The term “the American Dream” has helped brand the United States as the promise land of the established world. The creation of the dream started with manifest destiny and the supposed freedom to explore vast landscapes, moved onto the pursuit of a higher quality of living through your own efforts. This idea instills hope in the hearts of many and a sense of disillusionment in others. In his depression era novel, The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams coined the term and defined “the American Dream” by stating, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement…regardless of fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (214-215). At a time of great struggle for Americans, a term such as this meant that they
…show more content…
Miller explores this concept through the Loman boys who worked hard to conform and fit themselves into a mold created by their father and find it is not one that translates to real life. The boys who Willy “gasses up” and refers to as greek gods, or “Adonises,” to his brother Ben, find it difficult to live up to the idealization of their father. Willy’s “inadequate sense of self-worth” (Ribkoff 49) fuels a sort of neurosis within him, making it hard to network and do his job effectively or even to maintain healthy relationships with his family. In her critical analysis, “Father-Son Conflict and the American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and August Wilson’s Fences” Ama Wattley contends that:
Because his sons show all the signs of conforming to the values Willy believes are necessary to succeed in life- namely attractiveness and popularity- he is confident that their futures will be bright, and he essentially lives vicariously through Biff, believing his son will achieve all that he never did in his life
Miller explores this concept through the Loman boys who worked hard to conform and fit themselves into a mold created by their father and find it is not one that translates to real life. The boys who Willy “gasses up” and refers to as greek gods, or “Adonises,” to his brother Ben, find it difficult to live up to the idealization of their father. Willy’s “inadequate sense of self-worth” (Ribkoff 49) fuels a sort of neurosis within him, making it hard to network and do his job effectively or even to maintain healthy relationships with his family. In her critical analysis, “Father-Son Conflict and the American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and August Wilson’s Fences” Ama Wattley contends that:
Because his sons show all the signs of conforming to the values Willy believes are necessary to succeed in life- namely attractiveness and popularity- he is confident that their futures will be bright, and he essentially lives vicariously through Biff, believing his son will achieve all that he never did in his life