Death of a Salesman (Spoilers)

The only day I would have been able to attend the Shakespeare in the Park would have been Saturday, and I was sick, so I opted on watching a perfomance from the library of Death of a Salesman. I was amazed at the characterization of Willy, the sixty-three year old salesman who continues to live in the past while dealing with the issues of the present. Throughout the performance, you can see the guilt and the regret of choosing the life of a salesman and the act of adultery during his time on the road. Willy has a conflicting relationship with his sons and those he works with. He constantly tries to commit suicide, and ultimately does on the road.
The character created is one who believes so much in the American Dream. He believes that if he is well liked and works at it, he can have ultimate success, which he never does. Willy suffers from delusions, when he goes back to times in his past that had affected him, like conversations with his dead brother about turning down working in Alaska and the memories of when his son, Biff, lost a chance at graduating because he had failed Math. As the performance continues, you see the built up regrets and guilt that had happened over the years. To Willy, he was worth more dead than alive.
What I found interesting was how Willy dealt with money. In the show, Willy makes no salary to pay off his house and insurance, which is almost paid off. Instead of taking a job with his neighbor and "only friend", Charley, he instead borrows money. Instead of taking another job and earning money and pride, Willy declines the job and borrows the money. He is consumed with finding success as a salesman and promises to pay Charley back, which he ultimately doesn't do.
Willy is a complicated character. To understand him, you have to step inside the mind of a man who had used the past 30+ years as a salesman to end up fired at 63. I enjoyed the perfomance and the way that the character was presented.