Death Of A Salesman American Dream Essay

The phrase ‘the American Dream’ was originally coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, and has since appeared in a variety of works, critiques, and forms of art. The concept is generally known as a promising ideal, but it is accepted that the reality of this idea is often less than perfect. In the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller critiques the negative aspects of the American Dream and the individual’s obsession with this dream through the tragic character of Willy Loman. The American Dream is demonstrated through Loman’s obsession with his idea of success, which combines financial and social success and subsequently cannot separate the two ideas from each other, or from reality. However, other characters in the play, specifically Uncle

It is defined as “a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.” ("american-dream"). This dictionary definition holds as a generally correct interpretation, and is applicable to many instances in which the American Dream is discussed. In Miller’s Death of a Salesman, this concept is a major theme throughout, however Miller does not solely critique the entire ideology. While recognizing that the realities of the American Dream can retain negative qualities and bring people to an obsession, this play also allows for a positive reading of this dream. Galia Benziman argues that Salesman “should be read as an appeal to reestablish the American dream as it should be dreamt, and as it had been dreamt once, before its deterioration into an exclusively self-centered ambition for personal profit,” stating that the pure concept is admirable, and rather that the individual’s use of this concept to promote greed and personal gain is what Miller is critiquing (21). This is an accurate argument, as only Willy Loman truly falls victim to this push towards individual profit and gain, and is unable to look beyond his pursuit of success. Additionally, Loman fails to separate the ideas of financial and worldly success (i.e., large profits, promotions, etc) with love and admiration from his family and