The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller are two of the best-known plays of the 20th century. The differences and similarities between the two plays are hidden in their historical and social contexts. The characters in The Glass Menagerie and Death of a Salesman are trapped in the constraints of their daily lives, unable to communicate with their loved ones and fearing for their future. There are many comparisons, particularly between the settings, symbolism, and characterization drawn between the two plays. The contrast comes from how the characters choose to face or not face the harsh circumstances of life. The Glass Menagerie is a deeply autobiographical play with characters thinly disguised as representations of Williams' family. Tom is the playwright, Laura is his sister Rose, and Amanda is his mother, Edwina. His regularly absent father is also there as Tom's father. The play is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when jobs were scarce and family wealth disappeared very quickly. When the play was first performed in 1944, America was going through the many difficulties of World War II. In Death Of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, the center of tragedy is the conflict within a dysfunctional family. It is also an indictment of what we might call American national values, particularly those that existed in the years following World War II. Miller was very critical of the widely held myth of capitalist materialism as the only way to be prosperous. Material possessions were associated with happiness. Success was measured in terms of automobiles and money. The setting...... middle of paper ......tery is a betrayal to the whole family and in the end he is the one left abandoned. It seems that the Wingfiled family has stronger bonds and their social and economic difficulties are not great enough to tear the family apart, while the Loman family is not so strong as to surrender under the pressure of economic circumstances. Overall, these two plays and the characters telling stories, we see how two playwrights of the same genre and time period can have such different styles in telling the story of a tragic American family. And even though these characters are presented in different ways, that doesn't hurt either. This simply means that these two playwrights had different experiences in pursuing their dreams. The Glass Menagerie and Death of a Salesman are two of the most famous American plays of all time...