Biff: I'm a dime a dozen, and so are you!
Willy: I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman and you are Biff Loman! (132)
Biff: Pop, I'm nothing! I'm nothing! Can't you understand that? There's no spite in it any more. I'm just what I am, that's all. (133)
Happy: I'm gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It's the only dream you can have—to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I'm gonna win it for him. (139)
Linda: I search and search and I search and I can't understand it, Willy. I made the last payment on the house today. And there'll be nobody home. We're free and clear. We're free. (139)
"Beating the odds begins with a positive attitude."
That last line I heard on some show aimed at children on Saturday morning cable t.v. The segment was on a young boy who didn't have arms but played soccer and whose goal was to play professionally. And one of the two hosts—good-looking twenty-somethings, one white and female and the other black and male—made that statement. It's the kind of statement Willy Loman heard all his life.
Get ready for some clips. First, something very different, an acclaimed British National Theatre production from 1996. It is a revival of an even earlier production starring the same Willy, Warren Mitchell, but with—wrap your heads around this—Mel Gibson as Biff (who is not in this production). And Mel got great reviews.
Now look at part of the same scene from a 1966 movie starring the original Willy and Linda, Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock. This is 16 years after that original production and Cobb is old and perhaps not up to the task—but perhaps that adds a certain poignancy to his portrayal.
Now, Hoffman, Malkovich, Kate Reid and Stephen Lang.
And finally, the final scene and requiem from this production.
It's funny to hear British accents in the first clip, but for me it doesn't take away from the power of the play (and this is a play that has been performed in translation in Israel, in China, in Japan: which says something of the universality of its themes). So:
1. A comment on the different interpretations of Willy in these clips? 3-4 sentences. Perhaps address which one you liked? Which one worked for you? A brief comparison or contrast of the different actors?
2. Your reaction to the play now that you have finished it? Now that you've finished it, what would you say the play is ultimately about—and why? (I know, the American Dream: but make that not the end point but the starting point for your response)
3. What line in the play best captures its meaning for you?
4. Answer in a couple sentences: is Willy heroic at the end? Don't cut this question off with "He committed suicide, and that's not heroic," even though I imagine some of you feel this. Arthur Miller wrote, "I must confess here to a miscalculation...I did not realize while writing the play that so many people in the world do not see as clearly, or would not admit, as I thought they must, how futile most lives are, so there could be no hope of consoling the audience for the death of this man. I did not realize either how few would be impressed by the fact that this man is actually a very brave spirit who cannot settle for half but must pursue his dream of himself to the end." You obviously don't have to agree with Miller, but at the very least, grapple with what he says. Like much of the play, Willy's suicide asks us to confront what we have been told of the way the world works. Work hard and you will succeed; the best cars or washing machines are the ones with the biggest ads; business must make people into old dogs, fruit, or widgets; beating the odds begins with a positive attitude. Suicide may or may not be cowardly. But think of, for example, soldiers who willingly give up their lives for their comrades, knowing full well that what they will do will result in their death. We say, "It was suicidal, what they did." Indeed. With that in mind, consider Willy's final act.
There will be a quiz tomorrow in class. See you all then.
I really liked the british production for some reason. I think the voices of the characters are much more worn out, and Biff is really sincere to me. Willy in the british production seems to be more scared and overwhelmed with what Biff is telling him rather than angry with it. I think Hoffman plays an excellent Willy. He really nails the way Willy's denial is his downfall, and the theater production make the scenes with Ben very smooth and believable. I still like to go back to the British production, that one really hit me the hardest. Like I said before, Failure to me is the most frightening aspect of old age, and the way Willy's tragedy was portrayed through this book reinforced that fear for me. As Miller says, he was "A very brave spirit who cannot settle for half but must pursue his dream of himself to the end". This is the description of Willy's fate. But it is more a description of failure than of the American Dream.
ReplyDelete2.Although Death Of A Salesman is about the American Dream, I saw a lot of Appearance vs. Reality in the play, as well as the major theme of Failure. If you were to be sat down in one of those therapy chairs, and the therapist to say, "50's working class businessman" you may think of something more along the likes of Gregory Peck rather than Willy Loman. His character is full of difficult flaws, but he represents something in a way very pure to many americans, and Miller takes that ideal and unveils it through Willy's failure.
