Every morning at six-thirty am sharp, Peter unlocked the doors to Harrington’s Hardware. There was always a familiar silence in the mornings, alongside the thick smell of wood, dust, and metal. The same smell it has had for years. The building was old, the shelves were worn down, and the silence lasted longer than it should, but to Peter, this felt like home. 

Peter had always dreamed of owning this store. 

His dad opened it when Peter was young. He would follow his dad around, pretending to help customers and stock shelves. Peter felt like this store was the most important thing in the world. 

Most days the store had nothing more than a few lingering customers. Many people decided to go down the street to the fancier, cheaper, and renovated option. 

Peter stood behind the counter, watching the clock tick. By 10 a.m. only one customer came in, a man buying a small pack of screws. After the man left the store was silent once again. 

At 11:54 a.m. Helen arrived, her face both concerned, and hopeful. Helen has worked for Peter for nearly 6 years, she has grown to love Harrington’s hardware almost as much as Peter. 

“Have you spoken with the bank yet”

Peter took a moment to respond, his face expressionless. 

“I did yesterday.”

“Great, what did they say, can we get the extension?” Helen responded, still trying to keep spirits high. 

“They are done waiting.” 

Helen stayed silent, the hope now drained from her face. 

“Well how much longer then?”

“2 weeks.”

Helen sat down in front of the register, defeated.

“That’s it?”

“Well, it turns out some dreams are too expensive to be a reality.” 

“This isn't just a dream and you know that” replied Helen

“What this is to you or me means nothing to them, all they see is the money we aren't able to repay.” 

For years Peter believed that his hard work would pay off, and the store would go back to how it once was. But regardless of the early mornings, late nights, extra favors, or remembered birthdays, the store stayed empty. Peter was learning too late that numbers outweigh effort. 

The two stayed silent some time longer, it seemed best they left this conversation here. For now

At 8 p.m., Peter began to close the store; he locked the front door and flipped the neon sign to close. While doing this, Peter couldn't help but remember a time when closing and restocking took longer. Time seemed to have moved on without Harrington's hardware. 

Every light turned off one by one. The darkness made the store seem smaller. 

In the morning, the doors would again open at six-thirty a.m., and Peter would again pretend his dream wasn't one more day from ending. 

My writing style reflected Miller’s in many ways. I focused on the main character of an ordinary man, who is dealing with financial failure, as well as family expectations to keep a business alive. The main character is following a life long dream and unfortunately being faced with the reality of his situation. Peter is a hardworking man who believes success comes from being hardworking, but later sees, like Willy Loman in The Death of a Salesman, that success comes from more than just one factor. This aligns with Miller's common themes of the instability in the American dream. 

Similarly, the setting is also a simple, common, workspace, again relating to Miller’s use of realism in his works. The old building is used to symbolize how old and worn down this dream of peters has been as it is passed down from his father to him. 

Finally, I followed in Miller’s footsteps by using simple, straightforward language, as well as many reflective elements. The dialogue in the store was able to bring intensity and realism to the story, better connecting the reader to the common issues faced in this story.