Death_of_a_Salesman

The play Death of a Salesman is about a family and its members living each in their own dreams. These dreams of each family member are illusions and not reality. Willy, the father of the family, dreams of having the perfect family. He also dreams of success for himself and his sons.   Biff, as a teenager, dreams of being a famous football player, but as an adult, dreams to own and live on a farm. Happy, the youngest son, dreams that he fits in with the Loman family and has his father"'"s love.  Willy"'"s wife Linda, dreams of Willy being happy.  Even though their dreams are realistic, they do not achieve them.  The play, Death of a Salesman, is an illusion of different dreams that do not come true. This essay will explain the importance of the theme dream and how this theme is applied to the real world.   Themes such as lying, alienation and sex are also found. Lying is found throughout the play between the characters. '"'I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been '"' said Biff to his father and to his brother. If they did not have their visions they would not have the need to live a lie.  Alienation is also found throughout the play. Willy the main character starts hallucinating and becomes mad. If Willy did not have his vision he would not have been alienated.  Sex is found in the play. If Willy and Happy did not have their dreams, they would not take their sexual impulse outside the home. In conclusion, Willy died because of his dreams. He had life insurance that would give his wife Linda, twenty thousand dollars. In Willy"'"s mind, this money could be used for bills, food but most of all Linda"'"s happiness. Willy dreamed for his family"'"s wellbeing and like him we do too.   Dreams can be found in every household. Like Willy, everyone has dreams and visions for their family. Most people want to be successful and have successful kids. Most people want to share love and be loved.  It is very common for one to wish and dream about such things. Some may say that a dream is the base of everyone"'"s lives.  Miller, the author of Death of a Salesman, makes it clear that everyone has dreams and for some, dreams are what they live for. In conclusion, Willy"'"s unfulfilled dreams lead to his death, if he did not have his dreams he would not have died.   In conclusion, the play Death of a Salesman is based on dreams. If the characters in this play did not have illusions and dreams that do not come true there would have been no play. The author Miller did a very good job at demonstrating how dreams can control one`s life, from lying to death, all because of unfulfilled dreams. Unit 5 Key question '"'Death of a Salesman'"' is about a man"'"s blind pursuit of achieving what he believes to be the '"'American Dream.'"' Willy, like so many men who take pride in them being the sole breadwinner, strives relentlessly to build a legacy for his sons. But his flawed means in achieving this dream makes his efforts futile and his dream to never materialize. The frustration that amounts from chasing such an elusive goal causes him to be a victim and in turn hurt the ones he loves. Linda, Biff, and Happy all become victims as Willy steers a course for disaster.   Throughout the play, it is clear to see that Willy himself has become his greatest obstacle. He is a victim of his own flawed thoughts. He considers himself to be a great man and therefore his perception of what he should be is never in accordance with what he really is. Instead of looking inward and critically analyzing himself, Willy is always looking for a gimmick or key to winning over customers. He is unwilling to admit that he is just '"'a dime a dozen'"' and that his sales ability is below average at best. This problem is only amplified under the capitalist system in which he operates within. Under such a system, any individual can obtain financial success and live the '"'American Dream'"' with hard work and dedication. But Willy in his own understanding of the '"'American Dream'"' tries to achieve it by the means of being '"'well liked'"' and '"'personally attractive.'"' Therefore his drive to achieve these ends only acts as a force against him, nullifying his efforts. Eventually the combination of himself and the pressures of living up to an elusive dream become impossible, and Willy can no longer deny that he will never life up to his ideal self. This frustration of coming to such a bleak realization causes him to vent on his eldest son Biff.   Biff is Willy"'"s biggest victim. Willy had poisoned his mind since his days in school when he had nurtured him on faulty beliefs. To Willy Biff had all the potential to become a success and live the '"'American Dream.'"' He believed that Biff had all the tools to be everything he could not. He even attributed his physique to that of Adonis and contrasted him with the '"'nerd'"' Bernard, whom he deemed a failure. He blew Biff up with enough air to reach the clouds and when he came crashing down to reality, he criticized him as a failure. Biff never had a chance to succeed because he was already weakened by the many years his father fed him on illusions. But Willy attributes Biff"'"s failure to his laziness and scoffs at the fact that he worked on farms. Willy cannot comprehend that Biff is finally waking up from the nightmare he had been living in for 15 years and has come to accept that he is just '"'a dime a dozen.'"'   Happy on the other hand is a victim of trying to emulate everything he learned from his father. Unlike Biff who saw first hand what a phony his father really was, Happy still believes in his father and in a sense worships him. Like his father, Happy is concerned with image and performance. He claims to have a high position within a company when in actuality he is closer to the bottom. In contrast to Biff, who was saved by his epiphany, Happy believes Willy"'"s dreams were valid, that '"'it"'"s the only dream [one] can have.'"' He believes he can continue his fathers legacy and '"'win it for him.'"' Happy fails to see the toxicity in his mind and is likely to follow in the same grim footsteps as Willy. Linda, to a lesser extent, is also a victim of Willy but through his emotional abandonment. Because of Willy"'"s preoccupation in achieving his dream he is never there to comfort Linda. He neglects her and often undermines her thoughts and choices and, worst of all, he lies to her. He never confides in her, he lies to her about his wages, and he hides an affair with a woman in Boston. Though, through it all she remains by his side as the devoted wife. In his fever to chase the '"'American Dream'"' and be validated as a man, Willy Loman has cheated his family. His efforts of achieving these ends were misguided largely to his misunderstanding of what it takes to live the '"'American Dream.'"' It is hard work and determination which will get you ahead. And in his lack of understanding this key component, Willy has victimized himself and his family. Now the only legacy he will be remembered for is pain and suffering.