The Importance of Dreams in The Death of a Salesman Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Dreams in The Death of a Salesman Essay The play essentially portrays The American dream, how it can work and also how sometimes it doesnt. The American dream represents how if a man is willing to work hard all his life, he will get some where. Willie, a husband and father of two, has worked hard all his life, but now, old and tired wonders where his promised fortunes are. He lies to his family about his pay, and dreams about his glorious past, in a glorified way. Willie is just an ordinary family man trying to survive in America, he is a typical man with nothing special about him, and he has never done anything special which any other man couldnt do. He thinks however if he works hard enough he will make something of himself, just as his brother Ben did. The story tries to illustrate the point that there are many men in Willies situation: Pop, Im a dime a dozen and so are you. This is autobiographical in a sense as Miller changed environments during the depression and found how hard his father had to work and didnt earn much. Dont say hes a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. Hes not the finest character that ever lived. But hes a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. Hes not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally paid to such a person. The story of his brother making a fortune really drives him to work harder, his brother is seen in many of his dreams, it is one of his most vivid dreams, and unlike any other is repeated throughout the story, Willie is first drawn in by the American dream because he sees how it can work in Ben, he idolizes him to such an extent that he cant remember much of what he says just: When I was seventeen, I walked into the jungle. And by twenty-one, I walked out. And by God, i was rich! Willie is old and going senile, he cant come to terms with why he cant make more money and how others around him are. He thinks that the well liked will get further than those that arent well liked, we can see this in how he thinks his son will get further in life than his neighbors son. We see this in a dream of his past, but as the story moves back into the future we realize who actually achieves in life. Willie doesnt like his neighbor and in the past regularly talks down about him but as time moves on he depends on him, he borrows money off Charlie and doesnt pay him back. Willie is to proud to let anyone help him, when his Charlie asks if he needs help he is quick to refuse the offer of a job, even though he needs it. Dreams are used as a way of comparing the past and the future. Willie uses it to compare how great everything was and how bright the future was, the reader also sees this. Biff in the past is portrayed as a strong leader with an ambition, this is shown as him as the Football captain and trying to get into college. In the present he is shown in a completely different light, he is unemployed and doesnt know what he wants to do with his life. Willy also uses his dreams to relive the things he did wrong, he feels guilty and blames himself for how Biff turned out. After Biff found out about the affair he loses his ambition and calls Willie a fake, Willie sees some truth in this and is hurt. He always exaggerates about how much people like him; we know this by how he confides in his wife about how he thinks people laugh at him. Hap and Biff both see Willies dream as sign of him going senile and want to help him, Linda on the other hand has accepted it and just wants to get on with life, she sees it as him coming to terms with their current situation, this is a bad thing however as she is just fueling his dream and not letting him give up, she is caught up in Willies lies, she also doesnt allow Biff to show Willy what he is doing. In trying to help she is destroying, this is ironic as the mother is usually thought to be the creator and nurturer. The story shows how time changes and breaks a man, if Willy loman of the past and present were switched they would not be able to survive, the present Willy loman would never be able to be the idol Biff and Hap loved. They are in essence two different people. Biff through time has also changed considerably, hap once behind Biff in everyway has worked hard and is now ahead of Biff in how much he earns. Willy takes the American dream in a totally different light as Biff, Willy thinks that by working hard he will climb the ladder and earn money, the money making him happy, Biff on the other hand doesnt enjoy working hard and moving up in the business world, he instead finds happiness working outside earning just enough to get by. Biff can see past the riches Ben has acquired, which Willie is striding for and knows not everyone is as lucky as he is: To suffer fifty weeks a year for the sake of a two-week vacation. He can see how much his father has worked for the dream but looks beyond that and knows Willie is working for the wrong dream: He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong. After Willy dies we see the two brothers, one following in his fathers footsteps and taking the exact same route, maybe culminating in another death and Biff ready to work outside after seeing the tragedy of the American dream. Hap is starting to live the American dream but is already starting to see its flaws: My own apartment, a car, and plenty of women, and still, goddamit, Im lonely. Willie ultimate aim is to life the end of his life a success, he wants to die like Ben. He views Ben as his Idol, near the end of his life, he can see his dream being unreachable and suicide is close to his mind: He died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers After many years of hard work Willie in the end understands how misguided his efforts really were, he realizes the only way for him to rectify the situation is by killing himself. After all the highways, and the trains, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive. Before he does so he plants some seeds, even though he knows the land is infertile as a sign that maybe one day his sons may achieve where he failed, effort is worth nothing if its not well placed.