3."Pop, I'm nothing! I'm nothing, Pop. Can't you understand that? There's no spite in it any more. I'm just what I am, that's all". This line really hits home as the acceptance of failure for Biff. He has finally realized what his life has been, and he is trying to get his father to recognize that as well. The way Willy continues to deny his son's failure is in many ways more poignant than if he were to have realized it. His continued denial of his son's fate is his ultimate failure.
4. The way Willy continues to deny his son's failure, and his failure, to the very end, makes him unheroic to me. In the line about a positive attitude you heard earlier John, it says the attitude is the first thing you need. Willy was stuck on that first thing, searching for a positive attitude or outlook on the situation when there never was one. Because of this, He was unheroic.
1.The other two people who played Willy were not as loud and mean. Even though they were both a little bigger physically than Hoffman, the two other men who played Willy were more wimpy and pitiful. Hoffman showed Willy's sadness and loneliness with anger and aggression. Also Cobb from the second clip was not as put together as Hoffman and Warren. Hoffman's portrayal of Willy shows the projection of the facade that everything is all right.
ReplyDelete2.This play shows the pressures on people to take a certain path and how this pressure only leads to failure. If Willy had become a carpenter, he would have been happy and his life would have meant something more. He might have even made money because carpentry was something that Willy was actually good at. Biff and Happy would have had somebody to look to in their lives. Biff realizes this, but Happy never understands it because he has spent his entire life trying to please Willy. This play shows that the only way for a person to even attempt to achieve the American dream is by doing something that he loves.
3. A line that captures the meaning of the play for me is from the scene in Charley's office. Bernard leaves and Willy says, "The Supreme Court! And he didn't even mention it" (95). Then Charley replies, "He don't have to- he's gonna do it" (95). The Loman family talks about big dreams and how they wish life would be, but they never do anything. Bernard has the self confidence to know that he is well off, so he doesn't need to have people praise him for it. He has gotten very far in life, and he doesn't need anyone to tell him that. Bernard has done what the Lomans always dream of doing, but he understood that a lot of work was involved to get anywhere. While the Lomans were busy talking, Bernard was able to do everything. If Biff had done something, maybe he would be at a better place in his life now. Bernard can walk up to Willy Loman and treat him like a friend even after everything that Willy said about him. Bernard lives the American dream in this novel and all Willy can do is watch in awe.
4.Willy knows that there is nothing more that he can do at this point in his life. When Willy realizes that Biff always loved him it is easier for him to let go. He can die knowing that his relationship with his son was not the failure that his life was. Willy does not have a job anymore and his guilt from his affair continues to haunt him. Willy has nothing to live for anymore, there is nothing more that he can do for himself, his family, or anyone else. Willy is ready to die.
1. The different interpretations of Willy were very interesting to see. The first one might have been my favorite or to me, the most realistic, second to Hoffman. He seemed most like the crotchety and confused Willy that I saw while reading this. The second Willy from the 1966 movie was my least favorite. He seemed drunk and angry actually and just not as saddened as I imagine Willy to be. My favorite was Hoffman, because he really captured the anger Willy had in small bursts and also his dreamlike states when he falls back into his past.
ReplyDelete2. I definitely agree with Cam about the play being about, yes of course the American Dream, but also really centering on Appearance vs. Reality. Not only in the sense of the stereotypical image of a hard-working salesman from the late 40’s, but also inside the Loman family and inside Willy’s mind. The Loman family is constantly trying to make peace with each other and therefore, constantly lying or twisting or bending the truth. It’s evidenced in the beginning of the play when Willy tells his sons how well he’s doing in Boston and Providence and Connecticut and then he turns around and tells Linda the truth about how much he made and how they can barely afford to pay the bills. We see it again with Happy who is constantly trying to impress someone, whether it’s his father, his mother or a pair of pretty girls at the next table over. It’s also how the idea of happiness is portrayed. The happiness that Biff thinks Happy has is an empty façade full of loneliness, and the happiness and power that Biff thinks he has in high school ends up screwing him over in his thirties.
3. The line that defined the play for me is “We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house...You’re practically full of it! We all are! And I’m through with it. Now hear this, Willy, this is me’ (131). This outburst from Biff is the most honest any character has been in this book. As I said in my response to #2, the entire Loman family is acting out a façade that just isn’t them, especially Willy, who gets so wrapped up in it that he gets stuck in his past instead of living his future.
