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6

Is it true that Willy Loman is a victim of his own misconception of the “American Dream”? Well, on the one hand, I think that his life was hard because of his bad financial situation and the fact that he failed in life. On the other hand, it is his own fault that he failed. His idea of the American dream is to be fame, rich and liked. He just wanted to have success to be liked and powerful and not to do his own thing to be happy. I mean, I think it is important to do your own thing without caring what others think. Willy was caring a lot about the opinion of the population. That is the reason why he got sick in the psychical way. He stressed himself out a lot because of his frantic wish to be successful and he cares too much about the others opinion. To add, he saw others like Charlie as a competitor and he was jealous of them because they had the success he wanted. Instead of working hard for success, he was only dreaming about what he could catch. He remained in one place, so to speak, and did not involve. All in all, I think the question is whether Willy was his own victim of his misconception to answer yes, because he lost the thread, focus on wrong aspects and never really started fighting for his dreams. He lived in his dream world and his life passed him by. In that time his fellow human beings like Charlie have involved, which he couldn’t cope with and put himself under even more pressure.

1

Willy Loman is the main caracter of the play "Death of a Salesman", where he commits suicide because he failed to achieve the " American Dream". In the following I am going to comment on if Willy is a victim of his own misconseption of the " American Dream". One aspect is that, Willy thinks that to be loved by everyone and to never want anything is the intention of the "American Dream". He is not carying about the original values, that would not have lead him into commiting suicide, but to live in freedom. On the other hand one can say that the "American Dream" has changed so much through the years, so that the old values, such as freedom and healthyness, have become uninportant. The values are replaced with materialistic things and to be popular and well liked. Finally I have come to the decision, that not only Willy has the misconception of the "American Dream" but the whole society. I also think that the wrong values of the society and the change of the "American Dream" made Willy the victim and lead hin into failing and commiting suicide.

10

The question that is touched upon here is if Willy Loman is a victim of his own misconception of the” American Dream” is difficult to answer because there are several positive and negative aspects which have to be considered.

Firstly, it is important to consider the fact that Willy always tries to be liked and popular. Additionally, he thinks that personal attractiveness leads to professional success. This shows that Willy concentrates on what other people think about him. Therefore, he turns to be a man that pretends being someone he is not, what becomes clear when he feels lost and not accepted although he thinks he is really famous as salesman. In context to that it is pointed out that he does not focus on the value of being happy and satisfied with his family and life. Another point is that he keeps on working for his dream of wealth and materialism richness altough he is not able anymore. That underlines the fact that he lives in his dream world and is not realistic enough to accept the circumstances. In addition to that Willy is mentally unstable what is caused by the pressure of being the number one and overburden with the desire of being rich and successful.

On the other side you also have to take into consideration that Willy is a member of the working class what refers to the fact that is not very rich but tries to make money to support his family. It is possible as well that he does not want to disappoint his famliy members and keeps on working although he is not able anymore. In addition to that you should keep in mind that his sons do not support him in the financial way that much, what leads to the aspect that he is forced to keep on working to care for his and Linda`s life. Another point is that he is and was surrounded by successful people for example his brother Ben and his friend Charlie, what supports the pressure under which Willy suffers and destroys himself. Finally, he is catched up in the trap of exterior circumstances that he cannot escape from because the concurrence is growing and the business world of salesman is a rough competition in which he finally does not fit anymore. That leads to the aspect that he gets more desperated and maybe also disappointed in himself that he could not fulfill his goals.

To sum up, I am of the opnion that Willy is mainly a vicitm of his own misconception of the American dream which is being well-liked and successful. I think the main reason for his failure is not absolutely his vision of the American dream but that he does not realise that the way of pretending of being someone he is not, is the wrong one and that he cannot change the outward impacts but his way of handling the situation. Because if he realise that he could be happy with what he has he would not transform in the state of abandoning.

23

The question is if Willy Loman is a victim of his own misconception of the "American Dream". This topic is a big discussion, but there are some points for and against it.

