Willy Loman self-perceived traits successfully as he grew older. Loman's world crumbles around him during the play. According to Associated Press correspondent Cynthia Lowry's review of the drama, "we watched an aging, defeated traveling salesman move inexorably toward self-destruction, clinging desperately to fantasies". The play begins with the 63-year-old Loman dealing with a recent pay cut after 34 years on the job at a time when he is having difficulty meeting his financial responsibilities. In the second act, he deals with being fired. The firing was at the hands of the son of the person who had hired him 36 years prior.
A Death in Canaan A Death in Canaan A Death in Canaan is a 1978 American made-for-television drama film directed by Tony Richardson and starring Stefanie Powers, Paul Clemens, and Brian Dennehy. Its plot concerns the true-life story of a teenager who is put on trial for the murder of his mother in a small Connecticut town. The film first aired on the CBS Wednesday Night Movies on March 1, 1978, and was never officially released on any analog or digital medium for rental or sale. Arthur Miller wrote his one-act play "Some Kind of Love Story" (1984) loosely based on the same incident.