Dog Eat Dog: Accepting Failure as the Key to Succe

[catherinem07]

Catherine Maguire
March 19, 2008
Period 7
Word Count: 742

Dog Eat Dog: Accepting Failure as the Key to Success in the Capitalistic System

Throughout his play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller crafts a social commentary that was as applicable throughout his life in the early twentieth century as it is today. While the specifics have changed, like Willy Loman¡¯s profession as a traveling salesmen, the troubles individuals encounter in the pursuit of dreams remain the same. While the nature of American society leaves people clambering to improve their social status, ideal status can only be gained by accepting ones situation realistically in order to ascertain necessary improvements. Until the moment of his death, Willy Loman refuses to accept his imminent failure and financial situation as a fact; consequently he is unable to succeed. This timeless self-delusion of persevering despite the boundaries of the American capitalistic system leads to an ultimate loss which can only be prevented by accepting the reality of a situation in order to overcome it.
The characters of Death of a Salesman all base their life and self-worth on nothing more than a dream which blinds them to the harsh realities of their circumstances. Willy, Biff, and Happy Loman all trick themselves into believing that they have met success by the conventional standards of society. They constantly convince themselves that they are so close to meeting that standard, that they¡¯ve ¡°got a lunch date with Oliver tomorrow¡± or that they ¡°can still make an impression;¡± however, they are all slowly getting crushed in the vice of capitalism (Miller 105,112). Instead of recognizing their passions and living the life that they would enjoy regardless of the opinions of society, these men try to channel their efforts to making money for their family in order to achieve economic prosperity. Willy and Happy fall through the cracks in the system and slowly deteriorate in pursuit of their dreams of money and success. The idea of failure is so ridiculous to them that they cannot own up to the fact that this is exactly what they have achieved: next to nothing; the idea that they are ¡°a dime a dozen¡± is terrifying to Willy and Happy (132). This path of idealism to a fault sends Willy and Happy into a quick downward spiral toward their ultimate destruction. Biff, however, comes to realize the degenerating effects of these lies on his family. Biff admits he based his life around lies and that he is making ¡°a contemptuous, begging fool of [himself], when all [he] want is out there¡± (132). Because he is able to come to terms with his passions for manual labor, Biff is able to cut himself off from his family and work to establish himself; he ¡°takes that phony dream and burns it before something happens¡± (133). Had Biff not cut himself off, he would have followed Willy and Happy down.
These societal patterns, however, are not exclusive to the 1950s; people need to admit that they need help in order to receive aid to this day. Programs such as welfare, social security, scholarships, and various others are put in place in an effort to prevent men and women from slipping through the capitalistic cracks. However, in order to receive this assistance, there needs to be recognition of the need by the individuals so that they can seek it out. Frequently, however, these men and women are like Willy and Happy and are unable to accurately assess their situation and recognize their own need for help. So, while there is aid available, many do not seek it because, whether it is out pride or sheer denial, they cannot admit themselves a failure; they lose everything and everyone, potentially leading to their downfall whether it be death, jail, or the streets.
The only way to combat failure in the American capitalistic system is to embrace the constraints of the system and the realities that they create in order to overcome them. By working in the pursuit of dreams, members of society refuse to accept their failure which prevents them from realistically assessing their situation and seeking the necessary help. These requirements of a capitalistic society will always exist with slight revisions as long as that economic system is in place. Capitalism, however, is fundamentally flawed because it leaves room for men and women to fall through the cracks if they are unable to come to terms with their personal shortcomings.

[danielle07]

Catherine’s paper is very strong content wise (as well as in other areas too). In her paper, she examines the failure to achieve the American Dream as a result of the refusal to recognize failure. She begins by describing the downfall of Wily Loman, whom couldn’t accept his failure and the fact that the business world was not his place. She also exposes Happy as another character in denial whom will evidently suffer the same fate of his father, as evidenced by the end of the play. She then makes a strong point about welfare and financial aid which some won’t accept ultimately hindering their achievement of the American Dream. Catherine also effectively shows the triumph of Biff, a character whom is able to accept that he is meant to work with his hands. With sound textual evidence that is weaved well into insightful analysis Catherine’s paper is very well written.

[danielleg07]

The post above isn't my final post, but because I posted as a guest I can't delete it, or rather I don't know how. Regardless, my final post is on Dominique G's paper (period 2).