Why's there all this fuss over the American Dream? Can't a guy just have a good smoke and stare at the sky once in a while? In Death of a Salesman, Miller questions the heady expectations placed upon fathers and sons in a society obsessed with success.
Critical gender performances run rampant through this stage play. How does Willy's memories of Biff as a football star reinforce his own view of what a son should be?
We think that, once Biff recognizes who he is, there'll be a blue sky and a life out west waiting for him. On that note: how is Halberstam's concept of failure connected to hope in this play?