In this course, we will explore crises in American family life in two major plays. In Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN, the protagonist Willy Loman is driven to suicide by the destructively competitive American dream of materialistic success. Struggling to keep up with technological  progress" in the cruel meritocracy of capitalism, he cannot compete with tougher and younger salesmen. To compensate for his own decline, he idealizes his sons as winners, but they too are pathetic losers without accepting themselves as they are. Their male struggle to be self-reliant makes them even more dependent on this malfunctioning family.
Amanda, the mother in Tennessee Williams' GLASS MENAGERIE, who has been deserted by her husband, fusses unrealistically with her ineffectual son Tom and her delicately feminine daughter Laura, the central character, who tends to resort to fantasies. In both plays, American family ideals, gender stereotypes, and the impossible goals of America weaken and destroy young and old alike.
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