StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Critique of the Elusive American Dream - the Miller Novel - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Critique of the Elusive American Dream - the Miller Novel " discusses that the American dream cropped up many years ago. Those who successfully succeeded in the American community inspired many individuals. Many individuals came from different parts of the United States…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.5% of users find it useful
Critique of the Elusive American Dream - the Miller Novel
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Critique of the Elusive American Dream - the Miller Novel"

October 20, Mr. A. Miller’s Story Introduction The American dream cropped up many years ago. Those who successfully succeeded in the American community inspired many individuals (Hill 2). Many individuals came from different parts of our United States. Other individuals arrived from countries outside the United States. With hard work and long hours, the people living within the United States expected to gain both fame and fortune. To hasten their American dream targets, some dreamers implemented different strategies to get rich quicker. The strategies included cheating, scheming, stealing, and other illegal activities. Greed triggered the people to find their own American dream riches (Hill 2). The Miller novel and movie story emphasizes certain factors affect the successful reaching the hard to pin down American dream. Critique of the elusive American Dream Mr. A. Miller’s novel and movie story correctly pertains to the average person’s elusive attainment of the coveted American dream during the 1940s (Benedek 1951). The novel shows Willy Loman’s difficulties affirm the American Dream is very wrong elusive (Miller 103). The novel shows Willy Loman failed in his wrong American dream to be one of the top sales persons in Brooklyn, New York City. Similarly, Willy failed in his dream to become one of the most sought after and well liked American environment sales persons. Further, the Miller story critically rightfully espouses Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest animal kingdom concept influences the attainment of the American dream (Nelson 90). The concept states that there are many competitors for the scarce good and customers. Consequently only those who offer the best services and products to the target customers will survive. Those who fail to deliver quality goods and services will drive away current and future customers. This is the essence of the Willy Loman story. Furthermore, the Miller story correctly scrutinizes Mr. Willy Loman’s discussing having to survive in the saturated highly urbanized New York City community. Mr. Loman’s small and impoverished New York is dwarfed by the many bigger modern apartment buildings. The buildings crowd out the sunshine and fresh air from reaching the diminutive Loman home (Miller 8). Willy blames the maddening competition and the overcrowded New York City landscape for his failure to achieve his American dream, being one of North America’s top selling salespersons (Miller 9). Consequently, only the fittest American residents will survive the American’s economic rat race environment. The current and future customers will prefer salespersons who sell the best products and services. The best quality products include the high quality durable products. The best services include those offering the fastest quality services (Pride 403). Mr. Loman failed as a New York sales person because he did not have the marketing skills needed to generate high customer demand for the Loman products. Moreover, the Miller story extensively reiterates Willy’s American dream failure to be one of America’s well sought salespersons. Willy is described as an old sales person at more 60 years of age (Miller 4). Willy’s sales career is a financial failure. Consequently, Willy is a poor New York resident. Unfavorably cracking up as a Boston sales person, Willy’s manager, Howard, terminates Willy from the company’s sales force (Miller 59). To succeed in his American dream objective to be financially rich, the Miller story perfectly shows Willy Loman’s family persuaded Willy to focus on his job expertise. Willy’s two children, Biff and Happy, insists that Willy’s sales job failure is sign that Willy should shift to another profession. Both children unsuccessfully convinced Willy to focus on manual labor jobs (Miller 103). Manual labor includes using one’s physical strengths to fill the needs of the future customers. However, Willy refuses the profession-shifting advice. Biff affirmed Willy was a very good carpenter. Willy expertly renovated the family home. The renovation included adding another bathroom, home garage, and installing the new home porch (Miller 103). Further, the Miller story rightfully unfolds Willy’s finally accepting his failure as a sales person. Willy’s dream of travelling to distant lands, especially Ben’s recommended Alaska, shows his selling frustration (Miller 61). Willy feels another profession in another distant location, outside the New York American dream environment, will bring better financial and job outcomes. Further, the Miller story correctly reiterates Willy feels the American dream includes Mr. B. Oliver’s approval of Biff’s business loan application. Biff is Willy’s son. Biff positively hopes that the American dream of setting up his own business will succeed (Miller 121). Biff seeks Mr. Oliver’s approval of his business loan (Miller 15). However, Mr. Oliver refused to grant bill a loan appointment (Miller 83). The son’s loan disapproval will be one of Willy’s negative American dream news. Furthermore, the Miller story affirmatively shows Willy’s wife (Linda) affirms Willy’s American dream was a failure. Linda and the children awaken to Willy’s talking to himself loudly at night. Willy spends most of his remaining jobless life talking to hallucinated (not real) persons. Willy’s selling failure triggered his insane state, frustrated by his failed bid to achieve his American dream objective. Linda admits that Willy is planning to take his own life, committing suicide. Linda blames Biff and his laziness for Willy’s insanity. Linda feels Biff’s refusal to follow in the steps of his salesperson father created an impression on Willy that Biff is rebelliously disobedient and lazy (Miller 8). Lastly, the same Miller story correctly details how Willy desperately decides to save his son from being one of the American dream failures. Willy commits suicide. Willy prefers investing in Biff’s American dream future (Miller 52). The suicide generates insurance money. The money is used to help Biff set up his own American dream business. Accepting his American dream failure, Willy decides to exchange his life to at least help Biff have a better American dream outcome. Charley paid for Willy’s life insurance (Miller 71). Willy drives his car along the busy road at a speedy rate. The rate leads to Willy’s intentionally car accident death (Miller 101). Conclusion Based on the above discussion, the novel and movie espouses the American dream can be achieved. However, people like Willy Loman should enter in the field of their expertise. One’s expertise will hasten the achievement of the coveted American dream. Willy’s poor selling expertise led to Willy’s sales job failure and termination. To achieve his American Dream, Biff insists that Willy should focus on his carpentry expertise to generate high job income. Evidently, the Miller novel and movie extensively and correctly affirms several factors extensively influence the successful achievement of the elusive American dream, especially Willy’s failed American dream. Works Cited Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Dir. Laszlo Benedek. 1951. Retrieved from http://www.hulu.com/watch/355302 Hill, Lillie. American Deam: Greed, Capitalism, and the Failure of Spirituality in America. New York: IUniverse Press, 2012. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Press, 1949. Retrieved from http://www.pelister.org/literature/ArthurMiller/Miller_Salesman.pdf Nelson, Richard. Darwin, Then and Now. New York: IUniverse Press, 2009. Pride, William. Marketing. New York: Cengage Learning Press, 2013. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“English midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
English midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/english/1661502-english-midterm
(English Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
English Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words. https://studentshare.org/english/1661502-english-midterm.
“English Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/english/1661502-english-midterm.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Critique of the Elusive American Dream - the Miller Novel