4. Before reading the quote from Miller, I would have said that Willy is not heroic, not because he committed suicide, but because he did not really accomplish anything or do anything classically heroic. However, when Miller said “this man is actually a very brave spirit who cannot settle for half but must pursue his dream of himself to the end”, the idea of Willy as being more of a hero made more sense. There are so many quotes that end in “…or die trying”, such as “get rich or die trying” or “succeed or die trying” and I think Willy died while trying to find his present self and achieve his dream. He kept falling backwards to memories of the past and they eventually pulled him in too far. I could definitely be wrong, so don’t hold me to this, but I didn’t get the idea that he was so sad that he tried to commit suicide, but I think that he didn’t realize where he was in time and location and got confused and it was more of an accident than pre-meditated suicide. However, I still don’t think that Willy is a hero. I think that he is less of failure in that he tried hard and things just didn’t work out and he ended up dying, but I still don’t think he’s a hero. His persistence is admirable, but not heroic. I will say that I think that his suicide is not what makes him to not be hero, because to me, suicide is not an act of cowardice or avoidance and especially not for Willy who has become so confused by his place in time that he loses all sense of control.
1. I prefer the one with Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich. I felt that the actors were almost over acting in the British version. The sobbing didn’t seem as realistic. The second version seemed a little more mechanical. The one with Hoffman seemed the most natural. I guess it’s the closest to what I imagined while I was reading it. Hoffman does a great job of acting pitiable and delusional. I also like the way Malkovich says, “Exactly what is it that you want from me?” They all just seem defeated.
ReplyDelete2. This play focuses a lot on expectations. Willy had expectations about the world, himself, and his kids. He thought he knew what he had to do to succeed. He expected that playing by the rules and doing his job would lead him down the right path. The world was all about relationships and being well liked. He lived his life that way and he instilled it in his kids. His expectations were childish in that way. He doesn’t know what to do with himself when he finds it all crumbling. He goes crazy when he realizes that the goal he’s been working towards for so long is not possible. He was never going to succeed in that line of work. Neither was Biff. In the beginning, every parent expects their kid to do great things. They tell their kids that they can do anything. Become an astronaut or President of the United States. In that instant, most of them believe it just as much as their kids do. It’s too late for the parent to change or make up for the mistakes that have been made. But it’ll be different for the kid. The kid has an endless array of opportunities waiting. Willy tells Biff, “The door of your life is wide open!”(132) If Willy’s expectations had been more realistic, all of their lives could have turned out much differently. Willy could’ve been a carpenter. He would have been happy doing that. He might not have tried to force Biff into an ill-fitting life style.
3. Biff: Well, I spent six or seven years after high school trying to work myself up. Shipping clerk, salesman, business of one kind or another. And it’s a measly manner of existence... To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors with your shirt off (22).We know that Willy would have been happier as a carpenter. He became a salesman because it almost looked glamorous to him. He didn’t think about his happiness. He thought about how a respected man should make his living. He never realized that that’s not the way to live. The only silver lining on this story is that it’s clear that Biff realizes this. He knows that he’ll fail just like Willy if he pursues that lifestyle. He knows what he wants to do.
4. I don’t really think that he’s heroic or cowardly. He’s misguided and pitiful. He does what he does for his family just like he’s been doing his entire life. They’ll get his life insurance and they’ll be provided for. However, it was not what needed to be done. None of them wanted to give up his life for that money. Biff will work on his farm and be happy with a little money. Happy…well I’m not sure what will happen to Happy, but I don’t really care because he’s a total dick. Even at the very end he’s still trying to convince his parents that he’s getting married and will own that company (where he’s an assistant’s assistant). He hasn’t learned anything. Linda gets to pay off the house, but it doesn’t matter because no one’s really living there. Willy did what he though he had to for his family. It shows he cares about them, but it also show that he hasn’t really learned anything.
1. I ended up liking the Dustin Hoffman version. I think his portrayal of Willy grew on me and I think that Malcovich was also a really good Biff. I think this version was much more natural and it flowed a little better than the other versions where it felt like the actors where just reading lines as opposed to feeling the situation like the Hoffman version of the Loman family did.
