Arthur Miller’s Death of a salesman

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Written in 1949, the play “Death of a Salesman” enjoyed enormous success from the very first performance, becoming a symbol for Americans in the post-war period of growing wealth and influence. Willy Loman is a victim imprisoned within a framework of false social values, and most of the play takes place inside his head through memories and dreams. In a world dominated by material thinking, Willy still thinks of the times when he was the idealized father for his sons, when all seems less complicated. His entire life was consummated between “something nice coming up ahead” and “some kind of good news coming up”. Glory cannot be achieved without hard work to back it up, but unfortunately none of Willy’s sons learned the lesson. Their father’s final gesture was intended as a redeeming one, as means of perpetuating the dreams of glory he once had about his family. Willy confesses: “I see it like a diamond, shining in the dark, hard and rough, that I can pick up and touch in my hand”. The irony is that in the end Willy dies with his dream intact, the dream of success, the American dream. B...

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