Millers American Dream

From the paper "Millers american dream " it is clear that generally, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman demonstrates the dark underside of the american dream; however, it also considers the means by which there is a viable concept of the american dream.... While the text explores a number of powerful thematic elements, the play's underlining concern is with the question of the american dream.... The essay explores what Miller suggests as the american dream....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

American Dream in American Literature

The paper "american dream in American Literature" discusses that Gatsby talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy.... Modern American writers questioned the meaning that has come to be associated with american dream.... Religious Interpretations of American Destiny,' even challenged Americans to restore the values of the american dream.... Her longings - the longings of an adolescent's american dream - are reflected in her novel through the autobiographical character Mick Kelly....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Film Marketing Campaign on the Film 300 by Zack Snyder

The three-digit figure, three hundred is a film adaptation of the graphic novel of the same title by Frank Miller and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, which was directed by Zack Snyder.... irector Zack Snyder was hired in June 2004 as he had attempted to make a film on Miller's novel before making his debut.... miller, in the letters page of the original series, admits the inaccuracy, and angrily defends it.... miller states that their hypocrisy is a character flaw, but not unrealistic....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

What are the health implications of binge drinking for younger people aged 15-25

The author believes that the topic is very relevant in her field area, which is nursing.... The subject area is a real and pressing issue for the country, and as the.... ... ... It is important since friends and family of the researcher also binge drink, and it seems logical and timely that the researcher be able to encourage According to the UK Prime Minister's Strategy Unit evidence, patterns of binge drinking have lead to an increased toll of 22,000 premature deaths costing the country £20 billion a year; health problems; alcohol related disorders and injuries....
38 Pages (9500 words) Essay

The Great American Dream

Just because you buy into the american dream The dream has limits and has its own laws which is something Jay Gatsby learns to his unfortunate detriment at the end of the story.... This was all part of the good side of the american dream: that if you worked hard you could achieve anything for yourself and your family.... He has bought the shape of the dream, but not the american dream itself.... Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby is one of the most magnificent in American literature....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Death OF A Salesman: The Elusive American Dream

Willy believed that he was living the american dream.... iller excellently drove his point to the audience that there is no american dream.... miller used symbolism to depict that Willy despite his denial knew the futility of continuing to work.... iller attacked Willy's dream in several ways....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review

The American Dream in Literature

The “american dream” in this case implies that through.... However, different people have given the “american dream” different interpretations with some using it as a defense to justify their personal desires and greed.... The o great modern works of the American literature, The Great Gatsby novel and Death of Salesman gives an account of how the personal interpretation and pursuit of the “american dream” can result into a big failure....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Failure of American Dream by Miller

This paper ''Failure of american dream by Miller'' tells that The United States of America witnessed many notable political, economic, and social changes towards the late 1940s and the early 1950s and one can notice that these changes brought about radical changes in the lives of the middle-class population of the nation too.... Furthermore, the Cold War and post-Cold War realities also played crucial roles in shaping the Western outlook towards the american dream of prosperity and development....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us