ReplyDelete2. I kind of struggled with this play because my opinions kept changing about certain characters and certain events. It wasn’t really until the middle of the play when I sort of held a solid view on Willy but after finishing the play, I’m unsure again. I think the play is good and it’s interesting but it really does make you think about things in different ways like how the whole business of America works and what it does to people. I think, as Cam and Molly have said, the play is about appearance vs. reality. But I also think it’s about what happens when you don’t follow your dreams. I think it really killed Willy when he decided to be a salesman instead of a carpenter.
3. When Biff said, “there’s more of him in that front stoop than in all the sales he ever made” (138). And also about the following your dreams: “Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes the territory” (138).
4. I think Willy is heroic because of what Arthur Miller said about Willy having to “pursue the dream of himself to the end”. I think Willy really did just try to do everything for his family and I think that is a heroic deed. He was not always successful but I don’t think that flawless heroes exist and Wily is certainly a flawed hero. He has his struggles but he tries to brave the scrutiny of the business world and he does his best and I don’t think he should be patronized for that. He’s an honest man that could never catch a break and yes, he did fill his kids heads with “hot air” and they paid the price for that and that wasn’t good. But Willy didn’t know any better himself and when he was raised by America, where America’s motto is in fact “beating the odds begins with a positive attitude” then I think that is the expected way he would raise his children.
1. I really enjoyed the first clip. I think that actor who played Biff was exceptional. He portrayed all of the emotions that I imagined Biff expressing. Also, I found myself liking this Willy more than the other clips. I thought Cobb was definitely too old, and Hoffman was unlikable still.
ReplyDelete2. Yes, this was indeed a tragic play. At first I didn't like the play at all, but after reading and seeing the ending, I now like it a lot more. I think that the conclusion was very realistic, but since we got that taste of hope when everyone went to bed, Willy's death hit us a lot harder. For me, the play is about finding yourself; not being the person society wants you to be. Biff finds this out, Willy almost comes to accept it, but Happy has completely misses the point. This is the theme that rings true for every character. Even in Linda. She struggles with fitting into Willy's mold of what she should be. Happy and Biff are obviously trying to fit a mold. Willy is definitely doing the same thing. It's this drive that ruins their lives.
3. "Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?" (133). Biff's line rings so true and really shows what this play is about. Willy's dream is not really his dream; it's the dream he thinks he's supposed to have. I think that even if he achieved this dream, he wouldn't have been happy. Throughout the play, I've been waiting for this realization to explode in Willy's face, and here it has. But it's too late. "...before something happens"... poor Biff has no idea what would happen next.
4. I do not think of Willy as a hero, but I do not see him as a coward either. Like Elizabeth said, Willy is ready to die. Honestly, I don't think Willy knew what he was doing when he killed himself. He was in his alternate reality, unaware what was occurring in the present. I think of his death as a relief. He is not heroic, but he died in peace.
just something to think about. What if, contrary to what Anna and Elizabeth have postulated, Willy knows what he's doing when he kills himself? Part of the conversations he has with Ben revolve around the idea that he has thought out his actions. What started as possibly his way out—the prior attempts—has now become something deliberate and focused. His death will give Biff another chance at success.
Delete1. I really enjoyed both the British version and the Hoffman version. I like the characters chosen in the British version but the acting in the Hoffman version did it for me. I felt that the acting were very powerful and made it seem really to me. In the other hand, the characters in this version, especially Biff, were not the ones I would have picked. However, both of this versions grasp the play perfectly.
Delete2. I think that every book we read so far grasp a concept of the American Dream and I think that this play talked about following your dream. In my opinion, the play talked about following what you desire and not what others want you to follow. It tells me that the American Dream (or any other dream for that matter) should be your dream not someone else's dream. Your dream, regardless of what others think of it, should be the one you follow alone.
3. "Why am I trying to become what I don't want to be?" (132) struck me as the main point of the story. When Biff said this it made me realize that he finally understood what Willy could not. To me, the play is telling us that you should not follow what you do not want to follow. Willy tried to life Biff's life and that did not turn out well for neither of them. On the other hand, Charley left Bernard's life alone and the were happy at the end (not to mention successful). It also tells me that it is vital for one to understand what they want but also to be strong enough to follow it. It is very hard to live your life but it is even harder to live a life that is not approved by someone that it is very important to him.
4. I would say that it is possible that Willy is heroic in the sense that he helped Biff realized who he is. It is hard to see this after his suicide but I would agree with John and say that Willy was aware of what he was doing. I think that he committed this act because he finally saw that Biff has grown and maybe Willy was glad that Biff will not make the same mistake he did. Maybe Willy was not a Disney hero, but he did everything he was supposed to and he helped Biff at the end. Maybe his death was not in vain.
