Streetcar Named Desire vs. Death of a Salesman

Streetcar Named Desire vs. Death of a Salesman
[Illusion vs. Reality]

The two plays Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman are not only alike in theme, but their authors were closely related and put in the same category by critics as well (Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller). The two plays are also very different.
A similar and recurring theme existent within both plays is illusion and reality. Personally I would like to switch the term illusion to delusion. Overall, they both contained a character whose mind had created its own world to escape that reality which wasn’t so polite. In Streetcar this character was Blanche DuBois, and in Salesman this character was Willy Loman. Both characters were also portrayed in a manner which made the reader feel pity for them. In both instances, the reader is in constant wonder about what’s for real and what’s only happening in the mind of the delusional character. This has a very neat effect; they trick you as they trick...