"Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller

       "Death of a Salesman" was written by Arthur Miller and published in 1949. The play tells the story of Willy Loman, a salesman in New England, and his life aspirations for himself and his family. In the opening in the play, Willy has just returned from work and was almost in a car crash. Willy is 60 years old and still works as a salesman, but is becoming more and more weaker and beginning to have hallucinations. The play alternates between the present and past, which are Willy's hallucinations of his past memories. So far, it has been interesting read about Loman's life, and I was surprised to know that he is 60 years old! I would understand why he's becoming so irritable: he travels a lot, has a son who's 35 years old and can't figure himself out yet, and Loman beginning to daydream a lot more than before. It's been an easy read so far, but I just need to pay attention to parts where Willy begins to 'live' in the past again. But overall, it's O.K., a bit gloomy, but O.K. Thanks to the research,  I know that Loman kills himself! Yay!
      Miller's "Death of a Salesman" is a tragedy, he looked to the Greeks for inspiration for tragedies, particularly Sophocles. Miller saw the underlying struggle in the tragedies as an individual trying to gain his rightful position in society. Miller was born in 1915, in New York City. His father lost his business in the Great Depression and moved their family to Brooklyn. As a young adult, Miller had a string-load of jobs and was married three times throughout his lifetime, his second marriage to Marilyn Monroe! His play "Death of a Salesman" brought him international fame and has been performed multiple times at multiple theaters.
      "The Crucible" was another famous book written by Miller that expressed the anti-communist  sentiment of the time period, but "Death of a Salesman" was written in the post-World War II era and reflects the pursuance of the 'American Dream' after a time of war. The post-World War II period was full of conformity, "Death of a Salesman" demonstrates the "failure in a society that held out the promise of 'success' to all." Additionally, Miller lived through the Great Depression, serving as another occasion for this play, as the depression destroyed the idea of the 'American Dream' for many.