Abstract
This essay aims at presenting a comparative study through analyzing the theme of illusion versus reality as represented in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie (1945) and Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman (1949). Both playwrights depict characters who resort to manners of escapism into illusionary realities in order to free themselves from their harsh and frustrated existence. Their predicaments result from their failure to reach a reasonable adjustment to their contemporary life, lack of fruitful communication among the family members in addition to their inner conflicts. Therefore, they all share dissatisfaction with their realities, a sense of boredom and frustration. The dreamy world is simply the shelter and the refuge almost every character finds protection and security in. They hang their hopes on the concept of the American Dream which turns to be a nightmare. This study will shed light on the Wingfiled's family in comparison with the Loman's from a thematic perspective. Namely, the frailty and the hopelessness of the characters and how their lives become a result of their false values and wrong dreams . Moreover , this paper strives to show how in both plays the characters become victims andvictimizers; victims of the surrounding circumstances in society and victimizers who mislead their families whose lives as a result , become tragic. The tragic plight of these families result from both their personalities and from contemporary American capitalist society that discards the unsuccessful.
