In digging deeper when working on this blog, I found an article. The article I have chosen
for my this is one that focuses mainly on Willy in Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller.
This article uses Willy in the play and does a comparison and contrast between Ronald
Regan and him. The compare and contrasts of these two men deals with the
thoughts of what the ideal American dream is and how these men try to achieve
it or think they have achieved it.
A perfect representation of Arthur Miller's American Dream is shown all throughout Death of Salesman. In the play, Willy, strives for greatness in wanting to do extremely well in his job, having a perfect family, and having a good reputation. This doesn't sound like a problem, until acheiving these goals is all Willy becomes to engulf himself in. It becomes such a problem to Willy that he decides there is no way out and he commits suicide. In the article, "Death Of A Salesman And American Leadership: Life Imitates Art," its states, “To both men, America and the American creed seemed to have no place
for failure. How one succeeded was therefore not a moral question." Because Willy came to the realization at the end of the play that money wasn't coming anything, Buff discovers that Willy has been cheating, and he also knows that his sons are not wanting to follow in their fathers footsteps, his only answer to escape this was to not live.
Throughout the play, Willy finds that the only way to "escape" from what is going on in his life is to go back to the past, lose track of time and what is actually going on, and have an affair. Something interesting about this play is the thought that most people would grow to hate Willy; however, because Miller made him into a character that people can sympathize with, one can only feel sorry and even relate themselves into certain parts that make up Willy as a person.
Part of the American Dream is having a family and making sure they are as successful if not more than where one has started out in the world. Willy tries to be that dad who thinks he is helping out by pushing his own life,
"Willy: Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young
man with such—personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker.
There’s one thing about Biff— he’s not lazy… I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll
have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling.He could be big in no
time." (931)
This a key point because it shows how Willy not only believes that
the country alone will bring success, but tries pushing his own opinions on
succeeding into this son and living through him.
The article also agrees on this view by saying, "Willy, in his own failures, must live through his sons."
Another quote from the article that I find to be important and sums up Willy's vision:
“The rewards of being successful for both men were to be well liked and
to be rich. To be rich for both seemed to mean 1) having a place where they can
get away from it all and 2) consuming the products of a bountiful business
society. To be rich is thus to be ‘free’ in the two senses above, with the
added self-confidence of being admired, a model for others.”
Here is the link to the article: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.usd.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=26590d33-1407-45b0-9799-6cb24331eb3b%40sessionmgr4007&hid=4204&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=9501161846&db=aph
rthur Miller has written a superb drama. From every point of view "Death of a Salesman," which was acted at the Morosco last evening, is rich and memorable drama. It is so simple in style and so inevitable in theme that is scarcely seems like a thing that has been written and acted. For Mr. Miller has looked with compassion into the hearts of some ordinary Americans and quietly transferred their hope and anguish to the theatre. Under Elia Kazan's masterly direction, Lee J. Cobb gives a heroic performance, and every member of the cast plays like a person inspired.Two seasons ago Mr. Miller's "All My Sons" looked like the work of an honest and able playwright. In comparison with the new drama, that seems like a contrived play now. For "Death of a Salesman" has the flow and spontaneity of a suburban epic that may not be intended as poetry but becomes poetry in spite of itself because Mr. Miller has drawn it out of so many intangible sources.
*he married her!!!