| Acknowledgement | 第1-5页 |
| Abstract in English | 第5-6页 |
| Abstract in Chinese | 第6-9页 |
| 1. Introduction | 第9-18页 |
| ·Arthur Miller and his literary achievements | 第9-11页 |
| ·The story of The Death of a Salesman | 第11-15页 |
| ·Social and cultural background of the play | 第15-17页 |
| ·The layout of this thesis | 第17-18页 |
| 2. Consumerism and American Literature Around the Wars | 第18-23页 |
| ·The rise of consumerism in American society | 第18-19页 |
| ·Influences of consumerism upon American literature around the wars | 第19-21页 |
| ·Consumerism and Arthur Miller | 第21-23页 |
| 3. Loss of the American Dream in the Era of Consumerism | 第23-41页 |
| ·The origin and development of the American Dream | 第23-24页 |
| ·Death of a Salesman as a modern American tragedy | 第24-37页 |
| ·Consumerism as the cultural background of the modem American tragedy | 第37-41页 |
| 4. Techniques that Highlight the Theme of the Play | 第41-49页 |
| ·Symbolism | 第41-43页 |
| ·Stream of consciousness | 第43-45页 |
| ·Mix-up of illusion and reality | 第45-49页 |
| 5. Conclusion | 第49-51页 |
| Bibliography | 第51-52页 |
