The Importance of A Dream in Death of a Salesman, by...

To have a fulfilling life, one must have a dream. However, with the wrong dream, even a fulfilling life is not a happy one. For example in the play, Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, the protagonist, Willy Loman, dreams of becoming a respected and successful salesman. However, Willy Loman dreams the wrong dream and as a result its leads to his tragic demise. This is evident through Willy’s dream being unrealistic, Biffs troubles due to Willy instilling his dream into him, Willys pride resulting from his dream, and the illusion that Willy’s dream creates. As a result, the fabricated life that Willy thought was perfect, ultimately falls apart as it turns into reality. To begin, Willy dreams the wrong dream because it is†¦show more content†¦Therefore to conserve his dream, his pride become his hubris that prompts him to take the drastic actions that end up destroying his life. Willy’s pride not only causes him to overlook his own flaws but also the fl aws of his son, Biff Loman. Willy devoutly believes that Biff is destined for greatness and as a result does not prepare him for failure. Rather, Willy prepares him for the future that is unrealistic like his dream. Willy teaches Biff that all one needs to succeed in the business world is to be well liked and completely neglects the importance of hard work and skill. This is clear when examining Willy’s view of Bernard in which he says, Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. Thats why I thank Almighty God youre both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want(Miller 33). Just like Willy’s dream, Biff is bound for failure because of Willy’s misguided notion of how to achieve success. Rather than working hard like Bernard to achieve one’s dreams, Willy tells Biff that success will be given to him. Consequently, Biff is never able to take orders from superiors and steals his way out of every job he is given. This isShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Dreams in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller697 Words   |  3 PagesThe Importance of Dreams in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller There is a wide range of dreams throughout the play. Every Character is living a dream and these dreams are what affect and change how the play flows. The main dream is the great capitalist American Dream, The dreams dramatically affect relationships, jobs and even threatens lives, and these dreams are usually unachievable so are never going to be reached. 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