The Theme Of Success In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Through hard work, anything is attainable. Success isn’t just handed to someone on a silver platter, there is lots of time and effort that must be put forward in order to achieve this. The American dream describes something similar and also states that the goal of success is attainable to anyone willing to put some effort in. The play Death of a Salesman illustrates to readers and also viewers of how this American dream can be interpreted differently by individuals. There are also a variety of examples in the play that describe the various interpretation of this dream. Charley for instance is a prime example of a successful man who worked hard for what he has, and never expected it to be any other way. This is usually how life goes for the
He believes no matter how hard you work; it still boils down to who you know – your contacts. His advice seems relatively simple and it does seem much easier is a person’s mind to just get everyone to like you rather than working hard. But perhaps he doesn’t have it figured out as well as he thinks he does. As he has reached his old age, the career path that he has chosen has began to work against him. During his younger years as a salesman, he was able to find a web of people that helped him find buyers. He used the tool of manipulation as well, and since he was well liked he did well in his profession. Until the day came that the people he worked closely with and pulled strings for him branched out and created their own networks, leaving Willy alone and essentially workless. Since then he has had a hard time making ends meet for his family. There should have been some indication that struggle would become his fate when he met Dave Singleman who was still working at the age of eighty-four when most people are living the retired life by then. If only he had based his work ethic off of something more realistic, something such as working hard instead of making it a popularity contest. Had Willy used this philosophy over being well-liked he might possibly find himself in a different situation, one that doesn’t involve having to borrow money from his neighbour, or struggle to keep
Charley chose hard work in order to attain the life he wanted for his future. Willy decided to go the other direction and rely on his charisma to get him ahead in life. It’s clear that Willy’s method to make it to the top may not be the best path. To get ahead in life takes more than who you have in your contacts. Though being well-liked makes life easier in the short run, it eventually comes to an abrupt end. The people that have stuck around move to a different job, retire, or die. This is simply the cycle. Meanwhile hard work and dedication is a lasting success. It shows others that you have what it takes and don’t rely on anything else except motivation. These traits are ones that are admired far more than someone who seeks approval of others and ensure a stable future mirroring the “American