What is Willy's dream? What is he searching for throughout the play? Why doesn't he find it? Did he have a chance of fulfilling it? Did he have the wrong dream? Inappropriate attitudes? Is he born a loser, or does he stand in his own way to success? Explain.

Willy Loman's dream is to become a great man. He believes that a job in salesmanship is the way to accomplish this. He wishes to reinvent himself into a man who receives respect and is looked at with admiration. He believes that gaining riches will be a way to earn the respect and admiration he craves. His dream may consist of more than just being a great man, however. Due to his numerous flashbacks and loose grip on reality, it can be said that Willy might also dream of starting over, or even being young again. That way he could have a second shot at his true goal, his real dream. That way, Willy Loman could have more years in which to accomplish the goal he's worked his whole life endeavoring to reach.

Throughout the play, Willy is searching for the moment his life took a wrong turn, because he doesn't understand why or how, with all the hard work and effort he put into his dream, it's never come to fruition. Maybe he's also looking for a way back, a re-do button. But these things he can never find, because it is impossible. One could be harsh and say that Willy Loman never had a chance of fulfilling his dream, and, with the way the play is presented, I would have to agree with that. It was very obvious to me right from the beginning that Mr. Loman did not have what it takes to reach his own goal, yet I would like to commend him on his efforts. I also think that he should have settled on a more realistic goal, but then, it is apparent that Willy was not completely in touch with reality. Perhaps his dream was the right one for him, but even then, he went about going after it in an entirely inappropriate manner, and definitely with inappropriate attitudes. Willy Loman should not be rude and grouchy to his superiors, that is not a way to move up any kind of professional ladder. That is in fact the way down the business ladder, which is exactly the direction in which he was moving. Being fired would have to be the last rung on that specific ladder and by the end of Act 2, Willy Loman had reached it. It is in this manner that he stood in his own way to success, for his failure to adapt and work the system he was given. There was a way for him to succeed, but Willy unfortunately ended up choosing the wrong path. No one is born a loser, and Willy Loman is no exception to this either. But he made himself a loser in the end.