Ben Lomans Success Story

Look up to Uncle Ben

The ultimate goal in their existence for some individuals is to be as successful as one can be, to have more of everything in life. Achieving this can be a complicated difficult task which requires hard work and dedication to strive for success. To live the American Dream is to be as rich as possible, to have everything any individual can ever want, and material items is essential. However, the possibility of someone to achieve this glorious dream without any sort of hard work or dedication is slim to none. Uncle Ben Loman not only found an opportunity to be all he could be but it was almost as if he got it handed to him on a silver platter. Ben Loman, the older brother of Willy Loman, was the model for Loman family for success. Ben's success influenced Willy his whole life and Willy tries desperately to achieve Ben's dreams. In the three meetings Ben had with Willy it is evident that Ben's success had impacted Willy's character by making him strive for success, making him mislead his sons to be what he wants them to be and influence his sons principals as well as resort to his dead brother for answers for success.

In the first of three meetings Ben had with Willy in his mind it is evident that Ben's success had impacted Willy's character by making him strive harder for success. Ben Abandoned the family to go be his own boss and ends up in Africa where he finds a gold mine. By making this decision he eventually becomes rich. During the play his favorite quote was "When I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by god I was rich" (Miller, 48). This quote shows the success that Ben got by not working hard which Willy desires for his family. Since Willy holds the notion that Ben is the model for success he utilizes this mentality for the position he is in. Ben's success made Willy believes that an individual does not have to work hard but make the smart choices to advance in life and strive for success. Furthermore, Ben advises Willy "One must go in to fetch a diamond out" (Miller, 134) which examines the possibility that everyone has the potential to achieve the American Dream if one tries hard enough. Willy tries to fetch a diamond out when he asks several different people for insurance money so he can get his son's happiness. Ben success made Willy believe everyone has the potential to achieve greatness as long as someone strives for it.

In the second of three meetings Ben had with Willy in his mind it is evident that Ben's success had impacted Willy's character by making him mislead his sons to be all Willy wants them to be. Willy considers Ben to be the most perfect model for success and looks up to him rather then envy him so he wants his successors to like him. This is not very wise as it we see that it brings the end to Willy and a brutal argument between the loving father and son. In the second meeting when Ben is play fighting with Biff, he drops Biff and tells him "Never fight fair with a stranger. You'll never get out of the jungle that way" (Miller, 49). Ben shows how he does not care about other people and believes winning by any means necessary is the key to life even if you have to cheat. It is evident that Ben does not play by the rules. Willy looks up to Ben and encourages his sons to learn from this experience when he tells Biff to cheat off of Bernard in order not to flunk math class. He tells him to, like Ben, take advantage of people you do not know or you will not survive. Furthermore, Ben tells his nephews about their grandfather and explains how he was a great inventor by selling his