in a society that is antagonistic to one’s dreams are common themes in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Each family has forces, both internal and external, driving the characters towards success or failure. The forces acting on the families also affect the reader’s judgments of each family. The Lomans and Youngers are in similar situations and have many negative forces directed at them, but the strength of the family will determine if the families achieve
instead of accepting reality. Arthur Miller introduces the protagonist Willy Loman, a precarious, self-deluded salesman who conjures up his dead brother, Ben, to provide him with advice. Tony Kushner introduces Harper Pitt, a Valium addict who produces hallucinations and an imaginary character, Mr. Lies, to escape her current life problems. The significance of these ghost-like/fantastic characters is