Death of a Salesman

To get this entry started I would like to make a comparison between "The Death of a Salesman" and "The Great Gatsby". Like Mr. Fiorini stated in his post, there is that whole feeling of New York City in the 1920's, and advertising is playing a huge role in culture and city life at this time. As in "The Great Gatsby", "The Death of a Salesman" has a theme of the 1920's American Dream. Like I said in a past entry about Gatsby, he "worked his way to the top of the social ladder." The American Dream is making your living in America and having the mind set that you can achieve anything. It is apparent that Willy believes the American Dream is to be successful and to make money. He focuses on being well-liked and good looking as traits to help you become successful. He even points out to his sons that because Bernard is not well-liked he will be hurt in the long run (even though Bernard is quiet smart).
Biff has betrayed the high hopes that Willy had for him. Growing up Biff seemed smart (other than failing math), he had friends, he was slick with the ladies, and was a sports guy. Biff however, can not seem to hold a job. This causes for a rough relationship between the salesman father and thirty-something son. Willy sees his son as a failure and this is upsetting to me as a reader. Despite his age I believe Biff has not found his true self yet which is a sad thing. What he has realized however is very important, Biff is able to confront and accept his failures. I see Willy’s life as a very miserable one. He is clearly not enjoying his life because he has attempted suicide many times before his family finally lost him. Biffs dream is to move out west. Is the west a symbol for complete freedom? It is a far away place where he can take up a line of work that is outside of the business/sales life. Biff is happy when he is on farms, working with his hands. He could potentially have a very satisfying life if he were to move out west. He would escape his fathers obsession with sales life. One things that Biff has to look upon when considering going out West is the success of his Grandfather (who was successful in Alaska) and his uncle Ben (who was successful in Africa). He doesn't have to remained trapped in city life like his miserable father. An important theme or trait that Biff has is the importance of being original and being your self. Material goods should never be the focus, you will become miserable.



focus on all observations and my idea of the american dream