The United States of America is perceived as the nation where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, an ethos that has been dubbed the American Dream. The Dream, which is truly a dream, is that every man, woman and child can succeed if they work hard enough. Yet, in Death of a Salesman the American dream is dead. The debate on whether the American dream works or not has always been based on the point of view of those who judge it. Essentially, a person's social, political, and economic situation influences their decisions about whether or not they are alive and well. Premiered in 1949, Death of a Salesman negatively demonstrates the illusory American dream, its effects on society, and how it can mislead and destroy an individual. Arthur Miller uses Bernard and Charlie as a realistic level of fulfillment of the American dream, unlike Ben whose version borders on the obscure, Bernard and Charlie worked very hard. This was done with the irony of Bernard being mocked and ridiculed but succeeding, with Charlie's mockery of Red Grange, and with Willy needing Charlie's assistance. Throughout his childhood Bernard was continually mocked for his desire to achieve and do well in school, because it was Willy who said "That's just what I mean, Bernard can get top marks in school, you know, but when he gets out in the business world, you understand, you will be five times ahead of him. That's why I thank Almighty God because you are both made like Adonis. Because the man who makes his appearance in the business world, the man who creates self-interest, is there 'man who moves on. You'll never like it. Take me, for example. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer.' That's all they need to know and I'll move on.' (Miller 20-21) This is key to the play because it demonstrates the irony of the fact that both of Willy's sons are failures, while Bernard is now a successful lawyer arguing cases before the Supreme Court. Miller uses this quote to criticize Willie for not realizing that you need to work hard to achieve the American Dream, it shows that people don't understand how much work is actually needed to be successful and making it through your personality isn't enough. The second is Charley's teasing of Red Grange, when Charley says "Who is Red Grange?" (Miller 68) (a professional football player) Willy is very offended because for him Red Grange is the unmatched goal he believes in for his son Biff. Willy, hopeful that the match will go well for Biff, relies on the belief that he has already won. Yet it is precisely this unsupported optimism that ultimately destroys Willy and his men