“Death of a Salesman”: Delusions of capitalism destroys its acolytes

The lights rise on a high gray space, nondescript and suffocating. Pillars with chipped tiles flank the stage. Metal furniture doubles as kitchen table, office chair, restaurant booth. Then headlights cut through the dark—a burgundy Studebaker pulling into a garage. The year is 1949. When I first saw this powerful play, I thought it was a critique of capitalism, which has been a theme of Arthur…