A ideologia do sonho americano e o consumismo em “a morte de um caixeiro-viajante”, de Arthur Miller

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the representation of the American Dream through the observation and analysis of the character Willy Loman, in the award-winning play Death of a Salesman: certain private conversations in two acts and a requiem (1949), by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The interspersing of present and past that occurs throughout the narrative, characteristic of epic theater, makes it possible to observe the presence of the ideology of the American Dream. Thus, considering the historical context of the United States in the first half of the 20th century and that Willy is a working middle-class man, this research aims to understand what this ideology was and how it impacted this character. Through reading and literature review, it was possible to conclude that Willy came to be controlled by the ideas and values that capitalist society induced and propagated, including the American Dream and consumerism, created by and for the benefit of the ruling classes.