The first aspect is that Willy's goal is to be liked and popular, because he thinks it will bring him success. That is why the opinions of other people are important for him. Furthermore, he pretends to be someone who is not. For example that he thinks that he is a famous salesman. Moreover he cares more about materialism things than to have a happy life with his family. On addition he keeps to achieve his materialism goals eve he can not. It shows that he has a wrong illusion and he is not realistic which leads to the fact that he lives in his dreams. In addition to that he is mentally unstable.

On the other side he earns the money to support his family even he is not rich and a man of the middle class. Another point is that he has no other choice, because he has to care for the life of his wife and his own, because his sons do not support him very much. And maybe ho does not want to disappoint his family. Moreover, he is surrounded by some successful people like Charlie or Ben, which puts pressure on him and makes suffers him. Finally, there are concurrences about the business as a salesman. It is difficulter for Willy to stand out which makes him desperated and lost.

All in all, Willy is a victim of his own misconception of the American Dream shows the point that he wants to be popular and successful. In my view is the reason for the failure is wrong vision of the American Dream, because he thinks more materialistic and has an unstable mind. And he does not realise the happieness he has.

15

It is a difficult question if Willy Loman is a victim of his own misconception of the „American Dream“, because there are a few positive and negative aspects on both sides which have to mentioned to understand his situation.

On one side Willy’s dream was being popular and rich. For him it was success to be liked by many people and in addition getting much money. This way his only goal was to reach his dream and as consequence he pretended to be someone else, he lives in his own little world where he is popular and successful in his business. In the real world he is truly lost and without a solution. He does not value his family and being happy he thinks happiness comes with being popular. Because he until now he did not reach his dream he keeps on fighting and while doing this he forgets that he maybe is too old to do so and goes over his limits. This leads to Willy being mentally confused and him crashing the car over and over again. The pressure is too much for him and he gets unstable.

On the other side Willy maybe only tries to support his family by still working and trying to earn more money. He is a member of the low class and struggles to survive and to support so they will not be disappointed in their husband and father. He is also too proud to ask his sons for financially support and he does not want to hold them back by asking for money or help. He wants them to achieve his dream because he cannot do it. Willy’s role model was a salesman too but he was very popular and Wily tries to do the same this way he choose the job as a salesman and hoped for a great future. But the bills are getting more and more and the salesman business in not how it used to be for someone like Willy it is difficult to keep up with the new generations.

All in all one can say that Willy is a victim because this dream leads him into his dream world. He lives in the past and does not realize it he cannot change anything and is absolutely lost and mentally unstable because he followed the wrong American Dream which means being successful and popular.

4

Is Willy Loman a victim of his own misconception of the "American Dream"? This question, I think is very hard to answer. Because on the one hand he gets disappointed by his job and his career every day but on the other hand I think it is his own fault, because he doesn’t realize it and he changed nothing.

His expectations to the American Dream are money, fame, prestige and a great and successful career. He doesn‘t really care about his familiy or friends, he only wants to be famous and well liked where ever he goes. Willy only chooses his job to become famous, he only cares about what others think, not about his own opinion. And this is the reason for his bad situation. Willy only wants to be like other succesful person. Charley is the best example. He is very succesful and Willy wants to be like him. But Charley is also a kind of rival for Willy because he is jealous on him. Willy tries to work hard and get his fame but it is only a dream of him and he can’t achieve this life goal. I think he doesn‘t works enough and waits to long because when he was old it is to late to get that successful. It is his own fault because he had to do what he really wants, not what the other people like most. If Willy does what he wants to do he has more motivation and realistic goals he can achieve.

Finally I think that he is a victim of his own misconcipition of the “American Dream“. Because he really understands it in a wrong way, but he doesn‘t recognized it.

