Post by gregory on Mar 19, 2008 23:04:28 GMT -5
Dreaming Will Get You No Where: The Effects of the Dream on the American People
Greg L
Period 7
(743 words)
Since the original 13 colonies became the United States of America, the nation has always been portrayed as a capitalistic paradise where any man could achieve his wildest dreams. With its streets supposedly paved with gold, America brought new hope to a less than optimistic world. Immigrants from myriad countries, different backgrounds and ethnicities came to America seeking freedom and success. For some, discipline and perseverance led to economic triumph. Unfortunately their success also fostered one of the biggest scams in human history: the American Dream. In the 1949 play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller exposes the downside of the dream through his depiction of the life of a man who has fallen victim to it. Willy Loman, the protagonist of the play, is a middle aged man with a dead end job as a salesman who strives to be a success. Unfortunately for Willy, American working life turns out to be much harder than he had expected. The American Dream as depicted by Miller parallels the modern day dream in that both, though portrayed to be magnificent and achievable, are actually skewed illusions that bring about failure more than success.
Miller shows how the smokescreen created by the American Dream clouds Willy’s reasoning which ultimately leads to his downfall. Willy’s aspirations began when he heard the awe-inspiring story of the great salesman Dave Singleman. He admired Singleman’s lifestyle and how he was successful both financially and socially. He concludes because of Singleman that “selling was the greatest career a man could want” (Miller 81). Willy becomes a salesman, thinking he will prosper too. Although he desperately wants to be successful, he does not take into account how difficult this is to achieve. Willy believes that all he must do is become a salesman, work hard and he will get everything he wants. Unfortunately, after many years without even a promotion, the quest for the Dream causes Willy to delude himself. For example, in order to hide his humiliation after an unsuccessful business trip, he lies to his wife Linda about the month’s income. At first, he said he made “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston.” He then goes on to change his supposed profits not slightly, but dramatically. He says, “I did about…two hundred gross on the entire trip…The trouble was that three of the stores were half closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise I would’ve broke records” (35). Not only does Willy lie to Biff, Happy, and Linda about his job, but more importantly, he lies to himself. Ultimately, he realizes that the only way to attain the dream is to kill himself and possibly get his family twenty thousand dollars in insurance money. Ironically, Willy’s pursuit of the dream ends not in success, but in death.
Moreover, it is apparent that the American Dream still looms over modern day society as seen through the experiences of middle-class Americans. One aspect of the dream is to be able to own a home. With real estate prices at an all-time high, this facet of the dream is becoming harder to achieve. In the past few years, banks and mortgage brokers offered potential homeowners deals that turned out to be too good to be true: adjustable rate mortgages. The plans, with their low interest rates allowed people to buy houses they could not normally afford. Like Willy, who because of his eagerness to achieve his dreams, did not take the time to focus, the home buyers were so excited by the idea of owning a house, they could not concentrate on the details of the mortgage agreement. Because they did not read the fine print, they were not aware that the rates would go up substantially after a few years. Once their rates skyrocketed, the owners could not meet the mortgage payments and lost their houses. Their desire for the houses was so intense that it overpowered their rational thought.
The American Dream as depicted by Miller in Death of a Salesman parallels the modern day dream in that both, though portrayed to be realistic to achieve, are actually scams that could very well end in failure. Instead of working as a builder, something Willy was skilled at, the idea of the dream swayed him to pursue a career in which he was destined to not make the grade. Hopefully, more people will realize that working at something one loves is better than pursuing the American Dream.
Greg L
Period 7
(743 words)
Since the original 13 colonies became the United States of America, the nation has always been portrayed as a capitalistic paradise where any man could achieve his wildest dreams. With its streets supposedly paved with gold, America brought new hope to a less than optimistic world. Immigrants from myriad countries, different backgrounds and ethnicities came to America seeking freedom and success. For some, discipline and perseverance led to economic triumph. Unfortunately their success also fostered one of the biggest scams in human history: the American Dream. In the 1949 play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller exposes the downside of the dream through his depiction of the life of a man who has fallen victim to it. Willy Loman, the protagonist of the play, is a middle aged man with a dead end job as a salesman who strives to be a success. Unfortunately for Willy, American working life turns out to be much harder than he had expected. The American Dream as depicted by Miller parallels the modern day dream in that both, though portrayed to be magnificent and achievable, are actually skewed illusions that bring about failure more than success.
Miller shows how the smokescreen created by the American Dream clouds Willy’s reasoning which ultimately leads to his downfall. Willy’s aspirations began when he heard the awe-inspiring story of the great salesman Dave Singleman. He admired Singleman’s lifestyle and how he was successful both financially and socially. He concludes because of Singleman that “selling was the greatest career a man could want” (Miller 81). Willy becomes a salesman, thinking he will prosper too. Although he desperately wants to be successful, he does not take into account how difficult this is to achieve. Willy believes that all he must do is become a salesman, work hard and he will get everything he wants. Unfortunately, after many years without even a promotion, the quest for the Dream causes Willy to delude himself. For example, in order to hide his humiliation after an unsuccessful business trip, he lies to his wife Linda about the month’s income. At first, he said he made “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston.” He then goes on to change his supposed profits not slightly, but dramatically. He says, “I did about…two hundred gross on the entire trip…The trouble was that three of the stores were half closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise I would’ve broke records” (35). Not only does Willy lie to Biff, Happy, and Linda about his job, but more importantly, he lies to himself. Ultimately, he realizes that the only way to attain the dream is to kill himself and possibly get his family twenty thousand dollars in insurance money. Ironically, Willy’s pursuit of the dream ends not in success, but in death.
Moreover, it is apparent that the American Dream still looms over modern day society as seen through the experiences of middle-class Americans. One aspect of the dream is to be able to own a home. With real estate prices at an all-time high, this facet of the dream is becoming harder to achieve. In the past few years, banks and mortgage brokers offered potential homeowners deals that turned out to be too good to be true: adjustable rate mortgages. The plans, with their low interest rates allowed people to buy houses they could not normally afford. Like Willy, who because of his eagerness to achieve his dreams, did not take the time to focus, the home buyers were so excited by the idea of owning a house, they could not concentrate on the details of the mortgage agreement. Because they did not read the fine print, they were not aware that the rates would go up substantially after a few years. Once their rates skyrocketed, the owners could not meet the mortgage payments and lost their houses. Their desire for the houses was so intense that it overpowered their rational thought.
The American Dream as depicted by Miller in Death of a Salesman parallels the modern day dream in that both, though portrayed to be realistic to achieve, are actually scams that could very well end in failure. Instead of working as a builder, something Willy was skilled at, the idea of the dream swayed him to pursue a career in which he was destined to not make the grade. Hopefully, more people will realize that working at something one loves is better than pursuing the American Dream.