"Death of a Salesman" was written in 1949 by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play attempts to raise a counter example to Aristotle's characterization of tragedy as the downfall of a "great" man. During this time period there was a great depression which led to many believing in what was known as "The American Dream." Willy Loman is the main, tragic character of "Death of a Salesman" who possesses particular characteristics which make him a victim of the materialistic society in which he lives; his pursuit of the American Dream leads to his alienation and eventually his tragic downfall. Willy Loman also has various tragic flaws which are usually held by the protagonist of the play that eventually brings him to ruin or sorrow, also known as hamartia. There are many interpretations as to how far Willy Loman is to blame for his own tragic downfall. America inspired a whole generation to believe that hard work and belief in themselves could achieve their ambitions of wealth and personal status. The context in which the book was written is clearly emphasized throughout as we can infer Willy's subliminal mind is always focused on work and achieving higher than he has; he is never satisfied which some may see as a flaw or oppositely a positive characteristic. "Why must everybody conquer the world?  This line directed at Willy from his wife, Linda lets the audience infer his need for more in life when actually he is in a comfortable position already: having a house, car and a family. This presents his interpretation of the American dream as being a major reason for his tragic downfall. The words "Nobodydast blame this man...are declared by Charley at Willy's funeral implying that he was not to blame for his failures. This emphasizes the importance of society to the audience as the American market-centered value system is responsible for what happened to him and should be blamed for his tragic downfall. "Bernard can get the best marks in school, y'understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y'understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him  This quote highlights Willy's opinions on the importance of being a business man and how society does not appreciate good grades which gives Biff false hope. "A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.  This expresses the opinion of Charley of which we can, as the audience, infer how he believes that, what some may see as Willy's flaws, were just characteristics of being a salesman and therefore means he is not to blame f