Death of a Salesman :: Literary Analysis, Arthur Miller

What encompasses the American Dream? Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman offers a realistic, stark picture of lives overflowing with dreams wished and dreams broken yet, there are no dreams realized here. Their dreams comprise glory and fearlessness over those which sincerely can be achieved. Although Willy, Linda, Biff and Happy, as individuals, still believe in the American Dream, its clear that it represents something different for each.Willy Loman has an innate ability for envisage way beyond his capabilities. Throughout the play, Willys dreams represent more fondness than truth, a behavior which his boys clearly imitate. Yet, despite the talk, there is an ongoing animadversion for the world and the way things work. He brags about his sales for a trip, Im tellin you, I was selling thousands and thousands, but I had to come crime syndicate (1224). Its difficult to tell if the stories Willy tells are what he believes to be adjust or what he imagines is correct as a res ult, he continually tells lies to cover his shortcomings and mistakes. On the contrary, with all the thousands and thousands of dollars he is making, he complains about essential repairs to mechanical objects around the house Once in my life I would like to own something outright before its broken Im always in a race with the junkyard (1244) Willys primary election come off from reality involves his brother Ben, who typifies the American Dream however, Willys escape with Ben is purely a figment of his imagination. Opportunity is tremendous in Alaska, William. impress youre not up there (1230). His imaginings about Ben, while they pop to be an illusion throughout the story, are thoroughly realistic in Willys mind. He truly believes that Ben has reached the pinnacle of the American Dream.Willy refuses to recognize that he does have true abilities, as in the field of construction. He appears at times to have hope for the future, on the way home tonight, Id like to buy some seeds (1243). Nonetheless, there is a immobilize undercurrent of fear for Willy, as Linda discovers, sure enough, on the bottom of the urine heater theres a new little knocker on the gas pipe (1237). Although the illusions that Willy puts forth are real to him, they are, nevertheless, evidently that Illusions. Deep down he knows things are not as they should be, with his family, his labor and his life.