The Winners and Losers of the American Dream

[ezram02]

Ezra M
Period 2
746 words

In Pursuit of Dave Singleman: The Winners and Losers of the American Dream

In his play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller presents one of the most constant themes of life in America: the American Dream. Not specific to any single period of time in our history, this belief that it is possible to improve the quality of life for one’s self and children has spurred on Americans for centuries, ultimately transforming the United States from an unsettled land to a major world power. The dream of the first Puritans who came to the new world was also the dream of westward expansionists, Asian and European immigrants, and industrial entrepreneurs. More importantly, it is still the dream of Americans today. Death of a Salesman is still relevant to modern society because it depicts the power of the American Dream, driving some people into the ground while pushing others to great success.
The American Dream is a constant presence in the play, giving people false hope that impels them futilely onward. This theme is seen primarily in Willy’s overly optimistic wishes for himself and for Biff. Willy’s idealistic desires take over his entire life, to the point that “an air of the dream…rising out of reality” even clings to his small, fragile house (11). He wants to be a thriving salesman and live a comfortable life with successful children, but he cannot see that it will be impossible for him to fulfill his fantasy. Instead of accepting failure, Willy makes excuses for his shortcomings and promises that “I’ll knock ‘em dead next week,” permitting his futile dream to live on (36). Despite his wife’s assertion that not everybody must “conquer the world,” Willy continues to be enveloped by his fantasy (85). He refuses to accept a decent job from his neighbor, Charley, because it would entail that he sacrifice his desire to become a successful salesman, even though by that point Willy has been fired from his job (97). Willy’s final attempt to push his futile version of the American Dream onward is suicide, killing himself so Biff can collect his life insurance money. He has given up dreams of his own success, focusing solely on dreams for his son, even though none of those will ever be fulfilled. Biff has no desire to be an entrepreneur, so no amount of life insurance money can turn him into the person Willy wants him to be. Unlike the other members of his family, Biff recognizes that he is a worker, not a businessman. Modern America has many Willy Lomans, people who want something so desperately that they are oblivious to its impossibility. Willy Lomans exist among the thousands who intend to become professional athletes, famous actors, or rock stars. The multitudes of people who dream of going to medical or law school cannot all fulfill their desires; some will inevitably fall short. The perpetually failing dreamer will always exist as long as there are dreams.
The other side of the American Dream consists of those who have had success pursuing it. These people inspire the failed dreamers to keep trying, often causing the dreamers’ complete downfall as in the case of Willy Loman. That is not to say that inspiration is dangerous, but one must be able to distinguish realistic encouragement from false hope. Willy’s expectation of a better future endures because of a lone success story about the eighty-four year old Dave Singleman, who made his living by selling over the telephone and was “remembered and loved and helped by so many different people” (81). The idea that it is possible to succeed as a traveling salesman propels Willy towards a dream that he cannot achieve and refuses to give up. These success stories are ubiquitous in modern America; nobody can ignore all the rags-to-riches tales of famous athletes and celebrities, and these stories stimulate the American Dream for anyone willing to buy into it.
The American Dream, with its tales of success and failure, will never disappear from our society. It is this dream that spurs the country on to progress, but there is a limit to how high an individual should reach. While motivation is beneficial, excessive false hope can make a person forget that for every one Dave Singleman, there are many Willy Lomans. In adhering to the American Dream, we should consider Biff’s idea that not everyone is meant to do everything; we must recognize who we are. As we pursue our dreams, we should remember that we are not all destined to conquer the world.

[gregory]

In Ezra's essay, he describes how the American dream, the portrayed to be wonderful, gives people false hope. Ezra's essay progresses logically and provides ample evidence from the text to prove his point. Ezra gets right to the point in his body paragraphs by getting right into his analysis. He describes how the few "Dave Singlemans" who actually achieve the dream, provide the inspiration to keep the "Willy Lomans" of society striving toward their "futile dreams." Ezra shows how todays "Dave Singlemans" (celebrities, sports stars, etc) still provide the fuel to keep the dream intact. I like his reasoning at the end saying that not everyone is meant to conquer the world. He brings to light a true fact that we all must realize sooner or later.

[jend02]

I think Ezra does an excellent job describing the still existant American Dream as depicted in Death of a Salesman. Through his selective choice of citations and careful analysis, Ezra is able to clearly show how this "dream" is able to push Willy Loman to the extremes and moreso how Willy undergoes a constant progression as fueled by the dream. Ezra shows how the dream works consistently in this progression by depicting how the "air of dream rising out of [Willy's] reality"eventually leads to Willy's desperate suicide which is he feels will help his son. Additionally, I thought it was great that Ezra addresses the side of the dream that involves those who do succeed. By doing this, he clearly shows how those few who do succeed, like Singleman, are able to create the illusion that the dream is obtainable to all those still striving.
Stylistically, Ezra's body paragraphs flowed progressively and the essay itself was therefore easy to follow and comprehend. I also loved his call to action in the conclusion because although it was short and simply stated, "we should remember that we are not all destined to conquer the world" was very powerful in evoking the point Ezra diligently addressed throughout in his essay.

[Tara Handza]

Ezra’s essay regarding the extremes of American success and failure is sophisticated and effective in its style. Beginning at the introduction, his ideas flow together very well and by immediately stating that Miller’s theme of success and failure in society is relevant to all time periods, he clarifies the direction of the paper. His use of blended quotes in his body paragraphs further adds to the easily flow of the essay and his word choice added a new dimension. For example, his use of the verb “enveloped” in his second paragraph gave a really innovative perspective on Willy’s situation and the way he handles it.

Regarding the content of the essay, I especially thought his commentary on modern society was substantial. His discussion of the current Willy Lomans in society in the form of “professional athletes, famous actors, or rock stars,” was a good way to relate Miller’s play to modern society, giving the recurring theme of success and failure consequence today. Furthermore, his presentation of Biff, Willy, and their relationship strongly helped prove his thesis.