'A play that demonstrates the emptiness of the American dream ‘Death of a Salesman’ Essay\r'

'â€Å"A antic that demonstrates the vacuum of the Ameri buns stargaze”. How far do you agree with this assessment of ‘Death of a Salesman’?\r\nIt is evident from the first view of ‘ finis of a salesman’ that there atomic number 18 definite, veto realities in the Ameri stomach woolgather. From writing this play, milling machine has strongly illustrated that the Ameri abide dream produces an corporal body that serviceman outlay and determine set up be metric in pecuniary terms. During 1940’s America, capitalism and consumerism was at it’s strongest with the American dream acting as a predator to the unsuspicious, determined and success-hungry business community of America. Although whatsoever of these men prospered in creating a lucky business and earned a lot of money, others failed and felt up that their avouch sm each(prenominal)er carry throughments were vitiate and insignificant.\r\nIn the play, Willy ( corresp onding other American salesmen) has focused his life and attention on achieving the American dream and being a successful role model to his sons. Willy, however, does non accomplish success and instead falls victim to capitalism. His main belief is that popularity leads to individualised and business triumph, and materialistic items prove that he is well liked and loved by his friends and family. Even though Willy can non afford august gifts, the American dream is based on materialising love and values and Willy does this when he buys hit and bright a punch traveling bag branded with ‘Gene Tunney’s tinge’.\r\nAlthough at first this gift contactms appreciated, quite than flatter and excite, materialism and brand call haunted Willy with debt and insecurity, however he felt obliged to pull up stakes for his sons and determined to trace in the American dream. Willy is a harm and his suicide attempts displayed an unproductive, exhausted man. He feels th at what he does attain be empty achievements and his naughtiness points and soils for failure were obvious; much(prenominal) as instilling false values into his sons. It can be interpreted that, because Willy was ineffective, when he did achieve something, it was insignificant and empty; although some critics whitethorn feel that his lack of success may mean he put much pride in his minor exertions such as DIY around the domicile.\r\nThis is shown when Willy is trying to take his neighbour Charley by saying ‘Did you see the ceiling I put in the living-room?’ Willy and Linda had only one stipend leftover on their xx louver year mortgage before the brook is their own, and Linda feels quite content and happy virtually this. But Willy is still unhappy, questioning the argue for owning the house in the first devote: ‘What point?’. Owning the house is an empty accomplishment for Willy, even though it took so presbyopic to achieve. ‘Work a lifetime to chip in bump off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody left to live in it’. this alone demonstrates the vacuum of consumerism and the American dream.\r\nIt is too illustrated that the American dream is an empty achievement when, at the descent of the play, Happy and Biff be discussing their oeuvre and future. At this point, Happy indicates that his manager’s success is empty, with him building a house that ‘he can’t enthrall once it’s finished’. Happy states that he is generally achieving e precisething that he wanted, yet they are non fundamental to him; they are empty accomplishments. He even questions the reason why he is working depend able as Willy questioned the point of the house, because all he is achieving from working is pointless and empty success. It could be argued that miller is trying to pursue the view that it is the process of success that is more than of import than success itself. This strongly questions American values, as many people follow the American dream which holds the belief that material items are more important and that they represent individual(prenominal) and business victory.\r\nHowever, Happy is successful personally to compensate for his empty achievements as a clerk. He seduces the fianc�e’s of his managers because he has an ‘over-developed sense of tilt’ †Happy takes what he wants even though he apparently ‘hates himself for it’, indicating the use of the bad morals taught to the boys by Willy. This again could be construed as an wasted success in the process of achieving the American dream. A nonher point of perspective is that the women, like materialistic items and commercialism, may produce condition in the American social system, exactly they also produce stress and not necessarily mirth.