Hitting the American Stage in the late 1940’s was a play that would start changing people's mind on an important social issue; Death of a Salesman by playwright Arthur Miller focused on the idea of the American dream. This play exposed the issues behind the commonly possessed idea that the United States was home to success and fortune. Not only did this play expand the minds of people in the late 1940’s in the United States, it’s message spread overseas to different countries too. Death of a Salesman also contained other topics commonly seen in the daily lives of Americans, such as the faults in family relations.
The main social issue addressed by the play is the misleading concept of the American dream. The play includes a failing salesman, Willy Loman, who constantly compares his average life to the lives of his overachieving family members; Willy Loman is a strong believer in the American dream and thinks it is possible for anyone to reach success (Zhao). The play presents how faulty this idea is. It exposes to the audience the harsh reality that success in America is not as common and obtainable
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When the play was presented in 1949, it was quick get adapted in different countries such as Turkey; the main reason for the Turkish adaptation was to showcase the western culture (Raw). Other parts of the world used this play to showcase the failing American economic system (Raw). Whether it was used for positive or negative intentions, the play was successful because it was a symbol for the American culture. Similarly, in present times, the play is still a popular piece. It is commonly used in high school classrooms, not only in the United States, but also around the world (Raw). Death of a Salesman, became an important piece of literature because it contained many relevant issues relating to the time period it was published. Not to mention, the play won awards such as the Pulitzer prize, proving that it was a successful piece