Comparing Death of a Salesman and Fences

When it comes to comparing and contrasting two different cultures and morals the differences can be night and day. In Death Of A Salesman and Fences, these stories follow two middle-class families around the same time period (late 1940-1950’s), who are both facing problems within their own household’s. From marital issues to failing father/son relationships, both of these stories paint a picture to the audience of what life in an urban family living in that time setting was like through the author’s eyes. And even yet with all the things between these two plays that make them alike, there are also many things that make them very different. In Fences we follow Troy Maxon, an ex baseball player and hard headed “family man” who takes pride in providing for his family with his job as a garbage man. Along side him is his wife, Rose Maxon, a "tell it like it is" type of woman who cares for her family and wants nothing more than to keep it together. Their teenage son, Cory Maxon, a high school football player with college bound dreams and the talent to take him there. And then there is Lyons, Troy's son from a previous relationship, and a talented jazz musician who has a hard time finding a source of income. In Death Of A Salesman we follow Willy Lowman, a troubled traveling salesman who wants nothing more than to see himself and his family succeed in the "American Dream". His wife Linda Lowman, a loving woman with a big heart, who would do anything to keep her husband and her sons happy. And their two sons Happy and Biff. Happy being a sex crazy ladies man working in a department store, while Biff is an unemployed ex high school football star who turned to a life of stealing after failing high school and not graduating.

Both Troy and Willy have two sons and even their children are alike in ways, both Biff and Corey played/play football and both were/are very good at it, but biff lost his ambition soon after high school though his father wished he