17

Is Willy Loman a victim of his own misconception of the “American Dream”? I think so because he always tried to gain success and be well-liked by others. But as he tried to be somebody he clearly wasn’t, he ignored his own happiness and well being. He even lies to himself about being a rather bad salesman. He always presented himself as this big salesman with great success even though he was a really poor guy who couldn’t even afford to pay his insurance and his relationship to his family was kinda crumbling. But he was sort of pressured by the success of family members. He ignored it all and kept on living in his dream world with his hallucinations, he didn’t even seem to realize that he was mentally ill. Otherwise, I think that he might have tried to be really successful in the past but as it didn’t work out as he liked it to, he just lied to himself to kinda save himself from eating himself up inside.

To put it in a nutshell, I think Willy was a victim of his misconception of the American dream because he tried to gain success and failed.

9

Was Willy Loman’s idea of the American Dream wrong? In the play of “The Death Of A Salesman”, Willy Loman, father and fired salesman, commits suicide and ends his life because he thinks he is a failure. Willy had a long life as a salesman, has a family with two grown up sons and a lovely wife which cares about him. But Willy’s life has a lot of negative sides. He has an affair with a woman from Boston and he is not very good at selling anymore. He does not tell anyone about his affair, which he visits every time he is in Boston on a business trip. Willy seems to like his affair more than his wife, because he buys her expensive clothes and other gifts. Having a small house in New York is not exactly what the American Dream is about, but Willy is able to afford a living in this city. He is not financially stable, because he almost always struggles to pay the bills, this is not what the American Dream is about, Willy does not have a stable amount of money. Losing his might be the biggest deal in his life. This was his only opportunity to earn money and he says, that he liked the people and they liked him. His new boss thought Willy needs some time off, and he is not mistaken, because Willy is always working, he even turns down his family time just to work and earn money. The American dream says, that people should have a good job, Willy is far from this case, especially when he gets fired. Concluding it could be said, that Willy Loman had a try at the American Dream, but failed due to misconception and the wrong way to start.

2

After reading the play "Death of a Salesman" the question comes up, if the protagonist Willy Loman is a victim of his misconceptions of the American Dream.

Willy had false and unrealistic expectations about success. He thought the way people, especially in business, look at him, is more important than his own family.

On the one hand Willy behaved quite unacceptable. He was very mean to his family, because of his strong dreams to become well-liked. He hurts them on a personal level. Willy gave Linda, his wife, the feeling of lowness, he often didn't let her finish her sentences, although and though she supported him. Furthermore he reproached Biff all the time, because in his eyes his son failed. He had high expectations in Biff, but when he does not fulfill them, Willy was excessively disappointed. Also his second son Happy was treated bad by his father. He never got much attention, because his brother Biff was always number one. To sum it up, every family member was mistreated by Willy in a different way, which influenced their lives negative. Considering the fact, that some people, including his neighbour Charley, tried to show Willy the reality, emphasizes his obstinacy in his dreams.

On the other hand it is also to say hurting others in turn, the American Dream made Willy a victim towards several factors. He was not by clear mind, because if his failures everytime. He became mental illness and was not longer able to think in the "right" way. In case he was too focused on his concepts. One argument is, that his wife did not tell him, to wake up and to see the things more realistic. It could be also possible, that the case that his own father was less at home, had left marks on Willy's life. Additionally, he was ridiculed as not so important to the firm, especially by his boss Howard. After all those working years and effort, he put into the firm, the termination hurted him a lot. This was confirmed by the fact, that Howard was much younger than Willy. Finally, I want to point out, that society has changed and within its values. The American Dream became more materialistic and superficial.

After considering both sides, I came to the conclusion, that Willy Loman's misconceptions of the American Dream killed himself, but I have to maintain, that those dreams were influenced by society.

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In the drama “The Death of a Salesman" the main character Willy Loman commits suicide as a result of him not achieving his American Dream. This raises the question of whether Willy could be considered a victim of the American Dream or if there is something else that leads to his death.

