Willy Loman and having contacts is the key to success. His older son, Biff, causes "old hopes and boiling resentments" to return by visiting home. Willy is loved by Biff, who nonetheless does not get along with him. Their relationship is the emotional lynchpin of the production. “In fact, Willy's logical mind becomes blind…” Biff attempts to help his father see what has become of him. In the end, Biff decides that he must force his father to see the truth rather than his fanciful images, for his own good, regardless of its toll on his father. This is the emotional climax
Arthur Miller to his "Collected Plays", his reflections on the theory of tragedy, comments on the McCarthy Era, and pieces arguing for a publicly supported theater. Reviewing this collection in the "Chicago Tribune," Studs Terkel remarked, "in reading [the "Theater Essays"]...you are exhilaratingly aware of a social critic, as well as a playwright, who knows what he's talking about." In 1983, Miller traveled to China to produce and direct "Death of a Salesman" at the People's Art Theatre in Beijing. The play was a success in China and in 1984, "Salesman in Beijing," a book about Miller's experiences in Beijing, was published.