The American Dream
The 'American Dream' is a reoccurring theme throughout both To Kill A Mockingbird and Death of a Salesman. The term“American dream” is used in many ways, but it is essentially an idea which
suggests that anyone in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life. This idea has been expanded and refined upon to include ideas such as freedom, fulfillment and meaningful relationships. In American Society to be 'living the dream' is considered to be an achievement.
The stereotypical dream is usually portrayed as being married, having two children and living in a three-bedroom house with a white picket fence. For many people this outcome may seem very possible and easily achievable, but for others such an idealistic vision is unattainable, particularly if ambition and greed become factors. Both novels use different social situations to criticise different beliefs about the American Dream.
In Death of Salesman, the main character Willy, believes wholeheartedly in the promise of the American Dream. He believed that 'a well liked' and a 'personally attractive' man in business will acquire the material comforts offered by modern American Life. His obsession with superficialities drags him away from the more rewarding understanding of the 'dream' (that hard work without complaint is the key to success). His blind faith in this superficial interpretation leads to his rapid psychological decline when he is
unable to accept the disparity between the dream and his own life.
Harper Lee's ideas about the American Dream are quite different to Willy's. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird the sheer determination of the characters portray the idea that success comes through perseverance and belief. Two examples of this are Miss Maudie and Mrs Dubose. After the fire in her house, Miss Maudie does not complain once. Instead she sees it as an opportunity to build a better house. Mrs Dubose's determination is shown through her morphine addiction. On this occasion Lee states that determination doesn’t always lead to the 'dream'. " She was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody,". Lee criticises the 'dream's' ideas about equality through the use of social prejudice and the Tom Robinson case.
In both novels the ideas given about the 'American Dream' are that not everyone lives the dream and that the 'American Dream' is not every man's dream.
The 'American Dream' is a reoccurring theme throughout both To Kill A Mockingbird and Death of a Salesman. The term“American dream” is used in many ways, but it is essentially an idea which
suggests that anyone in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life. This idea has been expanded and refined upon to include ideas such as freedom, fulfillment and meaningful relationships. In American Society to be 'living the dream' is considered to be an achievement.
The stereotypical dream is usually portrayed as being married, having two children and living in a three-bedroom house with a white picket fence. For many people this outcome may seem very possible and easily achievable, but for others such an idealistic vision is unattainable, particularly if ambition and greed become factors. Both novels use different social situations to criticise different beliefs about the American Dream.
In Death of Salesman, the main character Willy, believes wholeheartedly in the promise of the American Dream. He believed that 'a well liked' and a 'personally attractive' man in business will acquire the material comforts offered by modern American Life. His obsession with superficialities drags him away from the more rewarding understanding of the 'dream' (that hard work without complaint is the key to success). His blind faith in this superficial interpretation leads to his rapid psychological decline when he is
unable to accept the disparity between the dream and his own life.
Harper Lee's ideas about the American Dream are quite different to Willy's. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird the sheer determination of the characters portray the idea that success comes through perseverance and belief. Two examples of this are Miss Maudie and Mrs Dubose. After the fire in her house, Miss Maudie does not complain once. Instead she sees it as an opportunity to build a better house. Mrs Dubose's determination is shown through her morphine addiction. On this occasion Lee states that determination doesn’t always lead to the 'dream'. " She was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody,". Lee criticises the 'dream's' ideas about equality through the use of social prejudice and the Tom Robinson case.
In both novels the ideas given about the 'American Dream' are that not everyone lives the dream and that the 'American Dream' is not every man's dream.