Illusion of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman and...

The American Dream is what all Americans strive to achieve. It is the illusion of prosperity and happiness. The American Dream consists of three different elements, money, sex, and power. The plays â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† are about families who strive to achieve the American Dream. These plays are a lot alike and they have more similarities than differences. In America, money can get you many places in society. In both plays, money plays an essential element. In â€Å"The Glass Menagerie,† Amanda is always concerned about Laura getting a job or marrying someone whom can support her. When Amanda realizes that Laura quit going to business school, she becomes very distressed. â€Å"What are we going to do, what is going†¦show more content†¦But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid.† Willy liked to imagine that he was prosperous, and that his sons would be prosperous. Sex is another element of the American Dream. The characters in both plays have their fantasies and dreams about love. They are dreamers who can slip into, and out of reality. In â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† Laura is in love with a person that she knew in high school. She talked to him some in high school, but not a lot. Her crush for him lasted long after high school. She says, â€Å"Yes. I liked one once. I came across his picture a while ago.† Once he comes to her house for dinner, she is quite around him, and she is disappointed when she finds out that he is engaged. In â€Å"Death on a Salesman,† Willy searches for love, but does not realize what he has. He has a loving family, and wife who cares a lot about him. He does not recognize their love, and has to run off and have an affair with a woman. When Biff finds out about the affair, he finally realizes that he fails in business because his father had him stuck on the myth of the American Dream. Furthermore , having power is also very important for achieving the American Dream. In â€Å"The Glass Menagerie,† Amanda has to be in control of everything. She likes telling her son and daughter what they should be doing. She recurrently reminds Tom about how important his job is for the security of the family. She says, â€Å"What right have you gotShow MoreRelatedA Comparison of Tennessee Williams ´ The Glass Menagerie and Arthur Miller ´s Death of a Salesman1158 Words   |  5 Pages The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller are two of the twentieth century’s best-known plays. The differences and similarities between both of the plays are hidden in their historical and social contexts. The characters of The Glass Menagerie and the Death of a Salesman are trapped by the constraints of their everyday lives, unable to communicate with their loved ones and being fearful for their future. There are a lot of comparisons thatRead MoreGlass Salesman: A Comparison of Themes In a Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller2550 Words   |  11 PagesOne dreams, through the use of imagination, of what will become of them as life progresses. In some cases that person lives passionately with desires of self fulfillment, eventually reaching their goals in an ever so content way. At other times one remains lost, underappreciated, and ultimately carries with them a perilous, loathing attitude. Willy Loman drives his life to the point of no return where images of his past become his contorted reality. Amanda Wingfield slips on the white dress of herRead MoreDeath of a Salesman (Analysis and Personal Reaction)2850 Words   |  12 PagesDeath of Salesman is a a very deep play written by Arthur Miller about a salesman struggling to keep his grip on reality and his family. This play is a memory play, switching from present to past and vice versa whenever Willy, the salesman and father of the family, has a moment of in sanity and returns to times gone by. Being memory, it allows for music to announce emotions and characters, and well as exaggerations and/or omissions. As Tom says in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie: Being aRead MoreAnalysis Of Tennessee Williams s The Glass Menagerie 2800 Words   |  12 PagesFontes 11 Tennessee Williams is considered to be one of the most distinguished American playwrights of the twentieth century. As a Southern writer, Williams used his personal life and experiences as subject matter for many of his stories. Williams? turbulent early life was the basis for many of his plays. As an autobiographical play, The Glass Menagerie depicts individuals not only fleeing from reality, but also escaping from their desperate situations. Escape is defined ?as a means of obtaining