Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller - 1386 Words

The American Dream is a sought after idea sold to Americans and immigrants alike. It promises the opportunity to create a better future for oneself. So long as said individual works hard it promises a happy ending. Arthur Miller reveals the reality of the American Dream in his play Death of a Salesman through the life of Willy Loman and his family. Willy represents the primary target audience as a working class man providing for his family. His pride causes him to be two steps behind in his life-long quest to achieve the American Dream and his family inherit his failures in their own individual quests. Miller uses Death of a Salesman to shed light on the American Dream â€Å"for the sham it is† claims Raine. Willy has bought into this†¦show more content†¦Neither Biff nor Willy took education seriously and they brushed Bernard away when he bothered him about studying. Willy, instead of encouraging his son to study, tells both his sons that they will be more successful than Bernard because he is â€Å"liked† but not â€Å"well-liked† (Act 1). Willy says â€Å"Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, you are going to be five times ahead of him (Act 1). Willy’s ignorance stems from his desire to get rich quick like his brother Ben and presumably his father. As a father, Willy is raising his sons based solely on his own thoughts and beliefs. These are all original as he had no father to guide him when he was growing up. The only basis he has as to how he can become successful is his brother Ben who left for Alaska and managed to strike gold. Willy is open about his regrets in not following his brother to Alaska where he found success. Since his brother did not need an education to be â€Å"successful† Willy does not believe he, nor do his sons need one. His sons grow up being praised by their father for things like their stature and success with girls. Wil ly even references Greek mythology when referring to his sons, â€Å"That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises† (Act 1). His older son Biff is his favorite of the two and he proves this during his flashbacks to their high school years. Biff and Happy’s years in high