The American Dream: Testing The Bounds Of Reality
In the 1950’s the American Dream and the valor that came with it drove everyone to desire and achieve their own version of the American Dream. It was an integral part of one’s identity and stood as a solemn reminder of what hard work and ambition could accomplish. While the American Dream was an alluring part of society, it evaded some and left them disenchanted with their future. Some took it to such extremes that their own ego and self-worth grew intertwined with the American Dream, forever correlating their own happiness with their own ambitions. An obsession with valor and status can leave one susceptible to copious amounts of unhappiness and leave loved ones destroyed in the perpetual …show more content…
Willy idolizes Ben because to him, Ben is a symbol of the American Dream coming to fruition as Ben walked into the jungle and came out rich, but in reality, Ben was extremely lucky to come across his wealth and is an unrealistic expectation of the American Dream. At the end of the play, in which Willy realizes that he failed to establish a legacy for his sons and that a man nowadays “is worth more than alive” he takes his life. At this point in the play, Willy realized that he had nothing to leave to his sons and that he not accomplished anything resembling his American Dream. When Willy states that “nothing’s planted, I don’t have a thing in the ground” (Miller,12) the seeds symbolize Willy’s failure as a salesman to create a legacy for himself and his sons. The futile nature in which he comes to plant come to show how his ambition led him to stray from planting meaningful relationships with his family. It is in this tragic moment that after he talks to Ben that Willy commits suicide in order to leave the insurance money to his family. The diamond that Ben refers to in Willy’s last moment comes to represent the insurance money, the only legacy of monetary value that Willy can leave to his …show more content…
Linda suffers emotional turmoil with no end in sight by choosing to be loyal to Willy and stick by his side no matter how destructive he became. Linda was fully aware of Willy’s failure as a salesman past his prime but she couldn't bear confronting him with the truth. Willy forced Linda to live a life of pure lies in which she participated in, not wanting to hurt Willy’s feelings and shatter his delusions of success. She contributed to Willy’s delusions by reinforcing the beliefs that he was a well-liked businessman of the highest standing. Linda was aware that the only incentive keeping Willy alive was his refusal to let go of the American Dream. She was heartbroken to know that without his ambition in pursuing the American Dream, Willy would have no true purpose in life and would descend to the dark depths of suicide. Linda knew that Willy was traveling into a dangerous direction in his life but did not want to strip him of the only motivation he had for living. No matter how sad and broken she grew everyday with Willy’s delusions she always managed to put a facade of normality as to not worry Willy over her troubles. While Linda’s blind devotion and loyalty to Willy is noble, she lets Willy’s delusional life interfere with the personal relationships of her son’s. Linda constantly chides Biff and Happy for not
In the 1950’s the American Dream and the valor that came with it drove everyone to desire and achieve their own version of the American Dream. It was an integral part of one’s identity and stood as a solemn reminder of what hard work and ambition could accomplish. While the American Dream was an alluring part of society, it evaded some and left them disenchanted with their future. Some took it to such extremes that their own ego and self-worth grew intertwined with the American Dream, forever correlating their own happiness with their own ambitions. An obsession with valor and status can leave one susceptible to copious amounts of unhappiness and leave loved ones destroyed in the perpetual …show more content…
Willy idolizes Ben because to him, Ben is a symbol of the American Dream coming to fruition as Ben walked into the jungle and came out rich, but in reality, Ben was extremely lucky to come across his wealth and is an unrealistic expectation of the American Dream. At the end of the play, in which Willy realizes that he failed to establish a legacy for his sons and that a man nowadays “is worth more than alive” he takes his life. At this point in the play, Willy realized that he had nothing to leave to his sons and that he not accomplished anything resembling his American Dream. When Willy states that “nothing’s planted, I don’t have a thing in the ground” (Miller,12) the seeds symbolize Willy’s failure as a salesman to create a legacy for himself and his sons. The futile nature in which he comes to plant come to show how his ambition led him to stray from planting meaningful relationships with his family. It is in this tragic moment that after he talks to Ben that Willy commits suicide in order to leave the insurance money to his family. The diamond that Ben refers to in Willy’s last moment comes to represent the insurance money, the only legacy of monetary value that Willy can leave to his …show more content…
Linda suffers emotional turmoil with no end in sight by choosing to be loyal to Willy and stick by his side no matter how destructive he became. Linda was fully aware of Willy’s failure as a salesman past his prime but she couldn't bear confronting him with the truth. Willy forced Linda to live a life of pure lies in which she participated in, not wanting to hurt Willy’s feelings and shatter his delusions of success. She contributed to Willy’s delusions by reinforcing the beliefs that he was a well-liked businessman of the highest standing. Linda was aware that the only incentive keeping Willy alive was his refusal to let go of the American Dream. She was heartbroken to know that without his ambition in pursuing the American Dream, Willy would have no true purpose in life and would descend to the dark depths of suicide. Linda knew that Willy was traveling into a dangerous direction in his life but did not want to strip him of the only motivation he had for living. No matter how sad and broken she grew everyday with Willy’s delusions she always managed to put a facade of normality as to not worry Willy over her troubles. While Linda’s blind devotion and loyalty to Willy is noble, she lets Willy’s delusional life interfere with the personal relationships of her son’s. Linda constantly chides Biff and Happy for not