Willy’s idea of the American Dream is quite simple. He believes that money is a relevant factor in life. Being respected and popular among others is of big importance to him. And that idea is not only being presented but also promoted to him throughout the book. He is surrounded by people who have achieved what he desires such as at his workplace. This is also shown through his brother Ben who is not the most popular but has gotten rich by finding a diamond mine. There are also examples of Willy being insecure about not living that ideal version of the American Dream.

On the other hand, the American Dream can and should not be held accountable for Willy’s suicide alone. Because suicide is such a complex topic and should not be simplified, there is never just one element that is the sole cause of suicide. On account of that, Willy was also stressed from traveling for his work and did not receive help from those around him when he needed it. While Howard refused to transfer Willy’s place of work, Linda did not help him either. By not being honest with him but instead encouraging him in his self-destructive behavior, until it was too late to go back. Finally, the American Dream does not have an “ideal” version. It is a more personalized experience as everyone has different expectations and experiences with it. Therefore “the American Dream” can, again, not be named as the sole reason for Willy’s suicide.

To summarize, one can say that, Willy is not a victim of the American Dream per se. Because other influences added to his decision to commit suicide even though his idea of the American Dream was one of those influences Willy is not its victim as the American Dream is not a fixed issue.

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Comment

The question at hand is whether Willy Loman, the protagonist of the modern American drama “Death of a Salesman, is a victim to his own misconception of the American Dream. In order to answer this question properly, many different aspects must be considered. The basic idea of the American Dream is that any American citizen can achieve happiness, success and prosperity regardless of their financial status or their place in society. Moreover, the relevance of hard work is a central aspect of the American Dream. Firstly, Willy Loman is an American citizen of a rather low financial status. However, he is willing to work hard for his dream of success, which is indicated as he has been working for 34 years. After all these years of work, Willy still refuses to retire. Additionally, he even begs Howard, his boss, to let him work for a reduced salary. In conclusion to this, one may argue that Willy isn’t a victim to his own misconception of the American Dream, but rather, that the American Dream failed him. Nevertheless, there are other factors that must be contemplated as well. Whereas, Willy’s idea of the American Dream may not be entirely different to its general definition, Willy is deluded as to his attainment of it. He still considers himself an important, valuable salesman rather than to face reality. Furthermore, Willy is so obsessed with pursuing popularity, that he barely focusses on anything else. Finally, it may be concluded that Willy is a victim to his own misconception of the American Dream as his wish to acquire renown overshadows the initial idea of the American Dream. Willy’s obsessive behavior causes him to suffer and has a great part in leading to his suicide.

8

“Is Willy Logan a victim of his own misconception of his American Dream?” is a question many people ask themselves after reading the novel “Death of a Salesman”.

In my opinion Willy ain’t a victim by the American Dream, he is a Victim of his mind and visions. Willy Loman achieved a lot of things in his life. He had a job, had financial stability, is a father of two sons an a husband to a lovely wife, owns a house and had a job, but he wasn’t happy with what he got. He always wanted more, things he wasn’t able to achieve. Willy always wanted to be rich, popular and loved by everyone and he never understood, that being liked by someone is something, you can’t control. He wasn’t satisfied with only being loved by his family, he craved for more and more which let him fail because he lost the focus on the most important things. To be honest, for people who really want to be successful in life and their job, it doesn’t matter what other people may think of them, it only matters that they succeed and move on. Willy just had the wrong mind set. If you compare Willy to his brother Ben you can clearly see the difference and the main reason why there’s such a gap between these two in being successful. Ben is a maker, he goes out and searches for new Companies or products to invest in, he is not hoping for chances, he’s searching and taking them. Willy just sits, waits for great opportunities and talks about everything like its working and he’s already succeeding, while nothing has changed so far. Willy is a talker, captured in his own body and his mindset. The American dream is about working hard, being able to achieve your dreams, being able to pay for your rent, your family and everything else you need to life. It may also be for some people being loved, for example marriage or starting a family but it never is about just being popular and loved by EVERYONE.

So I came to the conclusion, that Willy Loman is not a victim by the American Dream but his own mindset.