Death Of A Salesman Analysis

Similar Theme in Fences and Death of a Salesman In his play Fences, author August Wilson tells the story of African American Troy Maxson, who struggles to support his family during the Civil Rights Era, which was a time in America’s history where blacks were institutionally segregated from whites (Kirszner and Mandell 1834). Similarly, in his play Death of a Salesman, author Arthur Miller develops a story about a traveling salesman, Willy Loman, who struggles to live the American dream. Miller wrote the play in 1949, which was a time when corporate America was expanding and the “large, impersonal corporations began to replace the mom-and-pop businesses that had [previously] dominated the American scene” (Kirszner and Mandell 1448). Both of the plays Fences and Death of a Salesman use the interactions that the protagonists have with the cultural context of
Troy is bitter because he had enough talent to be successful in the major leagues, but he was discriminated against because of his skin color. This bitterness is also apparent when analyzing Troy’s parenting skills, particularly the way he interacts with his youngest son Cory. Troy doesn’t want Cory to play professional football because he wants him to be successful, and he feels as though Cory will never gain success in sports because “the white man ain’t gonna let him get nowhere with that football” since “the colored guy got to be twice as good before he get on the team” (Wilson 1.3.57-73). Troy’s incredible bitterness towards life prevents him from allowing Cory to pursue his dreams; consequently, Troy’s tragic flaw is bitterness. Despite his flaws, which he gains from the racist society that he lives in, Troy can be seen as a tragic hero because he continues to battle through life, facing his struggles as an honest man. For example, Troy confesses