Week Two: “Death of a Salesman”- Problematize Posts

                                                          September 7, 2011

Death of a Salesman has overall a very dreary plot. This passage shows how desperate some people really are to achieve success, money, fame, and other things in this world. In this story Willy and his family want to achieve the “American Dream” so very badly that they go to extreme lengths and in return it destroys each individual, as well as the whole entire family.  When reading this play, the reader get’s an overwhelming feeling of sadness for this family, as I experienced. There is so much more to life than trying to achieve wealth and all the material things of this earth. Willy wanted so badly for Biff to “reach the top”, to have the very best, be incredibly successful. In wanting this for Biff, Willy made Biff resent him. Towards the end of Act Two, when Biff didn’t get the job, Happy encouraged him to lie to his dad just so that he wouldn’t be disappointed. This text teaches the reader that this type of behavior is okay, in order to preserve a person’s feelings. In my opinion, this is the worst thing that Biff and Happy could do to their father. Lying to Willy just gives him a false sense of hope that will never become a reality. When all they were trying to do was protect Willy, the actually harmed him by presenting him with the allusion that things are getting better, that he is one more step closer to his “American Dream.” Lies are nothing but poison and when told, all they do is destroy situations and everything else involved. I can’t honestly say that I have never gone to these lengths to save myself or a close one. In the moment it seems like a wonderful idea and that things will improve but it eventually causes a disaster. In the end you always regret it and realize that it was never worth lying straight through your teeth.  The values that were constantly compromised in “Death of a Salesman” for the “American Dream”, disappoints me. It proves that people will go so far out of their way and disown their own beliefs and morals when it comes to money, success, fame, and so much more.