American Beauty and Death of a Salesman

Critical Essay for English Individual Study "The characters in the texts deal with a shallow concept of success" Discuss in relation to Sam Mendes' American Beauty and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. "There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." (Oscar Wilde) While the American Dream is much more attainable for the average person in America today, it still fails to fulfill …

…Willy's desire for success ends in tragedy likened somewhat to the ambition of Macbeth or the downfall of King Oedipus. Only in being able to see who we are and acknowledging the flaws in our characters are we able to seek and find true beauty and success. In comparing and Contrasting American Beauty to Death of a Salesman, it is apparent that American society is trapped in a cycle of false hopes and unattainable happiness.