1. In these scenes, I envisioned Willy as being utterly and completely enraged. If anything, he was the one who seemed to be acting in anger and spite. I think that the Willy portrayed in some of the clips from the plays was more subdued, more complacent, almost aware and accepting of the upcoming demise. I personally really like Biff in these plays, and so I had a harder time watching the clips that vilified him. If anything, he is more reasonable than his father. He is the only one who actually accepts the fact that the Lomans are simply not built for the world of business. I wish they had portrayed Biff as being more levelheaded.
ReplyDelete2. I think that, as we have said, this play is about dreams. Throughout the entire play, Willy is always dreaming. He dreams about the non-existent family sporting goods store, getting a raise, getting more money, and having successful business oriented kids. His dream, unfortunately, seems to be the very thing that makes his life so miserable in the end. He wishes for life to be something that it is not. He wants to be something that he isn't. Of course, in America, where everyone is suppose to fit into generally the same mold, Willy sees no other option than to work as a salesman. Unlike Biff, he can't look around and see what he really loves. He keeps his head buried in his glorified pursuit of success. That is what this story is about to me. How Willy becomes lost in these big dreams, loosing touch with reality.
3.I like the line "Why am i trying to become what I don't want to be". This line captures exactly what Willy has been doing his entire life. He has been working for something that he doesn't even love, and now that he has enough money to pay off his house, he can't even live in it. He lost his life because he tried to become something he didn't actually like or want.
4. Willy is a great heroic man in that he pursued the one thing he thought was worth fighting for, and he fought until the end. A lot of people would give up when faced with a predicament like Willy, but he stayed strong. However, his ability in perseverance is counteracted by his inability to be rational and choose a life which he actually wants to live. He wasted all of his ability on a life that he didn't even really want to live. It seems like he didn't know what he wanted to be, and just choose to be a salesman because of frivolous reasons.
1. I really like the Hoffman version and the British version. I thought in the second clip that Willy was too distant and dismissive. Also the way the emotions built up didn't really make sense to me. I thought the Hoffman version was the most realistic. I think I liked Malkovich's performance even more than Hoffman's; I thought he did a fantastic job.
ReplyDelete2. In the end I really liked the play. I think the meaning is very well summarized, by Biff, in the final scene. I think the main theme of the play is how you define yourself. Willy has always wanted to define himself through his job, but in that respect, he is a complete and total failure. I think that's what Biff is trying to tell Willy when he says: "I'm a dime a dozen, and so are you!". Willy and Biff will never be successful business men, and Biff accepts this. Biff also knows that he would have been able to get farther in his life is Willy hadn't inflated his ego so much. I think the point of the play completely goes against the quote John posted from the children's show. I think the play is saying the happiness comes from acceptance; you can't be happy if you are always searching for something unattainable. The Lomans could have been happy if they had just accepted that they weren't made for business.
3. I think right before Biff breaks down and cries to Willy, he says what is so crucial to the meaning of the play: "Pop, I'm nothing! I'm nothing! Can't you understand that? There's no spite in it any more. I'm just what I am, that's all" (133). I don't think that Biff literally means he is nothing here, but he is nothing in Willy's terms. And Biff is fine with that, because he no longer wants to define himself the way Willy does.
4. Well first, after reading that quote I need to clarify my interpretation. I don't think that the play suggests not to follow your dreams, but just to make damn sure that they are actually your dreams. There is no use following the dreams the commercials tell you to; that will never produce happiness. I think Willy following the wrong dream, but he does follow it to the end. And it is not his fault that he followed the wrong dream. I almost see Willy more as a victim here. He was so determined, which was very heroic, but there was no chance of success for Willy. But yes, I do think Willy was a hero. I think he kills himself for Biff, which sounds awful, but he did it so that Biff would be free the become "magnificent".
1. I personally didn't like the first interpretation. I felt it was a little too formal and proper and overly dramatic. I think it may seem a little too proper, because of the accents. I couldn't get over the accents. I just imagine all-american for this play. In the second interpretation, I didn't really like Willy, because I felt as though he did look older, he didn't look as tired as Hoffman or Warren Mitchell. I think Hoffman shows how "crazy" Willy is very well. I think I like the third interpretation the most. It seems the most realistic to me. I also like Malkovich as Biff, because I think he shows the similarities between Biff and Willy really well, emotionally and mentally.
