The Negative Power of Dreams in Death of a Salesman Essay

Death of a Salesman

There are some books such as The Da Vinci Code which are written as books to keep you entertained but they are not great literature, they are just for entertainment. Every great piece of literature has a purpose, a theme, or some kind of point the author is trying to get across. The play Death of a Salesmen is definitely great literature and has a point that the author Arthur Miller is trying to get across. The point that Arthur Miller is trying to get across is that dreams can be a very powerful thing, and arent necessarily good because they can be very harmful.

One example of Arthur Miller showing that dreams can be extremely harmful is through Biffs and Willys relationship. Willy always seems to think or dream that Biff is going to become a big business owner or some kind of business worker like Happy or himself. When the truth is Biff will never take a job like that because it isnt his personality and if he ever did take a job like that he would either get fired, or depressed. He would much rather work on a farm or do manual labor. Because of this Willy is constantly pushing Biff to go into business while Biff is totally against it. Willy refuses to realize the reality that is Biff will never be a successful business man or has ever been one. An example of this is found on page 104. Biff says How the hell did [he] ever get the idea [he] was a salesman [The Loman family] have been talking in a dream for 15 years. [He] was a shipping clerk. Biff understands he will never be a business man and never was so he tries to leave town and just let his father live on dreaming about how he was a businessman.

Another example of how dreams can be very harmful is conveyed throughout the book is Willys suicide at the end of the novel. Throughout the book, Willy struggles with money and has worked hard his whole life to try and support his family. Towards the end of the book he Realizes he is Worth more death than alive. By this he meant alive he wasnt making any money because he was fired and was in debt. But if he was to die his life insurance would pay his family 20,000 dollars which was more than he would ever be able to provide his family with. Oh, Ben thats the beauty of it! [Willy] see it like a diamond , shining in the dark, hard and rough, that [Willy] can pick up and touch in [Willys] hand Because [Biff] thinks [Willies] nothing see, and so [Biff] spites me but the funeral will be massive! Theyll come from Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire! [Biff] will see what [Willy] am, Ben! [Biffs] in for a shock, that [Biff]. Willy believes that when he kills him self Biff will be very happy and amazed. He dreams that he is well liked so if he dies people from all over the north east will come to attend his funeral so Biff will be impressed and amazed. He also believes that Biff will be happy when he kills himself because Biff and the family will be getting money. That was all a dream, a dream that drove Willy to kill himself. No one showed up at the funeral and Biff was very sad when his father died.

Arthur Miller tries to convey that dreams are very powerful and can be bad. In Willy Lomans case, his dreams were so powerful that he believed that they were real and because of this they drove him to do illogical things like refusing to accept his son for what he was and killing him self.