Willy's False Dreams example essay topic

The desire to excel over anonymity and win over being a meaningless individual in the world exists in everyone, to some extent. All people want to be remembered in some way, impact the world, or be more than just another face in the crowd. Everyone longs to be someone of importance and well liked by others. Individuals use a motivating force or desire that comes from deep within the soul and influences the decisions he or she makes in their lives. Willy and Bernard are two characters that exemplify the desire to overcome anonymity and became someone of importance in the world. Willy was so infatuated with being well liked and succeeding in the world that he created false dreams in his mind in order to overcome anonymity.

On the contrary, Bernard used his desires of success as a positive force to do the right thing and become an accomplished man. Willy's character focuses on becoming more than just another face in the crowd. Willy's life long dream was to be a successful, well-liked salesman. Willy idolized Dave Singleman, the epitome of the perfect salesmen, and hoped that he could follow in his footsteps. Willy wished to have crowds of people, from all over the country, at his funeral, just as Dave Singleman had had. Willy longed for money and wealth, in order to support his family and have a comfortable house.

Not only did Willy have false dreams of his own to live up to, but he also created false dreams of what he wished for his son, Biff, to accomplish in his life. He desired Biff to be something great. He urged his son to be something more than a meaningless individual. He wanted him to get a good job and make a good living. Willy did not want to accept the fact that he and his son were just ordinary individuals. "Pop, I'm a dime a dozen and so are you".

(Pg 132) Biff realized that he would never be anything great. "Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens". Biff was able to see beyond the lies of his father's false dreams. However, Willy struggled to see the truth. Willy had such a burning passion to fulfill his desires that he made up false dreams for himself.

He envisioned and dreamt of things that would never happen or were not possible for him or his family. Willy based his life on the false dreams he created in his mind and eventually began truly believing them himself. For example, he told his family and others that he made lots of money as a salesman. At one point in the story, he begins to tell his boss about a successful year that he had, which was a complete lie. When he went to go talk to his boss, Howard, he told him, "I averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions".

His boss replied, "Willy you never averaged-". (Pg 82) Willy was forgetting his false dreams were all a lie. He also began to believe he was a liked salesman. He would repeatedly say, "Willy Loan is here! That's all they have to know and I go right through". (Pg 33) Willy's false dreams destroyed him on the inside.

He wanted so badly for his false dreams to be real that it drove him crazy. He would have flashbacks of the past, in order to escape the present. Nevertheless, he continued to create false dreams about the present and his future, which eventually led to his suicide. One character that used the desire to become more than a meaningless individual in a positive way was Bernard.

Bernard also had the desire to be someone important, but he realized that he needed to work hard in order to accomplish his dreams. Unlike Willy, who just made false dreams to overcome anonymity, Bernard worked hard at becoming successful. He encouraged working hard in school. He knew, unlike Willy, that there was much more to being successful than being popular and well liked.

Willy once said, "The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you " ll never want". (Pg 33) Bernard feared Willy's encouragement of not taking Biffs' academic work seriously. "Just because he printed University of Virginia on his sneaker doesn't mean they " ll let him graduate, Uncle Willy!" (Pg 33) Bernard who did choose to work hard became a successful lawyer, with a happy family. Unlike Willy, who drove on false dreams to make him happy.

Bernard realized what needed to be accomplished in order to be successful. He accepted his negative aspects, but never created false envisions of himself in order to do well. Both, Willy and Bernard wanted to be more than just an ordinary individual. Each answered to their desires in different ways. Bernard worked hard to be someone great and well accomplished. He always saw the world as it was and not how he wished it to be.

Willy, however, made up false dreams about himself in order to make it appear as though he was more than who he truly was. He could not accept the person he was and thrived to be greater. In order to satisfy these desires he created false dreams and his life.