Playwright Arthur Miller's "Death of A Salesman" could be described as a study in the American Dream ideology, a system that at times is indescribably brutal and at other times benevolent. The "Great American Dream" of prosperity and success is what most Americans have grown to know. As Arthur Miller shows us, the "Great American Dream" is valid, but those who hope to substitute popularity and lucky breaks for hard work are likely to fail.

Like many other Americans, Willy Loman is a product of this ever-increasing capitalist society. A society that's become obsessed with making it, measuring success by popularity and material wealth and unfortunately impressing these misguided principles upon their families. For Willy Loman, to be liked, and well liked at that, was the definitive criteria of successful life. For the Loman family, Willy had reiterated his dream into their heads so often that to them it became real, however, the American Dream is something they will probably n

Willy Loman is an elderly salesman lost in false hopes and illusions. Now in his mid sixties, Willy accepts that in fact he has lived his life in vain, never achieving nor succeeding but remaining a mediocre shadow of his aspirations. As Willy has grown older, he has trouble distinguishing between the past and present - between illusion and reality. It is this sudden insight that spurs him into a fantasy world of reflection, afraid to face the future. It is only through Willy's failure as a salesman that his innate desire for the outdoors is exposed. At the end of the play, Charley mentions, "... He was a happy man with a batch of cement ... so wonderful with his hands ... he had the wrong dreams, all wrong" (Miller XX). It has been often said that the play emphasizes that, perhaps the path not taken may have been the right one, and still Willy holds the inability to see who and what he is.

Arthur Miller's portrayal of the Loman family places emphasis on the idealist struggling to achieve the perfection that is the American dream, which is sensitive and realistic to today's society. It is not an attack upon the American system but evidence of the systems possible ineffectiveness.

As Willy, Biff and most Americans, I was raised to envision and covet the ideal "Great American Dream." I envisioned that my life would be nearly perfect, with a family, prosperity, success and happiness. However, unlike Willy, I have come to the realization that your life is not given to you on a silver platter. To me, happiness is something for fools and children to dream of, reasonable contentment is a more reachable goal. I have always tried to set my ambitions within reach, so that accomplishing them would be sensible proposal. Only a select few Americans actually reach the ideal "Great American Dream." As Charley and Bernard have proved, without perseverance and hard work, t

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Approximate Word count = 1263
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)