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What is the American Dream? Is it popularity? Or is it being content with what you have? In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman , the American Dream is Willy Loman's goal. He tries so hard to reach perfection that it ultimately kills him. So much for red, white, and blue.

Author:

Author / Miller - Arthur Miller

Language:

English Language

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Transcript

00:08
Death of a Salesman, a la Shmoop. The American Dream has been around for a long
00:15
time. Okay, not that long.
00:20
But a long time nonetheless. Our country was basically founded on the concept.
00:27
No matter who you are or where you come from, if you work hard and persevere, you can achieve
00:36
greatness. Consider the Pulitzer Prize- winning play,

00:39
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman… …and its tragic protagonist, Willy Loman.
00:45
Willy is, well, a lousy salesman. He’s clearly not thrilled with the way his
00:50
life has gone, but he holds onto the American Dream for the sake of his sons.
00:57
By holding on to it, he basically sacrifices any chance of happiness he might have had,
01:02
and it eventually kills him. So… what does this tragic tale really say
01:08
about the American Dream itself? Good?
01:12
Bad? Ugly?
01:15
Willy believes that personality and charisma define a man’s chances of achieving the
01:19
American Dream. He sees a super-bright future for his son,
01:24
Biff, who is attractive, athletic, and well-liked. On the other hand, Willy sees a bleak future
01:30
for his neighbor’s nerdy son, Bernard. Willy thinks that being attractive and likeable
01:36
is more important than working hard. In Willy’s American Dream, the popular kids
01:42
always win. But do they really come out on top?
01:46
Maybe it’s about luck instead. Willy may feel that he is a failure simply
01:52
because he missed his chance to be rich.
01:56
He thinks he made a wrong turn the moment he didn’t join his brother in Alaska.
02:02
In his mind, there is less pressure to succeed there. Apparently, he doesn’t know a lot
02:05
of successful Eskimos. According to the play, the American Dream
02:10
is so fragile… …that it can be lost in a mere moment.
02:18
Seize the day. Carpet the diem.
02:27
Or maybe Arthur Miller is simply telling us that the American Dream is a joke.
02:32
An idea - nothing more than a gimmick used to make America sound appealing.
02:41
According to Death of a Salesman, our chances of success are defined by our race, class,
02:46
and social standing. Maybe the very idea of the American Dream
02:50
is just a bunch of hooey. What do you think?
02:54
Shmoop amongst yourselves.
02:55
YouTube blurb: SPOILER ALERT: A salesman dies. Sorry to ruin
02:55
it for you. However, in addition to giving away key plot points in the title, Arthur
02:56
Miller also liked to make some pretty weighty points about The American Dream. What is it,
02:56
and who gets a shot at it? Only your hairdresser knows for sure.
Full Transcript