"Death of a Salesman" and American Culture

Paper Summary:

The paper shows how the American dream of success in business is the focus of Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman" and the center of Willy Loman's life. The paper discusses how "Death of a Salesman" is a tragic story of the American dream gone bad, of a man who is a complete failure and who is unable to care for his family, find his dreams and learn from his mistakes. The paper points out that Willy is a failure not because he has not attained material wealth, but because he believes it is the most important thing in life.

From the Paper:

"William Heyen's essay, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and the American Dream" analyzes Willy and compares him with some of Arthur Miller's other characters. Ultimately, the essay describes the play's intricate images of the American dream, a dream that may seem old-fashioned today, but was the heart of American optimism in the 1940s, when this play was written. Heyen writes, "The American dream is rural, not urban, and the perfect world is out there somewhere, and when we can't find it out there ahead of us, we go back to the elm-shaded past" (Heyen 54). Miller alludes to this "elm-shaded past" often in this play, from Willy's desire to plant a garden like the one he used to have, to his reminiscing about the elm trees that used to line their street. Ultimately, Heyen believes that the play represents the American dream and dreams in general, and that dreams, if attained, leave nothing to reach out and strive for in our lives."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Clurman, Harold. "Willy Loman and the American Dream." Readings on Arthur Miller. Ed. Tomas Siebold. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997. 132-136.
• Heyen, William. "Authur Miller's Death of a Salesman and the American Dream." Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House,1988. 47-57.
• Jacobson, Irving. "Family Dreams in Death of a Salesman." Critical Essays on Arthur Miller. Ed. James J. Martine. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1979. 44-52
• Miller, Arthur. "Death of a Salesman." Masters of Modern Drama. Ed. Haskell M. Block and Robert G. Shedd. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962. 1020-1054.

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