ReplyDelete2. I liked the play. I thought it was very depressing though, because the whole play is about failure. The play is all about the fight for the American Dream and the desire to achieve the american dream. It was depressing to see Willy's constant desperation to achieve the american dream. Willy always worked so hard to achieve his dream, but he was never good enough. His desperation reminded me of Kevin. But I think this play shows the reality of the American Dream. Not everyone does achieve the american dream, and many fail.
3. "I'm gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It's the only dream you can have - to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I'm gonna win it for him." Willy never gave up on fighting for the american dream. Even though Willy Loman is a failure, he didn't quit. Willy's dream was to be the number one man. He wanted to be that business man who was popular and loved.
4. I really don't know. I can see why Willy would be heroic, because he did sacrafice so much for his family. He worked so hard to provide for his family and his sons. He wanted to achieve the American Dream, so his sons could have the opportunity to fight for the American Dream. But Willy also isn't heroic. Willy was selfish, sometimes. He should have taken the Charley's job offer. Willy couldn't let go of his pride even for his family. So I can see why some may thing Willy is a hero, but I don't think Willy is a hero. Willy had the opportunities to be heroic, but couldn't let go of his pride.
I don't see Willy's suicide as a sacrafice for Biff. I personally think Willy finally cracked. He couldn't handle it anymore. Willy was breaking down. I don't think he was thinking about his family or anyone but himself when he decided to commit suicide.
DeleteI found it interesting that in all four of the clips, the level of seriousness and the dramatic effect correlated directly it seems with the lighting. The lighter the scene, the more casual it appeared. You have the first one where there is practically only one dim light over the table and the rest is in the dark and there is such heavy emphasis on what is being said, and then the next one where it is completely light, and the dialogue seems to be like something you might see on a comedy or a soap opera at any time. It's funny how different the four scenes are when the script is verbatim in every one, how the setting and the way words are presented can mean so much. Personally, my favorite was the first one, because to me this play feels like one where there should be emphasis on the dialogue with dramatic effect because behind each line there is so much meaning and topic for discussion. Arthur Miller has hidden so many themes and crucial points in the play under the dialogue, and I feel like the first scene is the only scene that truly does it justice.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, reading the last part of this play has confused my outlook on what it is actually about. Or, rather, there are so many themes and meanings that you could take from the end of the play that I am overwhelmed. I think it's almost impossible not to talk about the American Dream in explaining this question, as all of the main issues seem to be branches of a bigger theme that is the American Dream. Having said that, I think that having these different branches off of the discussion of the American Dream allows us to look at each branch as its own thing. And to me, the most important branch, and what the play is ultimately about, is knowing oneself. It is about knowing who you are as a person and knowing what it is you want in life. That is the main goal that Miller is trying to explain to us, and quite frankly the greatest character in this play is Biff, because by the end of the play, he knows what he wants. By the end of the play, Biff knows who he is, and probably more importantly, who he isn't. Throughout the play Willy struggles with the acceptance of who he is, and for all of Biif and Happy's lives he has convinced them to be successful. He has convinced them that there is only one right way to be, and he spends their childhood building up that person for them and giving them false ideas that they are in fact that person that is the goal. When they go out into the world, they do not know themselves, because Willy has made it so. They are unsuccessful this way. And then at the end of the play it clicks for Biff, who finally knows who he is and knows the life he wants to lead. While the end is a tragedy, I would say it is the opposite for Biff. One cannot make progress in his or her life if they do not know themselves, and now that Biff knows himself he can finally work towards being successful. But, the real success lies in his happiness, which comes from finding himself and finding his way.
The line that best captures the meaning of the play is when Biff is telling Willy that he is going to be leaving for good. "What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am!" This line sums up everything I said for question #2. This line asks the question of what is the right thing to do, work all day and all night to try to be something you are not and make profit, or truly accept who you are and live your life based on that self-knowledge. And of course, Miller spends this whole play answering that question for us. He answers it through every character of the Loman family, but really shows the true struggle by giving every member of the family a different outlook or understanding of what the right answer truly is.
