The Reality of the American Dream

    When reading "Death of a Salesman", it is no secret that Willy is a big dreamer. He constantly talks about being the best salesman in the world, making lots of money and being well respected by all. These dreams control his life to the point where it's the only thing he ever thinks about. However as Willy is getting older, he doesn't seem to necessarily accomplish the success he had ever so dreamed of. As a result, he lives a life of delusion and lies, refusing to accept failure. The stress and despair that Willy faces for not living the ideal image of a successful life does really seem to take its toll on him. He is pushed not only to the point where he becomes out of touch of reality, but also to the point where his relationship with Biff becomes shaky. Willy tries to put Biff on this certain path and idea of what success is, similarly to Richard and Olive in Little Miss Sunshine. But unlike Olive, Biff is old enough to know that he does not like this route Willy is trying to put him on which is part of the reason why Willy and Biff's relationship is so tension-filled. Biff has gone through trial and error trying to work a sales job, to realize that Willy's dream does not correspond with his own. This is one thing about the American dream that some people seem to forget. The American dream of success translates to the dream that most Americans share, not necessarily all.  The failure to recognize this can be seen as one of Willy's tragic flaws in the story and why Biff feels the way he does about his father.