To what extent does Miller present Willy Loman as a man with the "wrong dream" in Death of a Salesman?

Death of a Salesman is about success or failure in the pursuit of the American Dream. The American Dream arose among immigrants who initially went to America to escape oppressive or difficult situations, with the promise that anyone could work hard and succeed in America. Class didn't matter. Uneducated working-class people sailed to America with thirty-four dollars in their pockets and the clothes on their backs and became millionaires. The basic goals of the American Dream were to work hard and be able to provide a home, necessities, and better futures for your children through education, to have a car and a TV and to keep up with your neighbours. 

Willy Loman seems to have a vague drive to pursue the American Dream, but it seems his main goal is to be a man who is "well-liked." His son Biff is a drop-out unable to find steady work, his house is in disrepair, he is not able to buy a new pair of stockings for his wife, and when he goes to ask for a new job that won't require traveling, he is fired, but from Willy's perspective, his biggest problem seems to be that he is not as well-liked as his successful brother Ben or his successful colleague, Dave Singleman. In a flashback memory sequence, Willy is talking to Biff about his friend Bernard, and he says, "Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. »Willy Loman is here!« That’s all they have to know, and I go right through." Bernard grows up to be wildly successful, while Biff becomes a dropout with no career, but Willy still seems to think that being well-liked is the most important goal for a good career.

Willy also carries guilt over an affair he had in Boston. He loves his wife and she has always been nothing but supportive and loyal towards him, so why would he have an affair? It was because being with the other woman made him feel well-liked. In a flashback, The Woman says, "Me? You didn’t make me, Willy. I picked you." Willy is delighted that The Woman picked him. She says that he has a good sense of humour and that they have a good time together. This makes Willy feel that he is popular and well-liked in Boston. There are so many salesmen going through the Boston office, but The Woman singled him out and picked him.

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