Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman examines the impact of American values and morals as to what constitutes "success" upon individual lives. The play is based on a 36- hour period of the Loman family's problems. The family is made up of a father, mother, and two sons. Willy, the father, starts to lose his mind throughout the story because of problems with work and his son, Biff, who is the oldest of the two sons and has yet to settle down and begin a career. Happy is the youngest son and has a job working in the city with his own apartment. Linda the mother is stuck in between all of the drama and has to continue to keep the peace between and Willie and Biff. She keeps Willie happy by telling him what he needs to hear. The play flashes back often as Willie reminisces to himself about how things used to be, and how great Biff used to be.
Willie is the protagonist in the play, he is the main character who is dealing with the issues of his family and his work that has stopped paying him and has him working on commission only. However, Biff also seems to be the protagonist, he has moved back home in hope of finding a job in the city and finally settling down to become what his father always wanted him to be. He plans to become a salesman like his father. Throughout the play Biff reliezes that he is not made to be a salesman and that he should work using his hands on the farm. Money seems to be the antagonist because it is always the opposition of Willie and Biff. Willie used to make money when he was younger and had it together, now he relizes that he has no money, he is not making any money, and that he is worth more dead than alive. Biff was always supposed to be great at whatever he did because he was a great football player in high school. Now that he is older he can not seem to find a job that he fits into. It has been over ten years now and he still has not made any money, and the dream of his father's about Biff making money is starting to drive him crazy.