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It seems everyone has a general impression of the American Dream as something much like a prized dessert that can only be obtained for a short season by the fortunate few who live in the region its made or can afford to have the produce shipped in. The difference in how the dream is defined lies in how one sees the shape and color of the concoction, whether the texture is just right for the shape of the taste buds assessing the flavor quality. A surprising amount of thought goes into the definition of the American Dream and one begins to understand that each persons idea of what this is has some general similarities that quickly break down into multi-faceted specifics. Few people discuss these impressions so these distinctions are not often fully realized. However, the collective conception of the American dream can be discovered to some extent by comparing one idea with another. The American playwright Arthur Miller provides a basic interpretation of the American Dream in his play Death of a Salesman that shares some similarities with that portrayed by American filmmaker Alan Ball in American Beauty.
In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman loses himself in the image hes built up regarding who he is as he measures up to his idea of the American Dream. Harold Bloom writes about some of the early danger signs regarding where Willys ideas are flawed such as during a memory scene in which one can detect the seed of later difficulties as Willy tries to impress his boys by exaggerating the importance and prestige of his job (Bloom, 1996, p. 15). This is contrasted against the self-denying sense of loser indicated by Lester in American Beauty. A great deal of what his family knows about Willy is based upon the image he feels he must portray of himself while Lesters family knows him for what he is not. In both cases, this prevents his family from knowing the real character and isolates him entirely. Through his exaggeration about the importance of his job, Willy reveals his ideas regarding what makes a person successful as being based upon the degree to which he can impress others while Lester indicates he has failed in the dream because of his unimportance to others.
Throughout the play, it can be seen that Willys wife or children have attempted to assure him that his importance to them has little or nothing to do with his ability to impress others or his level of financial success. All they want to do is spend time with him. Loman has a faulty vision of what makes a person successful, which makes him flawed, but regardless of the opposition and the ultimate cost to himself, he refuses to give up that vision, which makes him, in Millers eyes, a tragic hero (Abbotson, 2000, p. 25). This is again contrasted against the film in which both wife and daughter of Lester are constantly reminding him of what a loser he is. As he is finally brought to the realization that his slipping memory means he cannot work anymore, Willy finds himself grasping for a foundation within his family that cannot now be developed because of the way he has kept his true self hidden behind appearances.
Because material success seems so necessary to Willy, he believes that his sons cannot love him if he is not successful. Love becomes an item to be bought rather than something to be freely given (Brockett, 1969). However, Lester discovers that he might still achieve his own dreams and sets about doing whats necessary to make those happen. Thus, Willys ideas of the American Dream are seen to be a strong, completely self-contained man who sacrifices all of his own inclinations in favor of providing his family with a decent house, the appropriate educational experiences and the money they will need to live on after he retires or dies while Lester has redefined it as achieving a certain degree of self-satisfaction and an ability to discern beauty in the world.
Arthur Millers play focuses on the story of an everyday American struggling and not quite reaching the quintessential American Dream just as Alan Balls film focuses on the story of a man who has, through partnership with his wife, managed to build the outer image of the American Dream without attaining any of the supposed satisfaction from it. Both writers explore the various social issues involved, such as the changing American landscape and new attitudes of women, while also revealing the very human personal weaknesses of characters struggling to attain a quality of life woefully out of his reach and/or completely destructive to the family left behind (Liukkonen, 2003).
Through this characterization of the little man in the form of Willy Loman or Lester Burnham, Miller and Ball respectively examine the deep moral conscience of the country to ask if this conception of the American Dream is something we truly believe, and to attempt to expose the fallacies where they lay. Millers unyielding humanism enabled him to demonstrate the ridiculous situations his character placed himself in as a result of his own pride, yet also presents him in a sympathetic light, enabling others to view him this way as well. In only marginally different ways, Ball was able to achieve the same effect. Rather than hating Willy for his inability to accept lifes realities or to wake up and realize the future is not going to wait, the audience instead finds itself rooting for Willy, hoping something will happen for him. Likewise, rather than despising Lester for his seemingly selfish and uncaring behavior regarding his familys welfare, the audience comes to realize that Lester has finally discovered the true value of life and his example has the potential of giving his daughter her own chance at real happiness.
Both of these stories force one to begin thinking about just what our individual conceptions are of the American Dream. For many, the concept of the American Dream is a fuzzy notion closely aligned to that held by Willy Loman. It consists of home ownership in a decent, preferably suburban neighborhood, steady and stable gainful employment, companionate marriage and happy children all of which are intended to lead to a happy and carefree retirement surrounded by doting family members. However, Willy discovers that his relentless pursuit of these ideals has not given him this sort of success as his constant traveling has alienated him from his children and his lack of position has not enabled them to save anything toward retirement. Similarly, Lester discovers that although he has the dreamed for house, he, too, has been stuck in a dead-end unsatisfactory job that has alienated him from his family and caused him to lose connection with himself. Both characters realize, only moments before their deaths, that the true happiness in life comes from being able to share experiences and happy moments. While security is nice and homeownership is often equated with security, the true security in life is found in knowing that one is loved by someone else. As each character realizes this, they are able to die with a smile on their face that serves only to haunt those left behind as they attempt to discover the meaning of the American Dream for themselves.
Works Cited
Abbotson, Susan C. Student Companion to Arthur Miller. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.
American Beauty. Dir. Sam Mendes. Writer Alan Ball. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch & Wes Bentley. DreamWorks, 1999.
Bloom, Harold. Blooms Notes: Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publications, 1996.
Brockett, Oscar G. An Introduction to Death of a Salesman. The Theatre: An Introduction. 2nd Ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969.
Liukkonen, Petri. Arthur Miller. Books and Writers. Finland: Pegasos, 2003.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Viking Press, 1949.
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