The American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller centers on a man trying to achieve the American dream and taking his family with him. The Lomans' life, from beginning to end, is a haunting story of trying to succeed, or at least be happy. Throughout their lives they encounter many problems and the end result is a tragic death caused by stupidity and the need to succeed. During his life Willy Loman caused his wife great pain by living a life without realizing what he could and could not do. Linda experienced sad and pathetic days supporting Willy's unattainable goals. Growing up in this world has caused his children to lose their identity and jeopardize their future. Willy has lived every day of his life trying to become a wealthy and successful salesman. The image of himself he gave to others was a lie and with it he even managed to deceive himself. He traveled around the country selling his merchandise and maybe when he was younger he could sell a lot and everyone liked him, but Willy was still stuck with this image in his head and it was the image he let everyone else know about. In truth Willy was a senile salesman who was no longer able to work doing what he had done all his life. When he gets to the point where he can't work anymore, he doesn't realize it, he puts his life and that of others in danger just because he's stubborn and doesn't understand that he has to give up his dream. . He complains about many things that happen in everyday life and is usually the cause of the problems. When he has to pay the bills for the refrigerator repair, he complains a lot and badmouths Charley for buying what he should have bought. The car needs to be fixed only because he crashed because he isn't paying attention and/or is trying to commit suicide. Willy should have made do with what he had and made the best of things. He shouldn't have forced himself to compete with everyone and simply made the best decision for him using intelligence and practicality. Many of Willy's problems were self-inflicted, the reason they were self-inflicted was because he wanted to live the American dream. If he had changed his standards or simply been content with his life, his problems would have been limited in quantity and proportion.