In 1949, a play was published that would influence the views of many on the American Dream and its realities. Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller and eventually earned him the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. This play was set predominantly in the 1920s and 1930s and offers great insight into how the Great Depression affected working families during this time period. Miller based this comedy-drama solely on the American dream. The American Dream was the far-fetched belief that if you immigrated to America with a little money and a certain amount of self-confidence, through hard work you could 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 thriving clothing manufacturing company when the stock market crashed in 1929 leaving him without a business. Death of a Salesman is about a salesman who is long past his "sales by date", and after being a salesman for thirty-four years, he is cast aside by his employer. Miller shows how his entire life has been based on lies and stories he made his naive family believe. However everything changed when Willy Loman was caught with another woman by his son Biff. I believe Miller is trying to convey his opinions through Willy Loman as a character. Throughout the show, 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. This scene is set very cleverly, 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 home was once a pleasant place surrounded by trees and fields and not skyscrapers. These skyscrapers give us the impression that Willy's home is also being locked up and downgraded, and they also provide a similar comparison to Willy's own life. This is a fair comparison because Willy considers himself a failure in all aspects of life, even as a father! Towards the end of the show, 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 overwhelmed by the fact that Biff hugs him like a father.