Setting |
Time
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Place
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Culture
Many Americans during this time period were being blindly lead the hope of the American Dream. Many Americans also started to center their lives around materialistic items, such as cars and appliances. People would compete with their neighbors to keep up on the greatest and newest technology. As the economy started to grow, the middle class was becoming more prosperous, but socially and economically it was harder for the lower class to keep up.
Historical Relevance
The time and place played into many major aspects in the novel. After the end of WWII in 1945, right around the time of the novel, the American people were gearing up for an economic boom. The country is working hard to rebuild itself and commercialism is about to take off. The hard work and the emphasis on maximizing profit is shown through Willy Loman, and the theme the American Dream. The effects of the population boom that happened in the 1950's was shown through all of the houses popping up around the Loman's house. Also the lingering effects of the Great Depression is shown through the Loman families constant struggle to make ends meet. The motivation to gain materialstic items also was the cause of the competition Willy had between Charley and Bernard, and his measurement of success.