Death of a SalesmanDEATH OF A SALESMAN: THE QUEST FOR SUCCESSWhat is the "American Dream?" How do you define success? Many people have different opinions on how to achieve true happiness. A common vision is the realization of something desired. Most people want love, compassion, and a family. On the other hand, there are those who worry about self-image, material objects, and whether money can actually buy true happiness. In Arthur Miller's comedy DEATH OF A SALESMAN [published by Ted Buchholz (1993)] - the story of a sixty-three-year-old man named Willy Loman struggling to achieve the "American Dream" and his suffering family as the cause - contains many examples of attempts to achieve material success. Willy's biggest dream is to follow in his brother Ben's footsteps and become a successful salesman. Willy Loman wanted success so much that he lost any realistic sense of himself. He wished the same for his sons, Happy and Biff. Yet his struggle for popularity, authority and money to succeed caused his downfall. Unfortunately for Willy, most of his dreams were illusions. He failed to face this fact. Willy Loman's definition of success distorted his view of himself and his children. Willy Loman's definition of success was about being popular and holding high authority in the world of business and enterprise. Often lost in his memories, the reader glimpses Willy's meaning of the "American Dream." The audience witnesses this for the first time while talking to Biff and Happy about their friend Bernard: Bernard can get top marks in school... but you will be five times ahead of him... Because the man who makes his appearance in business with... mid-card... and he stays in town. Until the show's final chapter Willy remains corrupted by his own thoughts, still believing in the same definition of success for his son: "Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in your pocket?" (1314) Willy believes, even after his death, that his son will be successful through inheritance, money, and material desires. In short, Willy Loman's unrealistic dreams caused his downfall. Trying to succeed with material desires and be "well liked" he has failed. At the end of the show he had to lose his own life just to provide funding for his family's. He subjected his family to endless torture because of his pursuit of a successful life. He should have been content with what he had, because his true happiness included a loving family. Willy's example shows that you have to follow your dreams to truly realize them.