After reading Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, I have a new perspective on the American Dream. First, however, I will discuss my thoughts on the story.

I am not the biggest fan of this book. The majority of the novel is dialogue, and not much action. It is hard for me to identify what the climax was, or any other part of the plot. The majority of the dialogue is yelling and it’s hard to follow. It’s is quite boring in some places and repetitive. I think the plot itself is very boring as well. The only distinctive event is at the end when Willy killed himself. The rest of the plot is virtually nonexistent and not much happens. For me, personally, I don’t like how a lot of the description is absent. It causes the story to be dull and tedious.

I, for the most part, don’t like Miller’s characterization either, with the exception of Willy. I like seeing his varying perspectives and psychology. “A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man.” (40) I like how his character is developed, as a tired, contradictory, ambitious man. It is interesting to see how throughout the story, Willy’s two realities and his spiral deeper into disconnection and how things from the past affect his present relationships. One question that still bothers me is why Willy had these problems? Is it a type of mental disorder?
I think the ending is fitting. I like it a lot, because it is the most exciting, action-packed part of the play and provokes ideas. It is interesting how Willy is talking to himself, or to “Bernard” and then realizes he’s alone, and gets in the car. It was very predictable, but I couldn’t imagine any other satisfying resolution.

Something I learned about the American Dream from this book is that it’s not always achievable and you don’t need it. Often times, people come close to achieving it, then don’t, and struggle with feelings of worthlessness, disappointment, and feeling defeated. “You wait, kid, before it’s all over we’re gonna get a little place out in the country, and I’ll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens…” (53) This quote shows that everyone deep down has dreams.

In Conclusion, although I do not like this book, I think it is well-written for a short play.