Death of a Salesman is centred round one man trying to seek the American Dream and taking his family with him.
             Nobody believes in the American Dream more than Willy Loman, but the dream has somehow eluded him.
             During Willy's life he caused his wife (Linda) great pain, by living a life, not realising what he could or couldn't do. Linda lived sad and pathetic days supporting Willy's unreachable goals.
             Willy's home works as a metaphor for his ambitions. When Willy and Linda first bought their home in New York, it seemed far away from the city, the neighbourhood was quiet, and the house was surrounded by space and sunlight. But Willy was young, strong and well liked, and he believed he had a future filled with success. He and his sons had cut the branches of a tree that threatened his home, and put up a hammock that he could enjoy with his children.
             'Willy: Biff, first thing we've gotta do when we got the time is clip that big branch over the house. Afraid it's gonna fall in a storm and hit the roof. Tell you what, we get a rope and sling her around, and then we climb up there with a couple of saws and take her down.'
             'Willy: Biff, up in Albany I saw a beautiful hammock, I think I'll buy it next trip, and we'll hang it between those two elms.'
             Willy was a young man with ambition for the future, and his house represented a space in which he could expand his dreams. In the present the house is hemmed in on all sides by apartment units. Over the years while Willy was struggling to pay for his home the city grew and eventually surrounded the house. Tall apartment buildings 'trapped' Willy's home.
             'Willy: Why don't you open a window in here for God's sake?
             Linda: They're all open, dear.
             Willy: They've boxed us up in here. Bricks and windows, windows and bricks.
             Linda: We should've bought the land next door&apo
             ...