Critique of the Elusive American Dream - the Miller Novel - Essay Example

October 20, Mr. A. Miller’s Story Introduction The American dream cropped up many years ago. Those who successfully succeeded in the American community inspired many individuals (Hill 2). Many individuals came from different parts of our United States. Other individuals arrived from countries outside the United States. With hard work and long hours, the people living within the United States expected to gain both fame and fortune. To hasten their American dream targets, some dreamers implemented different strategies to get rich quicker. The strategies included cheating, scheming, stealing, and other illegal activities. Greed triggered the people to find their own American dream riches (Hill 2). The Miller novel and movie story emphasizes certain factors affect the successful reaching the hard to pin down American dream. Critique of the elusive American Dream Mr. A. Miller’s novel and movie story correctly pertains to the average person’s elusive attainment of the coveted American dream during the 1940s (Benedek 1951). The novel shows Willy Loman’s difficulties affirm the American Dream is very wrong elusive (Miller 103). The novel shows Willy Loman failed in his wrong American dream to be one of the top sales persons in Brooklyn, New York City. Similarly, Willy failed in his dream to become one of the most sought after and well liked American environment sales persons. Further, the Miller story critically rightfully espouses Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest animal kingdom concept influences the attainment of the American dream (Nelson 90). The concept states that there are many competitors for the scarce good and customers. Consequently only those who offer the best services and products to the target customers will survive. Those who fail to deliver quality goods and services will drive away current and future customers. This is the essence of the Willy Loman story. Furthermore, the Miller story correctly scrutinizes Mr. Willy Loman’s discussing having to survive in the saturated highly urbanized New York City community. Mr. Loman’s small and impoverished New York is dwarfed by the many bigger modern apartment buildings. The buildings crowd out the sunshine and fresh air from reaching the diminutive Loman home (Miller 8). Willy blames the maddening competition and the overcrowded New York City landscape for his failure to achieve his American dream, being one of North America’s top selling salespersons (Miller 9). Consequently, only the fittest American residents will survive the American’s economic rat race environment. The current and future customers will prefer salespersons who sell the best products and services. The best quality products include the high quality durable products. The best services include those offering the fastest quality services (Pride 403). Mr. Loman failed as a New York sales person because he did not have the marketing skills needed to generate high customer demand for the Loman products. Moreover, the Miller story extensively reiterates Willy’s American dream failure to be one of America’s well sought salespersons. Willy is described as an old sales person at more 60 years of age (Miller 4). Willy’s sales career is a financial failure. Consequently, Willy is a poor New York resident. Unfavorably cracking up as a Boston sales person, Willy’s manager, Howard, terminates Willy from the company’s sales force (Miller 59). To succeed in his American dream objective to be financially rich, the Miller story perfectly shows Willy Loman’s family persuaded Willy to focus on his job expertise. Willy’s two children, Biff and Happy, insists that Willy’s sales job failure is sign that Willy should shift to another profession. Both children unsuccessfully convinced Willy to focus on manual labor jobs (Miller 103). Manual labor includes using one’s physical strengths to fill the needs of the future customers. However, Willy refuses the profession-shifting advice. Biff affirmed Willy was a very good carpenter. Willy expertly renovated the family home. The renovation included adding another bathroom, home garage, and installing the new home porch (Miller 103). Further, the Miller story rightfully unfolds Willy’s finally accepting his failure as a sales person. Willy’s dream of travelling to distant lands, especially Ben’s recommended Alaska, shows his selling frustration (Miller 61). Willy feels another profession in another distant location, outside the New York American dream environment, will bring better financial and job outcomes. Further, the Miller story correctly reiterates Willy feels the American dream includes Mr. B. Oliver’s approval of Biff’s business loan application. Biff is Willy’s son. Biff positively hopes that the American dream of setting up his own business will succeed (Miller 121). Biff seeks Mr. Oliver’s approval of his business loan (Miller 15). However, Mr. Oliver refused to grant bill a loan appointment (Miller 83). The son’s loan disapproval will be one of Willy’s negative American dream news. Furthermore, the Miller story affirmatively shows Willy’s wife (Linda) affirms Willy’s American dream was a failure. Linda and the children awaken to Willy’s talking to himself loudly at night. Willy spends most of his remaining jobless life talking to hallucinated (not real) persons. Willy’s selling failure triggered his insane state, frustrated by his failed bid to achieve his American dream objective. Linda admits that Willy is planning to take his own life, committing suicide. Linda blames Biff and his laziness for Willy’s insanity. Linda feels Biff’s refusal to follow in the steps of his salesperson father created an impression on Willy that Biff is rebelliously disobedient and lazy (Miller 8). Lastly, the same Miller story correctly details how Willy desperately decides to save his son from being one of the American dream failures. Willy commits suicide. Willy prefers investing in Biff’s American dream future (Miller 52). The suicide generates insurance money. The money is used to help Biff set up his own American dream business. Accepting his American dream failure, Willy decides to exchange his life to at least help Biff have a better American dream outcome. Charley paid for Willy’s life insurance (Miller 71). Willy drives his car along the busy road at a speedy rate. The rate leads to Willy’s intentionally car accident death (Miller 101). Conclusion Based on the above discussion, the novel and movie espouses the American dream can be achieved. However, people like Willy Loman should enter in the field of their expertise. One’s expertise will hasten the achievement of the coveted American dream. Willy’s poor selling expertise led to Willy’s sales job failure and termination. To achieve his American Dream, Biff insists that Willy should focus on his carpentry expertise to generate high job income. Evidently, the Miller novel and movie extensively and correctly affirms several factors extensively influence the successful achievement of the elusive American dream, especially Willy’s failed American dream. Works Cited Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Dir. Laszlo Benedek. 1951. Retrieved from http://www.hulu.com/watch/355302 Hill, Lillie. American Deam: Greed, Capitalism, and the Failure of Spirituality in America. New York: IUniverse Press, 2012. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Press, 1949. Retrieved from http://www.pelister.org/literature/ArthurMiller/Miller_Salesman.pdf Nelson, Richard. Darwin, Then and Now. New York: IUniverse Press, 2009. Pride, William. Marketing. New York: Cengage Learning Press, 2013. Read More