In 1949, a play that would influence many people's opinions on the American dream and its realities was published. Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller and ultimately won him the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. This play takes place primarily in the 1920s and 1930s and provides an in-depth look at how the Great Depression affected working families during this period. Miller based this dramatic piece solely on the American dream. The American Dream was a far-fetched belief that if you emigrated to America with a little money and some self-confidence, through hard work, you might become prosperous and be able to provide for your family. Arthur Miller himself had been a victim of the American dream, his Austrian father owned a successful clothing manufacturing business when in 1929 the stock market crashed and left him out of business. Death of a Salesman is about a salesman who is long past his "sold-by" deadline, and after being a salesman for thirty-four years, is sidelined by his employer. Miller shows how his entire life was based on lies and stories that he made his naive family believe However, everything changed when Willy Loman was caught with another woman by his son Biff. through Willy Loman as a character. Throughout the play, Miller uses various methods or devices to portray Willy Loman as a failed salesman. One of these dramatic scenes is the card game between Willy and Charley. is very cleverly staged, for example Willy Loman's house is "surrounded by imposing buildings on all its sides". When Willy has flashbacks to the past, we are allowed to see that his house was once a pleasant place surrounded by. trees and fields and not skyscrapers. These skyscrapers give us the impression that even Willy's house is boarded up and decommissioned, and also offer a similar comparison to Willy's life itself. It's a fair comparison because Willy considers himself a failure in every aspect of life, even as a father! Towards the end of the play, when Biff confronts Willy, Biff begins to cry. "He cried! He cried for me." This quote shows us that Willy is surprised by Biff's emotional actions and is upset that Biff embraces him as a father..