Compare Willy Loman's Dreams To The American Dream

Comparing Willy Loman’s and his dreams to the average American and their American Dream helps illuminate how to not achieve the American Dream. Willy Loman was an unrealistic thinking salesman who believed he was living in his American Dream which consisted of being loved by his peers, having a large amount of money, and good personality. He was none of these things, only his family attended his funeral, he could not afford life insurance anymore, and people believed he was arrogant. His wife explains “Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived.” (Miller, 1227) This implies Willy was cared for, because even though he didn’t have a lot of money, fame, or great character he was still loved and considered important to his family. Willy carried unrealistic expectations for his self and others because he compared his success and others to his brother Ben. Willy

(1, Kehl) These are the average Americans characteristics in modern society as well. Americans goals are to save for retirement so that they can live the rest of their life however they want without having to be a part of the working class. The average person also wants to feel important primarily to their family, but also in society. Building a family brings importance, because both parents take on huge responsibilities supporting family members finically and emotionally. Without money and a feeling of importance a person establishes a feeling of helplessness, because they are dependent on other people. As the person becomes more self-sufficient a feeling of power in instilled. Money is the main characteristic of the American Dream, but it is not the only thing that the average American