Death of a Salesman and American Beauty - 1220 Words

Death of a Salesman is a play by Arthur Miller that follows the dying days of Willy Loman. Willy is a salesman who is not very at selling whatever he is selling so he takes the easy way out and goes to his neighbor, Charley, who has worked very hard for his money. Willy thinks that Charley and his son Bernard are nerdy and that they are not successful. Success to Willy is all about looks, which is why his son Biff grew up with the idea that as long as you are well liked than you will be successful. Willy faces the conscious battle between what he wants his sons to see and what he wants to keep personal. He wants to set the example of success to his sons by having a death of a salesman where tons of people attend his funeral and everyone†¦show more content†¦Willy is the same way with taking shortcuts for success. Willy would have â€Å"to go to Charley and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend to [Linda] that it’s his pay† (Miller). Willy is just as lazy as L ester when it comes to the working ethic. Willy knows that he needs to make money for his family so he takes the easy way out to make it seem like he is successful. Both characters believe that â€Å"in order to be successful one must project an image of success at all times† (Mendes). Lester and Willy both think that the way one looks on the outside will bring them success. Lester tries to improve his body for Angela by working out. Willy tells Biff indirectly not to study because if he have â€Å"scholarships to three universities they’re gonna fluck him† (Miller). Willy shows that he thinks that looks get you success and not hard work. Lester and Willy only wanted to have happiness and success and what they got was death. The two men, Lester and Willy, are not the characters that should be matched up even though they both try very hard to get their dreams there is more similarities between Willy and Carolyn than Willy and Lester. Willy and Carolyn are both characters who make their money by selling items. Carolyn sells houses and Willy sells something. Carolyn thinks that her relationship with her family is perfect just like how she runs the house. She fails to see that what they truly need is someone to look upShow MoreRelatedIn Death of a Salesman as well as in American Beauty, the main conflicts revolve around a great1300 Words   |  6 PagesIn Death of a Salesman as well as in American Beauty, the main conflicts revolve around a great basic problem, which is the appearance as a way of life and expression to the outside. Following this, they will all problems relating to the relationships between the characters, and the lack of communication in the families. It could also be seen in both works th at the characters go through great efforts pretending to be happy with themselves. Willy Loman which may sound Low Man- man, writersRead MoreIntertwined Works Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and American Beauty by Sam Mendez846 Words   |  4 PagesWritten in 1949 the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller takes the reader to the post war era in America. Here, Miller tells the story of the Lomans. Willy Loman is a sixty-year old traveling salesman. He has worked for thirty-five years to get his salary cut and put on commission, but he chooses to keep his low wage job, even though his neighbor Charley offered him a salary job. Willy suffers from self-inflicted hallucinations about his eldest son Biff Loman and his elder brother Ben, whichRead MoreLife of Pi1276 Words   |  6 Pagesclose reference to Death of a Salesman and American Beauty. Ideas and qualities of acceptable standards that is considered worthwhile in society, pressures the relationship between an individual and his or her society due to the risk of social rejection. By accepting these social norms the individual is forced into the pursuit of the American Dream of that context whilst the rejection of the American Dream also leads to social rejection. Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman looks at the notionRead More A Comparison of the Dream in Death of a Salesman, Ellis Island, and America and I1328 Words   |  6 PagesThe Dream in Death of a Salesman, Ellis Island, and America and I   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The American dream is as varied as the people who populate America. The play The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the poem Ellis Island by Joseph Bruchac, and the poem America and I by Anzia Yezierska illustrate different perspectives of the American dream. All three authors show some lines of thought on what the freedom inherent in the American dream means. The authors clarify distinct ideas on the meansRead MoreDeath of a Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller836 Words   |  4 PagesDeath of a Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Since the beginning of time, man has endeavored to become something more, to grow as a society. This has been accomplished through many extremes from war and conquest to science and exploration. The struggle endured during these events has indeed been great, but there is no greater struggle, nor one that reaps more reward, than that which the individual goes through to discover himself. Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"ThereRead MoreWilly Lowman’s Tragic Misinterpretation of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman1176 Words   |  5 PagesPresident of the United States, twice. This is just one more example that the American Dream is without a doubt achievable. Its pursuit is not easy; it requires undeniable hard work, modesty and optimism. Armed with these characteristics, seekers of this lifestyle will undeniably succeed. Success, though, is an interesting concept, for it can entail many superficial qualities. Willy Loman, the tragic hero of the play Death of a Salesman, sees only the superficial qualities of this dream. He views successRead MoreModernism Versus Postmodernism918 Words   |  4 PagesPostmodernism Post-modernism follows and shares many of the same ideas as modernism. Though, at the same time, they differ in many ways. These distinctions can be seen in the two works of literature, â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller and â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† by David Mamet. â€Å"Death of a Salesman† represents the modernist literature. Modernism is a style of literature that came about after World War I in Europe. It emerged in the United States in the late 1920s. Modernism was the responseRead MoreDeath Of Salesman By F. Scott Fitzgerald1515 Words   |  7 Pageshuman being looking only at the past or present—instead of looking forward to the future. John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said, â€Å"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.† In the play Death of Salesman by Arthur Miller, the protagonist Willy Loman is depicted as a man who has failed in life; he spent most of his life reminiscing the past. This affected his life greatly, especially his relationship with his son, Biff Loman. Nevertheless, inRead MoreDeception of Family in Death of a Salesman and A Doll’s House1243 Words   |  5 PagesArthur Millers classic American play, Death of a Salesman and Henrik Ibsen’s classic play A Doll’s House, expose dysfunctional families and behaviors. In these plays, the themes of innocence, guilt and of truth and are considered through the eyes of deception. Both plays tell us that most of us choose to play roles and deceive, not only those immediately, but distantly around us. In Death of a Salesman the father passes deception to his boys the next generation. A Doll’s House ShowsRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 1461 Words   |  6 PagesMice and Men is a novella portraying the failure of the American Dream. Steinbeck explores many different aspects of the life in the 1930 s throughout the novella e.g. racism. Of Mice and Men teaches the grim lesson about the nature of the human existence, showing the impossible and pragmatic truth of the American Dream. Miller also does this, as in Death of a Salesman , Miller, shows that there are different versions of the American Dream. Willy believes that one only can rise to the top