What specific ills does Miller diagnose in the America Dream? Discuss with reference to Death of a Salesman. The American Dream is an idea that originated from the Pilgrim Fathers and has remained in the American society. It is the belief that America is the land of opportunity where everyone can be great. The word dream is in fact probably the best way to describe the problems that Arthur Miller can see in this belief. The word dream can suggest something wonderful to look forward to achieving, or, it may imply that something is only a dream, something that is impossible to achieve. We can see Miller believes dream to mean the latter of these interpretations when we see the character Howard in Death of a Salesman. It is implied through the way that he disregards Willys past loyalty to his company, that he has only achieved his dream of success through moral compromises, and therefore, that few achieve the dream without doing this as well. The American society however, seems to support the first definition of the word dream. They have certain claims to self-perfection that are absent in a large part of the world: I celebrate myself, and sing myself, and what I assume you shall assume, Song of Myself by Walt Whitman. Others tend to accept far greater, that conditions of life are hostile to mans pretensions. It is thought that if they live by this dream, that there is a natural order in favour of them and that everyone can succeed. Willy supports this idea and relies on being well-liked in order to succeed, rather than working hard and having ability. So convinced is Willy of the rightness of this doctrine, that he raises his sons by it and, without intending to, he subtly undermines their moral character, turning one into a lecher and the other into a bum and a thief. Thus Miller demonstrates how such great self-confidence that the American Dream can produce, can have adverse effects on young people.Although the dream used to be one ab...
