Death of a Salesman Casting

The cast for the Death of a Salesman would consist of the following:

Danny Devito should play the salesman, Willy. Willy is successful, but he is often delusional and has an insecurity about him, much like Devito in his comedy sketch It's Sunny in Philadelphia. His erratic behavior throughout the play gives further evidence that Devito would be perfect for the role. As I read the play, I imagine Willy as a older, strange looking man with a quirky personality which is exactly why Devito comes to mind.

Gerard Butler would fit the role of Happy quite well. In the play, Happy is seemingly successful but still ultimately unhappy (hence the irony in the name "Happy"). He is shallow and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the "American Dream" which reminds me of many of Butler's recent roles including The Bounty Hunter and The Ugly Truth. Even though Butler is much older than Happy, his personality definitely fits the part.

I believe that Shia Labeouf would work as Biff. Biff is pretty much a failure who feels trapped by his father's idea of a perfect life. He realizes that Happy and Willy are delusional yet he suffers from a severe identity crisis himself. Shia Labeouf is excellent at portraying a failed individual who seeks his place in society. This is obvious in Transformers where his father is living what he believes to be the dream life while Labeouf is shown as a disappointment who struggles to find himself.

Finally, Helen Mirren should be Linda. She is very level headed and tough yet has a strong motherly instinct. She is often disappointed with Willy and becomes frustrated with his crazy imagination. Mirren's character in the Queen is much like this and reminds me quite a bit of Linda.

The American Dream?

As an American citizen, it is not uncommon to hear of the famed "American Dream." It is almost impossible, however, to manufacture a single meaning for this phrase. It has held multiple meanings throughout the history of our nation and today, it varies by person.
The Founding Fathers defined the American Dream as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The original Americans strove to be independent and have freedoms that were not available under the King's rule. For this reason, the writers of the constitution included those words in the document. Though wealth and fame were desired, they were not something that all people strove for.
In today's society, the "American Dream" has a different meaning for each individual. The majority of people strive to achieve the ideal life which consists of wealth, popularity and prosperity. Everyone would love to have a big house, nice car and gorgeous family. However, each person desires a different degree of this "perfect" life. Some are happy with living a moderate lifestyle while others must have the largest house and best clothes to be happy. All in all, the rich and famous lifestyle is the common dream for Americans.