The Death of a Salesman

Over three years ago I was studying at Brigham Young University Idaho. I took an "intro to theater" class that opened my eyes to a new art form. Sure I had seen some plays before, but by taking this class I was taught how to analyze the plays and see how the themes in them applied to my own life. During the course of the term we read many plays, but very few really stood out to me. One of those plays was The Death of a Salesman. I was able to relate to the play because it portrays the story of an average man who despite his best intentions and wishes falls short. I think there is a little bit of the main character "Willy" in all of us. We all try, we don't always get there. We all have hopes and dreams, some of they may not be accomplished in our lifetimes. These things were enough to drive Willy into a depression. After reading a piece of this play again in my literary analysis class it reminded of the feelings I had when I read it over three years ago and I found that this theme of the American dream and the desire to change and be better is still found in much of our media today.

I watch a show called Mad Men that I love. It often deals with the themes of the American Dream and society in the 60's.  In the show we learn that Don Draper has a shadowy past, one that he tries to run away from and has done so successfully, well at least in his professional life. This clip however shows a younger version of the main character Don Draper and a man who may have had an influence on him. This man is a drifter who tells him "We all wish we were from some place else". That was Willy's wish, to escape his circumstances. That was Don Draper's wish. That I think is a hope we all share.