes his family and things other than success.
Willy Loman’s American Dream is distorted because of his lacking realization of hard work, and his obsession with money and fame. His concentration on the appearance caused most of his misunderstanding of success, and the end of him.

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