Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman, is a tragic example of a battle, fought by the protagonist Willy Loman, between reality and illusions perpetuated by his pursuit of the American Dream, success. Death of a Salesman was written in 1949 at the dawn of a new era spawned by the ending of World War II in 1945. ... Willy Loman is a 60 year traveling salesman who was employed by the Wagner firm for 34 years. ... Fortunately, Charley understood the value of a man's life and offered a bit of reality to the debilitating mind of Willy, who believed a man was "worth more dead than alive"....

• Word Count: 939
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is an excellent example of how one's will to achieve can affect themselves as well as those around them. ... Ben is a shadowy figure who functions more as a symbol or illusion than he does as a character. ... He is utterly opposed to Charley, who is the practical man who has attained a limited degree of success. ... Charley sums up Willy's fault as being a salesman but not knowing it. ... In the play Willy refers to Dave Singleman, who was so popular and such a successful salesman that when he died people came from all over the United States...

• Word Count: 1216
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School