In the play “Death of a Salesman,” by Arthur Miller, we are introduced to Willy Loman, a man trapped by the confines of the “American Dream." This dream consists of having a loving wife, successful children, a long successful career and a home that he could eventually own outright. It also requires the admiration or, in the very least, the respect of others. All these ideals are what define the level of success you have reached by the end of your career. His entire existence has been shaped by these ideals and seems to him to be a measure of how he is perceived by others or how much popularity he has. Throughout the play we see that Willy’s son Biff, whom he had put all his faith in, has instead chosen to defy all the constraints that come with living the traditional American dream. By living in his own way, Biff is released from the expectations his father has placed on him. Instead of seeing his son for the independent and strongly willed person that he is, this is the first of many aspects in his life that Willy considers to be betrayals and failures. With a broken relationship with his son and his career as a salesman coming to an end, Willy Loman realizes that he has not lived up to the ideal that he has created for himself based on the requirements of this “American Dream”. Because of this, any actor depicting Willy Loman should play him as a man who is in a sense defeated. He feels defeated by life and by himself in the end. A striking quote that refers to this is in fact a metaphor used to describe how Willy’s current state of mind. He states “Nothings planted. I don't have a thing on the ground." For all of his hard work, Willy Loman has nothing tangible to show for it. He has nothing that he considers to be an acceptable measure of his success to show for the years he spent working and connections he made as a salesman. The actor should also take into consideration that Willy Loman was, in fact, a good sales