The American Dream in Death of a Salesman

Which version of the American Dream do we pursue today? Biff's or Willy's?

After watching most of the movie and reading the play, I was able to recognize how Arthur Miller portrays two main ideas of the American Dream. First of all, "the term 'American dream' is used in many ways, but it essentially is an idea that suggests that anyone in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life" (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-american-dream.htm). Both of the ideas of the American Dream seen on the play deal with success and the character's idea of what is success.
The two major ideas of the American Dream are different and eventually become conflicting with each other.

First, we have Willy's version of the American Dream. It is being well-liked, popular, and basically, leaving a thumbprint in the world. Willy has a materialistic concept of the American Dream and thinks that success comes if one is well-liked and has mere luck, not if one is a hard-worker or a risk-taker. In fact, there is a scene where Willy tells Linda that the reason he did not sell anything was because he was fat (in the movie it is because he is short). Clearly, we can see that Willy is judging his sales success based on his looks and popularity. Besides, in Act I, he tells Biff that "the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want". Also, Willy judges success by how many people come to his funeral; the more people that come, the more successful you are.

In the other hand, Biff's version of the American Dream is to free himself from his father expectations of being a 'successful' salesman and going to the outdoors, working with his hands. He dreams of owning his own ranch. He says that "there is nothing more beautiful or inspiring than the sight of a mare and a new colt", meaning that there is nothing more beautiful than working with animals in the nature with his own hands. It is important to know, though, that Biff's version of the American Dream evolved during his adult life, because when he was a child, he wanted to please his father. When he saw that his father cheated on his mom, he began to move away from his father's version of the American Dream. With this in mind, Biff's version of the American Dream conflicts with his father's version of the American Dream since his father wants Biff to be a traveling salesman. He wants Biff to be successful, and for Willy, successful is being well-liked and wealthy. Because of the influence of his father's view of the American Dream, Biff returns home thinking that he was wasting his life and that if he continues to work in nature, he will never go anywhere.
At the end of the play, Biff realizes that Willy had the wrong dream. He realizes that his father wasted his life chasing a false dream and eventually becomes a disappointment.

Now, when looking at modern society, I believe that we pursue both Willy's and Biff's version of the American Dream. There are many people in the world, and each individual has his own vision of the American Dream, so definitely, there will be people who pursue Biff's view of the American Dream of being free and connected to the outdoors, and other people will pursue Willy's vision of the American Dream, which is being rich and well-liked and leaving a thumbprint on the world.
I think that the majority of people want to pursue a combination of Willy's and Biff's vision American Dream--maybe leading more towards Willy's version of the American Dream. The truth is that people want to be well-liked, most people want to be popular and have money. Honestly, I want to be well-liked and rich as well. However, Willy takes it to the extreme situation since he dies searching for the American Dream, and I do not want to end like Willy at all. I want to be free and happy as well. In fact, my American Dream would be to be happy, but I don't think I could be entirely happy without money. Taking this into consideration, I pursue a mix of Willy's and Biff's version of the American Dream, and even there might be some exceptions, I think that the majority of people pursue this  mixed view of the American Dream as well.

Project

My group and I have been working on our Death of a Salesman based project. The project consists on creating a comic that retells the story of Death of a Salesman in the point of view of a teenager at FDR. The characters, setting and plot is somewhat changed but the essence of Death of a Salesman is still notorious in our comic. In our comic we show that the worth of oneself is not measured merely in wealth and school nor career accomplishments. 
Moreover, since it takes a lot of time to do a comic book, we asked Mr. Topf to extend this project to next semester.
Currently, we have 21 pages done, but I will only post 6 so you can have an idea of how the comic is going to be.

Characters of Our Comic

So until now, this is what I've done regarding the project. These are the main characters that will appear on the comic.

Why do our parents and their hopes and dreams for us affect us so deeply?
How do the dreams and aspirations of your parents affect your relationship with them?

