Monday, February 28, 2011

Death of a Salesman: Linda

Throughout the entire play, I constantly felt bad for Linda. I felt like Willy is always snapping at her and complaining to her whenever he came home to her. Linda just sits there and takes everything that Willy dishes out at her, even when she is the one who is right most of the time. I felt even worse for Linda when I figured out that Willy cheated on her. She was never anything but a good wife to Willy, but Willy was just selfish and expected Biff to be okay with his affair when Biff found out about it in Boston. Linda is at home trying to fix her stockings, while Willy is buying another woman multiple pairs of brand new stockings. In addition, Linda is one of the most levelheaded and realistic characters in the play. She understands what is happening to Willy, and she does everything that she can to keep him safe and allow him to live his life at the same time. I think Linda was also the first one to realize that Willy's condition wasn't getting any better and that there was nothing that she could do about it. Yet she still remained emotionally stable for her family when both of her sons couldn't handle it anymore and fell apart.

page 1119 #1

There are both realistic and nonrealistic conventions in the play. Some of the realistic parts of the play revolved around the family life of the Loman household. One realistic quality of the family was their desire to reach the American Dream, which was also a main theme in the play. Like many families in the time period of the play, longing for a comfortable and successful life. Many families, including the Loman family, worked for the promise and possibilty of prosperity and stability. Having this universal goal makes the Loman family lifestyle seem fairly realistic and relatable to other families outside of the play. Although this is true, the Loman family goes through a few experiences that make them seem nonrealistic characters. For example, when Happy, Biff, and Linda discover the hose that Willy could be planning to use to commit suicide, they don't take any type of action. They do nothing to help Willy, even though it is very clear and obvious that he isn't in the right frame of mind. Also, the fact that Willy and Linda treat Biff and Happy like they are children makes the family seem unrealistic and in a fantasy world. The play may contain some realistic qualities, but I think that the nonrealism overweighs the realism in the play.

page 1119 #5 Death of a Salesman

There are multiple themes that are expressed in "Death of a Salesman". The most important themes that stood out to me when I read the play were the typical desire to reach the American Dream, abandonment, and disappointment. These three themes connect "Death of a Salesman to "The Glass Menagerie", which both share many similarities relating to characters and plot. Like the Wingfield family in "The Glass Menagerie", the Loman family in "Death of a Salesman" is striving toward the American Dream. Willy is all about being a well-liked and successful bussinesman, and he tries to instill this goal into the lives of his sons. Willy and his wife both want their family to be able to live comfortably and happily in their home. They desire financial security and happiness, which are popular characteristics of the American Dream. The next theme of abandonment can be applied to multiple characters in the story. Like Amanda and Laura feeling neglected by the father and Tom, Willy felt abandoned when his father left when he was young. Willy's sons also experience this same feeling when Willy is constantly traveling and working in order to become his idea of a perfect salesman. Finally, the theme of disappointment can be found throughout both plays. In "Death of a Salesman", Willy is disappointed in Biff for failing math and leaving to go out west and work. Biff and Happy are disappointed that their father is not doing well with business. They are also upset that he is having mental lapses and slowly losing his mind. Finally, the boys and Linda experience disappointment when they realize that they can no longer save Willy from himself in the end.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Glass Menagerie: Amanda

My opinion of the character Amanda changed throughout the play a few times. In the beginning of the play, I felt bad for Amanda because of her current situation. She was left by her husband as a single mother trying to take care of her two children. She was doing the best she could, and she always had the best interests of her children at heart. However, there were points where Amanda just seeemed annoying, controlling, selfish, and overwhelming. There were many times in the play where she is way too overprotective of Tom and Laura. For example, she criticizes the way Tom eats dinner one night. He basically says that he can't enjoy the food because his mother is watching him like a hawk while he eats. Amanda also angers Tom when he is drinking his coffee black. She tells him that it isn't healthy and that it can lead to cancer. It is during times like these where Amanda's parenting is too much to handle. Even though she is too protective of her kids, I started to feel sympathy for Amanda again at the end of the play. She has been abandoned twice by her husband and her only son. She has no one to take care of her or Laura, so she has to figure out how to get by once again.

The Glass Menagerie #7

The question of time in this play is a very difficult one to answer. Time is definitely distorted in this play from the beginning Tom is both a character and the narrator. Because the details, descriptions, and action comes from Tom's memory and mind, they may be bias or blurred. In Tom's memory, time seems to be missing or almost unimportant as he reflects on the past. His train of thought also jumps during the play, which means that events might not be in order. The setting and amount of time that is covered in the action is also difficult to understand. Tom makes various references to points in history that allow readers to figure out what the time period was. However, these allusions and references are also mixed up with no chronological organization. But with the information presented in the play, I think that the action in the play took place over a few months. One of the few clues that makes me think that this is correct is when Amanda tells Tom that she reminded him to find a gentleman caller for Laura multiple times. Other than that, not many context clues are given to hint at time in the play.

The Glass Menagerie #5

There are many themes conveyed in Tennessee William's "The Glass Menagerie". However, the most important themes that stood out to me the most were realism versus nonrealism, the idea of escaping, and abandonment. These themes add to the overall meaning of the play because they create drama. The theme of reality comes into play with Tom, who is both the narrator and a character in the play. Because the play is action taken from Tom's memory, the audience cannot believe absolutely everything that Tom says. His opinions and feelings could lead to bias details and descriptions that stray away from what actually occured. The theme of escaping occurs multiple times in the play. This theme is connected to both the father and Tom. The father makes his successful escape before the play even begins. Following in the footsteps of his father, Tom plans his escape throughout the play. He feels like his current living situation with his mother Amanda and his sister Laura is like a prison. The theme of escaping from problems and reality also connects to the final theme of abandonment. The whole family has already experienced the feeling of abandonment when their father/husband left to pursue his own ambitions. When Tom leaves like his father did, Laura and Amanda will have to experience this sad and hopeless feeling yet again. This brings Laura and Amanda right back to square one.