The American Dream

The American Dream has been part of the American culture for years. It is a dream that, if you were in America, you have a chance at. It is the dream of having the nice cars, big houses, money, and being a huge success. It is the dream that anyone can be as rich as Bill Gates or have that Wall Street job that makes millions. The American Dream in one word is opportunity whether one is rich or poor. Even the Statue of Liberty speaks of the opportunity in America. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, each character has his or her idea of the American Dream that is both similar and different to the definition. Most of the characters have different ideas depending on each character’s personality. Willy Loman thinks of the American Dream as having a job in the business world of America. It is being well liked by you bosses, co-workers, and everyone. To Linda Loman, the American Dream is about her family and taking care of her husband who works too hard. For Happy the American Dream is all about material things, women, and being better than the next guy. Biff believes the America Dream is not being stuck in the business world of America. His American Dream is just freedom to do what he wants. He was always his father’s golden boy, but when he did not graduate all of his plans shattered and he did not know which direction he should go in regards to his future. Each character is trying to reach their "American Dream" but can't because of eachother or their conflicts.

Symbolism

In the play Trifles there is a lot of symbolism that gives the themes of the play deeper meaning. The apron symbolizes the wife and emphasizes the theme of gender roles. A wife is the homemaker. She is the one who takes care of the house, educates the children, and pleases her husband. Also being a wife is the role of the woman. The woman stays at home and play housekeeper while the husband is away at work. These gender roles are considered the norm of society. This is why Mrs. Wright wants the apron with her in jail; it is “to make her feel more natural.” Another symbol was the dirty towels which symbolizes that “men’s hands aren’t always clean as they might be.” The theme stressed in this symbol is secrecy and sexism. The dirty towel stresses secrets about the murder and the digging up of evidence. It also relates to the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Wright and the unknown dark hard side of Mr. Wright. Lastly, the dirty towels signify sexism because the men think that women just “worry over trifles,” and the men of the play are very quick to judge the woman and not the man. The last symbol is the quilt which symbolizes the disorder in the home and signifies the theme of appearances. Every stitch in the quilt was perfect except for one part where the sewing “was all over the place.” The Wright home is not as happy as it seems. Mr. Wright drinks and, at times, can be very hard. Mrs. Wright is trapped in her own home and marriage, and she “changed” drastically when she got married. She is not happy and her husband is oppressive and abusive. These were the three symbols that stood out to me in the play.