Millers American Dream - Essay Example

The essay explores what Miller suggests as the American Dream.
Throughout the text, Arthur Miller never openly states his concept of the American Dream, instead of demonstrating fallacies surrounding this concept. Still, it’s clear that in considering the cynical elements in relation to their positive converse, one is able to articulate a concept of Miller’s American Dream. In one of the most crucial scenes in the play, Willy Loman asks his boss for a raise. In a desperate plea to convince Howard, Loman relays an anecdotal tale. He states,
And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. ’Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people? (Miller Act II, scene ii).

This is a complex statement. In some regards, one can argue that Miller is implementing a touch of comedic irony in Loman’s overly enthusiastic support for his traveling salesman job. However, in another context, the job represents for Loman a partial realization of the American Dream. In this profession, he has found a meaningful means of procuring a living. To Miller, this represents a crucial element of the American Dream, achieving purpose in life, as well as achieving subsistence.

As the play progresses one sees that this aspect of the American Dream is further complicated. Loman is ultimately rebuffed in his request for a raise. In this regard, it seems that Miller is highlighting that the simple pursuit of financial gain is shirt-sited. One need only considers that despite Loman’s considerable contributions and a lifetime of work he is ultimately rebuffed by an individual younger and more powerful than himself. Willy states, “Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground” (Miller 122). This perspective is contrasted against, Loman’s son Biff’s perspective who took a different route in life. Biff states, “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be?” (Miller, Act II).

Rather than pursuing a traditional career, as Loman has done, Biff pursued what could be argued to be a more spiritual existence. Biff’s life focused on enjoying his life in a natural and functional way, rather than the direct pursuit of money. At the play’s conclusion, it seems that Biff has reached a level of peace with himself; conversely, Willy Loman commits suicide. In these regards, it seems that Miller’s American Dream involves pursuing one’s life in a meaningful and individual way, rather than blindly pursuing social acceptance.
In conclusion, it’s clear that while Miller presents a sort of dystopian vision of the American Dream, there are also aspects of Death of a Salesman that articulate a positive vision. In these regards, Miller’s American Dream is rooted in the pursuit of subsistence in a meaningful way. Through the contrasting lives of Willy Loman and his son Biff, Miller also demonstrates that the blind pursuit of money and social acceptance constitute the wrong path to take. Instead, Miller’s American Dream involves pursuing a sense of individual meaning and purpose. Read More