Death of a Salesman Project Ideas

Additionally, Mr. Topf gave the class the option to study Death of a Salesman in the tradition way where you analyze the themes, setting, characters, etc. or do a project about it. I chose to do a project. The project is our choice, we choose our teammates and how Mr. Topf will grade us.
Here are some of my ideas:
1. Create a comic book (cartoon) based on the play
2. Rewrite the play set in 2012 in a comic book form 
3. Write and film a scene between Linda, Biff, and Happy that takes place ten years after Willy's death.
4. You are Willy. Write a diary about his life and how he feels based on the events that happen on the play.
5. You are Biff. Write a diary about his life and how he feels based on the events that happen on the play.
6. Write a third act. What happens to the Lomans? What becomes of each character?
7. Do a presentation on the importance of the flashback scenes in the play. Rewrite or add a flashback scene.
8. Write part of Linda's journal. React to what has been happening with her life, her husband, her sons, her money, etc. Reflect how she is able to escape the tyranny of dreams.  
9. Create a comic (cartoon) based on how Willy's life would have been different had he gone with Ben to Alaska.
10. Write and film a monologue/dialogue in which Biff describes Willy to his children who never met his grandfather (who is dead). 
11. Create a movie poster of a new movie of The Death of a Salesman. (Too short--add something else)
12. Create an iMovie focusing on what does success looks like in Lima.
13. Create an iMovie or a presentation on how does cheating on your wife might affect your children.
14. Do a talk show discussing what are your expectations for the future? What are your family’s expectations from you? And if these expectations differ. Also, talk about how does it affect a child if their parents already have a future planned out for them.

   Besides doing one of these projects, I would like to create a Facebook page or another blog to post any thoughts or questions about the play. I would hope for all the class to be involved in this page or blog, and also I would like for other people to join into our discussions and complement our thoughts and ideas. 

Death of a Salesman

So now we are doing Part 4 of the IB curriculum. We are studying the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Until now, we have watched the movie, but now, we are going to read the play.

In case you do not know the play, "Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play" (Wikipedia). 

Plot

Willy Loman returns home exhausted after a cancelled business trip. Worried over Willy's state of mind and recent car "crash," his wife Linda suggests that he ask his boss Howard Wagner to allow him to work in his home city so he will not have to travel. Willy complains to Linda that their son, Biff, has yet to make good on his life. Despite Biff's promise as an athlete in high school, he flunked senior year math and never went to college.

Biff and his brother, Happy, who is also visiting, reminisce about their childhood together. They discuss their father's mental degeneration, which they have witnessed by his constant vacillations and talking to himself. When Willy walks in, angry that the two boys have never amounted to anything, Biff and Happy tell Willy that Biff plans to make a business proposition the next day in an effort to pacify their father.

The next day, Willy goes to ask his boss for a job in town while Biff goes to make a business proposition, but neither is successful. Willy gets angry and ends up getting fired when the boss tells him he needs a rest and can no longer represent the company. Biff waits hours to see a former employer who does not remember him and turns him down. Biff impulsively steals afountain pen. Willy then goes to the office of his neighbor Charley, where he runs into Charley's son Bernard (now a successful lawyer); Bernard tells him that Biff originally wanted to do well in summer school, but something happened in Boston when Biff went to visit Willy that changed his mind.

Happy, Biff, and Willy meet for dinner at a restaurant, but Willy refuses to hear bad news from Biff. Happy tries to get Biff to lie to their father. Biff tries to tell him what happened as Willy gets angry and slips into a flashback of what happened in Boston the day Biff came to see him. Willy had been in a hotel on a sales trip with a young woman when Biff arrived. From that moment, Biff's view of his father changed and set Biff adrift.

Biff leaves the restaurant in frustration, followed by Happy and two girls that Happy has picked up. They leave a confused and upset Willy behind in the restaurant. When they later return home, their mother angrily confronts them for abandoning their father while Willy remains talking to himself outside. Biff goes outside to try to reconcile with Willy. The discussion quickly escalates into another argument, at which point Biff forcefully tries to convey to his father that he is not meant for anything great, that he is simply ordinary, insisting that they both are. The feud culminates with Biff hugging Willy and crying as he tries to get him to let go of the unrealistic dreams he still carries for Biff and wants instead for Willy to accept him for who he really is. He tells his father he loves him.

Rather than listen to what Biff actually says, Willy realizes his son has forgiven him and thinks Biff will now pursue a career as a businessman. Willy kills himself, intentionally crashing his car so that Biff can use the life insurance money to start his business. However, at the funeral Biff retains his belief that he does not want to become a businessman. Happy, on the other hand, chooses to follow in his father's footsteps. (Wikipedia)