The American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Within the tragic work Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman destroys himself trying to achieve a dream. Yet, the dream that destroys Willy is not the one he chose. Willy Loman does not choose this destructive dream because he does not know himself, Willy Loman does not choose a dream at all, it is imposed on him by society. Willy Loman spends part of the play trying to achieve wealth, fame and how of others. These ideas embody the American dream, to become a successful and well-liked businessman. Willy's real dream, however, was very different from this. Throughout the play you can see evidence that Willy feels trapped by this dream that he feels obligated to fulfill. Society has dictated to Willy that the American Dream is “the” dream, and no other dream is acceptable. Because of this dictate, Willy abandons his true dream: living alone, in the countryside, where he can support himself by cultivating and living off the land. Evidence of Willy's true dream appears in brief, scattered fragments. "God, the woods! Me and my boys in those great outdoors! Yes, yes! Linda, Linda!" cries exuberantly at the idea of ​​leaving the city. He is quickly killed by the society around him at the idea. "Wait, boy, before it's all over we'll get a little house in the country, and I'll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens..." once again the society that surrounds Willy shatters this dream, his true dream, forcing him back into the subconscious of Willy's mind, where he remains for the entire duration of the show, re-emerging only a few times, when the dream Willy is trying to realize becomes so horrible that he remembers having had another dream, or when the false dream seems to turn to term, and he will be able to move forward to pursue his true dream. In the climax of the play, when Willy realizes that he is loved by his children, a slight awakening occurs in Willy's mind. He begins to understand that his true dream, living in the countryside, is identical to that of his beloved son Biff. Biff was never able to follow his dream because his father pushed him into the false dream of becoming a businessman.