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The Importance Of Beliefs In Willy Loman's American Dream

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Recommended: Briefly comment on the character of willy loman

Acceptance can lead to a lot of things one of which being belief. This belief can be very powerful wether it be religious, personal or work related. It can also be applied to Willy’s dream to be rich along with religious crusades, proving their similarities in particular their beliefs on happiness, relationships and success. One way in which Willy shows his different beliefs is through the ways he believes he will become happy. The only thing that motivates him throughout the play is his American Dream which for him includes money and being well-liked by people. Willy would only be happy if he were successful but his beliefs on what success means is different than many other people, he believes that success means money and popularity. In act …show more content…

They are all important and play a role in both Willy’s American Dream and a religious crusade. Firstly, the willingness to convert people plays a huge role in Willy’s dream because he tries hard to convert his sons into pursuing business along with sharing his ideals for success. Even from a young age evident through Willy’s frequent flashbacks, he puts into place a mind set that it does not matter what your talent or intelligence is, as long as you have good looks, contacts, confidence, and are well-liked, success will be achieved. Often in Willy’s flashbacks Happy says, “I’m losing weight, you notice, Pop?” (25) This shows how Willy is trying to convert his sons so that they can be successful businessmen one day and look the part thus leading them to success. It also shows how Willy trains his children from the beginning to conform to his standards and life goals in order to achieve even further his American Dream. He wants to prove to his sons that he is a success and if they have the same views as him, this would be even more of an accomplishment. Religious crusades also have to conform or convert others in order to achieve their goals. They have to convince others that their religious opinion is correct and that all people should abide by their rules and values as well. Even though they may not always be true, it does not matter because it is what is important to them. In both situations, conforming others in order to achieve your dream is necessary and the willingness to do so is very important. Another important criteria that relates Willy’s willingness to a religious crusade is that to push for what you believe in. This can involve many things but in

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