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Death Of A Salesman By Willy Loman

907 Words4 Pages

What does the american dream really mean to society? To willy loman the american dream dicated everyday life and dictated how he treated his wife and children. To biff loman on the other hand he viewed it as an oppressive mindset from his father. Arthur miller 's Death of a salesman portrayed an aging mentally unstable salesman in 1950s america at the peak of the “ suburban dream” or “ american dream “ era where people felt they could live the life everyone wanted to weather it was happiness or wealth they seek. Willy loman the salesman wants a good life for his wife and 2 adult sons biff and happy. Willys take on the american dream is fed by his visions of being well liked and known while also making a good salary. While manipulating his …show more content…

He encouraged biff to steal and cheat. Biff stole lumber from a construction site down the road and stole a football from his teams locker room for “extra practice”. He attempted to cheat his way out of senior math but failed and was supposed to take summer school. Then he caught willy chrating on his mom and that was the biggest turning point in the story. What i believed made biff snap and realize willys phony dream. Biff claimed he stole his way out of a really good job with Mr. Oliver by stealing basketballs. This following quote summarizes what willy thinks of biff “ Sure, he’s gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn’t he? [To Biff] Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative! “ Oh, he keeps congratulating my initiative all the time, pop. That’s because he likes you. If somebody else took that ball there’d be an uproar”. Willy contagualates biff on stealing and brings up his son as he can do whatever he wants because he 's well liked. Now back to the present where biff steals something from his work and everyone becomes suspicious he is forced to leave his only good job. Even though biff was brought up as being able to do whatever he pleased, in adulthood it 's not the same …show more content…

All in all this piece of literature really makes you think what the american dream is and how it affects families. In biff lomas case it ruined him and cost his father 's life. In closing i would like to share the most powerful quote in the story.” Pop! I 'm a dime a dozen, and so are you! I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!" this is perhaps the whole meaning of the american dream in both of their eyes. Biff views himself as just an average joe while willy sees himself as his own important individual and also views his son as that. If willy just let biff live his life as the average joe he viewed himself as biff would of had a complete life but now must live with the death of his father on his hands. Biff loman 's life was derived on a faulty american dream thus

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