\r\nWilly is in constant competition with his neighbour Charley, continuously aiming to be â €˜ big than Uncle Charley’ and promising his sons this success. This point suggests that materialism and the American dream are more important than general well-being and human deserving, and some critics feel that through this neighbourly competition, Miller is questioning the values of America as a whole. Willy’s mind and psychological science also breakdown because of his obsession with the American dream, and his dreams be cope illusions. Eventually, Willy is fighting with illusions and macrocosm and believes all he is worth is his insurance money, stressing the caprice that the American dream is empty and human values can be measured economically. The irony of Linda declaring ‘we’re needy’ at the end of the play is some(prenominal) ironical and tragic as although she is now free of debt, the empty American dream the illuded both Willy and herself is still holding her and others ensnared.\r\nOn the other hand, in contrast to Willy, Charl ey is successful and has a fulfilling career and achieved the American dream. Willy is real green-eyed of Charley, so much so that his pride, green-eyed monster and stubbornness prevents him from accepting a commercial enterprise off Charley, even when he is unemployed: ‘I just can’t work for you, Charley’. Similarly, Howard, although cruel to Willy and fires him, is very successful. He has a happy, sublime family life. He is able to afford materialistic goods, can provide for his family, is not overridden by debt and is generally accomplish by his success and the American dream. Howard is very proud and boastful to have achieved the American dream and this is shown when he boasts his tapeline recorder to Willy, who is obviously resentful.\r\nHoward’s other material possessions appear to be unimportant compared to the tape recorder and are no agelong required, showing Howard to be a sort of wasteful person. This again implies that, in deviance t o Willy, Howard is extremely successful and is relishing in consumerism, finding the American dream very rewarding. However, another point of view could be that Howard, like Willy, finds the American dream empty as he is not enjoying what he has achieved, and is just replacing everything with a more modern or expensive model.\r\nIn dissimilarity to Willy, Charley is a accepted, kind and affectionateness neighbour, and is not at all in competition with Willy. Therefore, Charley values human worth and this suggests that American values are not concentrated mainly on accomplishment. Charley has not let the American dream mould his ideas of human worth and values, and he does not think that human life can be measured financially. He rattling seems genuinely worried at Willy’s hints towards suicide and says to him ‘nobody’s worth nothing’ dead’.\r\nCharley is realistic compared to Willy, who is idealistic and living in his own fantasy. through his s uccess, Charley sees Willy’s faults and reasons for his failure and tries to make Willy pick out this by constantly asking ‘Willy, when are you going to grow up?’. Charley recognises Willy’s fantasies are wrong and he tries to sponsor him. This shows that the American dream has not attenuated Charley’s character as it has Willy’s and Charley’s success mean she can answer Willy financially. This can be interpreted as Charley using his satisfying achievements to help Willy.\r\nFor Charley, his dream has become a reality not an illusion. Charley may have also become victim to capitalism but, in comparison to Willy, he is thriving off it whereas it is destroying Willy. He is content with his success and feels set up by his achievements, suggesting that the play does not only if demonstrate the vanity of the American dream but the fulfilments also. Miller himself argues that the play is not entirely based on the faults of the America n dream although it does question American values very powerfully. He strengthens his argument because, although Willy is discomfited by the American dream, Charley is entirely successful without creating personal flaws from his dreams of success. Bernard, his son, is also a genuine (as well as successful) person; a complete difference from Willy’s sons.\r\nAs a result, ‘Death of a salesman’ close perfectly depicts aspects of the American dream directly. Our twenty first century ideals, dreams and illusions echo, even more so perhaps, the prosperous America of liter years ago. It can be related to by people of our culture today as well as those from the 1940’s, fashioning the powerful reminders of the illusion focused on in ‘Death of a Salesman’ only relevant to our world. It is from this that I have come to the conclusion that, although ‘Death of a Salesman’ subtly contains stories of success due to the American dream, this play is a textbook illustration of the emptiness of the American dream and consumerism; where failure and chagrin eats away at happiness and confidence, but success is, similarly, an empty accomplishment.\r\n'