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Description:

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.

Language:
English Language

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.

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