HeвЂ™s a salesman whoвЂ™s spent his whole life following the rules. Willy Loman lives in Brooklyn with his wife Linda and two grown sons, Biff and Happy. Without giving too much away, hereвЂ™s what happens: Miller said that вЂњwe are all salesman,вЂќ meaning that we are all trying to impress others so that we can be popular (or вЂњwell-liked,вЂќ as Willy says). ThatвЂ™s because the only thing he really seems to be selling is himself. HereвЂ™s another sign that Willy is a metaphor: We never learn exactly what kind of product Willy is selling. ItвЂ™s about the death of the promise of the American Dream. The play isnвЂ™t as much about the death of a salesman as it is about the death of something bigger. Willy Loman is a metaphor (or symbol) for something else. But Death of a SalesmanВ also tells a larger story about American society. When you see or read the play, you might think that itвЂ™s the story of one man and his family. In Willy Loman, Miller created a tragic hero-twentieth-century style. Willy is flawed and is brought to ruin by his own weaknesses. And as Willy turns to his memories and delusions to combat any feelings of failure, he begins to lose touch with reality. HeвЂ™s ashamed that he canвЂ™t pay the bills. His mind is starting to slip away but he still believes that his charm and optimism will make him rich. With each trip, heвЂ™s finding it increasingly difficult to cover his territory in search of the next big order. He remains one of the most frequently produced playwrights-and a giant of American theater.ДЄrthur Miller once said that Death of a SalesmanВ was a вЂњtragedy of the common man.вЂќ Think about it: The main character, Willy Loman, is a regular, everyday guy-an aging, travelling salesman weighed down by his sample case. Miller continued to write plays, articles, film scripts, books, and speeches throughout his life, exploring the great political, social, and moral questions of our time. (The conviction was overturned in 1958.) A theater critic at the time said that MillerвЂ™s refusal to cooperate showed вЂњthe measure of the man who has written these high-minded plays.вЂќ The result? He was convicted of contempt of Congress. Miller stood his ground, held to his principles, and pretty much risked his career by refusing to name names. Just as other Americans had been subpoenaed, Miller, too, was asked to identify writers who he believed were communists. You see, by the mid-1950s, Miller was famous not only for his plays, but also for when he was called to appear before Senator Joseph McCarthyвЂ™s House Un-American Activities Committee. And there is one more thread-all are based on real-life events that were either personal or political or both. While their stories may be different, there are common threads among them, including morality, responsibility, compassion, and the fragility of human relationships-especially between fathers and sons. Between 19, Broadway played host to All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View From the Bridge, and After the Fall. Miller wrote his most successful plays early in his career. Miller revealed, 'I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing-his sense of personal dignity.' ItвЂ™s clear that the Depression and the after-effects of World War II influenced Miller to write plays about vulnerable, everyday people-working and struggling to get ahead. After working his way through high school and college, a young Miller learned first-hand how hard it could be to make a living in tough times. His father lost his clothing business during the Wall Street Crash and the family had to move to a smaller house in Brooklyn. By the time he was a teenager, his family-like many others-was struggling through the Great Depression. Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915.

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