Charley to Willy

When Charley told Willy "the only thing you got in this world is what you can sell" (1256), he meant that Willy was focusing on the unimportant things in life. His main concern was to be successful, not that there is anything wrong with wanting that, but it cannot consume your life. Willy was not only loosing his wife and sons, he was also loosing himself. He viewed life like a carriage horse, with blinders on that only let him see what was directly infront of him. His blinder was success. To him there was one way to be successful and that was in sales. Due to this tragic flaw he lost his relationships with his sons. He wanted them to live his dream, not their's. Even though this story is from the 1940's, it is very relevant to today. Americans have always had an incredible desire for success, why else would a bunch of people hop on a boat and sail to foreign to restart their lives? It is all because they wanted to accomplish success that was unattainable in Europe. So as humans, we come by it naturally. Even Willy's attitude towards his sons can be seen today. Parents are always pressuring their children to live out their dreams. They have the right intentions, but they forget that their child also has a dream. There are thousands of people today in Willy's situation, maybe not as crazy, but they only have what they can sell. Material things are not what make a person happy. Those things can be taken away anytime and what does that leave you with? A life full of debt? Arthur Miller did an excellent job of adding a great moral to this story, whether he meant to or not. We should never be so caught up in something that we loose what is truly important in life.

Death of a Salesman Casting

If Death of a Salesman was a movie I would cast Harrison Ford as Willy, Helen Mirren as Linda, Channing Tatum as Biff, and Justin Timberlake as Happy.

I see Willy as a the typical businessman striving for success but never figuring out why he just can not get to where he wants to be. He knows his career is not successful so he puts all the pressure on his sons to achieve where he has not. The reason I choose Harrison Ford as Willy, from what I have seen in his former roles, he does a very great job at portraying people with a lot of internal conflict. Willy seems to constantly be battling within himself because he feels like he has not had the success that he or his family deserves.

Linda is just your average women. She is motherly, loving, supportive, and sometimes over protective. She wants what is best for her husband and wants him to have success, while all at the same time keeping a logical check on things. I chose Helen Mirren as Linda because to me she just has that maternal look about her. She seems like the woman who could portray a supportive, yet concerned wife.

I see Biff as a the son who is caught up in his father's dream. He wants to do what he wants to do and has a hard time going against himself. His father wanted him to go farther than he has and saw the potential Biff possessed in football. The only way he felt like he could escape that expectation and figure out what he wants to do is to move out west were hard labor was more important than schooling. The reason I think Channing Tatum would be a good fit for this character is because he does well at portraying a mature person but still gives the sense of rebelliousness that Biff has.

Last but certainly not least is Happy. There is something about this character that intrigues me. Even though he has lived in his brother's shadow his whole life, he uses his brother's weakness and tries to make it his strength. He knows what he wants and has the drive to get it, but he is a playboy and is a little big for his britches. So needless to say, Justin Timberlake is just the perfect fit. He can play up both the womanizer and the overlooked younger brother role that Happy possesses. 

The American Dream...

What is the American dream? When someone talks about how they just want the American dream everyone agrees and says they want it too. But does anyone really know what it is? I think it depends on the person. Not everyone wants a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, dog, and two kids. Not all women want to get married, have kids and be a stay-at-home parent. Not all men want to commute to the big city wearing a tie and work a 9:00am to 5:00pm job. America is the land of possibilities. It does not matter where you come from, you can accomplish whatever you want to. My dad, for example, came from a broken home with two alcoholic parents and no money. He dropped out of high school when he was a sophomore to race motocross and party. When he decided to leave the motocross industry, to provide for his family he worked as a truck driver, fireman, butcher, and he started his own business all at the same time. My dad worked hard and became a successful small business owner. Once my mom was able to get a good promotion at Shaw he quit all those extra jobs and was able to accomplish what I call the American dream. He would go fishing when he wanted to and if he wanted to sleep in he did. He was able to go on vacations with the family and my mom was eventually able to take early retirement from Shaw. My dad lived the American dream and even though he did not come from much, he was able to leave behind not only a great legacy, but also proof that dreams can be accomplished. Having said all that, I believe that the American dream people making goals for themselves and doing whatever they can to make them happen.