I think up until the last scene of the play, Willy doesn't understand life, he doesn't understand himself and while he is extremely unhappy and unsuccessful, he feels that the ways he is leading his life is the only way. I think this is why he doesn't accept Charley's job even though it is obviously the smart move to take the job. He teaches his kids what he thinks one needs to be successful, but he doesn't realize that this is false and he truly doesn't know. And then specifically with Biff, he is not successful in the way that Willy sees as the only way, and as there is no other way, he is viewed by Willy as a complete failure. Since Willy taught him everything about this life, he sees it as his own fault for Biff's failures. But then, at the final part of the play, Willy understands because Biff teaches him. Biff teaches him there is more to life, and that he knows who he is, and ultimately that he will be all right and that Willy has not failed him. Willy's biggest fear it seems is that he is responsible for his son's failures, and by telling him what he does Biff lets him off the hook. He says that yes, you did fail me in teaching me the wrong things, but now I understand. At hearing this Willy is so beyond relieved, as we can see when Biff goes to bed. "Isn't that-isn't that remarkable? Biff-he likes me!" I don't think Willy truly finds himself the way that Biff does, but he realizes he is finally happy and he has done all that he can. So, he decides that it is best for everyone if he takes his life. I find it difficult to answer whether this act makes him a hero or not, because I don't see it as doing either. Will simply comes to terms with himself and what he has done in life, and as that is the main goal that Arthur Miller is explaining, he decides he has reached the ultimate finish line.
ReplyDelete1. I really enjoyed the first and last two of these four clips. The second clip seemed to have very little emotion by comparison and the acting itself was sub-par. In the first clip (the british version) I felt that the scene was well portrayed and Willy was well represented. Hoffman may still have to be my favorite interpretation because of the emotion with which he portrays the scene. He shows Willy's sheer stubborn nature in an adept and thoughtful way. I have no particular comment on the second clip as I felt in poorly represented the scene, but it is interesting how relatable the first and third clips are, especially seeing as, not only are they two different productions, but one is from England.
ReplyDelete2. While I enjoyed the play in one way or another it remained a dark and tragic story from beginning to end. Never once did I see a possible positive ending. The play is primarily discussing reality. This is shown blatantly by the fluctuation of time in Willy's mind which could get a little confusing at times, but stressed the fact that he was losing his grip. This questioning of reality applies to many aspects of the novel. As people have been saying a large theme of the novel is your dream, but the issue with people's dreams and expectations in the novel was that they were not realistic expectations to have. Overall the play exploited the idea of twisted reality in many of it's key moments, and used it as a key theme.
3. In my opinion the line that best captures the play as a whole is Willy's line at the very beginning of the play. Willy claims, "I'm tired to the death... I couldn't make it. I just couldn't make it." I think it's this realization that really leads to his actions at the end of the play. He's so tired that he eventually just gives up. It seems that at some point in the play both Biff and Willy realize that they simply can't make it and this leads to the intense conflict we witness in the dramatic ending to the play.
4. I don't in any way view Willy as a Hero. Willy's actions were in no way taking into account the feelings of his family, and in truth, although this may be me missing something, I don't see how his suicide could aid anyone in this situation other than himself. His actions were based entirely on his own feelings of hopelessness. It seems so ridiculous to me that so soon after truly realizing that Biff loved him, and that his family truly did care, he would decide that he had to give up. In my personal opinion, Willy should not have given up on his family, and should have seen life through to the end.
1. My favorite version, based on these clips, was the British one. I felt like the British Biff showed the most emotion and desperation, and that he was accepting the realization that his family had amounted to nothing, and also that the family fought against this fact was clearly shown. The way that Biff talked softly and somberly, just trying to get Willy to understand, struck me the most. I didn't like the second clip mainly because the Willy talked like an angry drunk, rather than a man angry because his whole world is shattering. I really liked how Hoffman portrayed the events right before Willy’s suicide, namely when he talks about how Biff liked him all along.
ReplyDelete2. I liked this play very much, and though the general theme is the American Dream, the play focuses on a few detailed points. The play says a lot about paths (the American Dream) that must be followed, and how those paths can be lost (Willy’s peril). Willy had nobody to guide him down the path to success, and he could only trust the leadership of those above him, who wanted to stay above him, to lead him to “diamonds”. Ben, on the other hand, created a path of his own through the jungle and he made a fortune. Willy followed an old, beaten, and crowded road to happiness, and got lost in the masses, while Ben whacked through the bushes, doing what we may relate to as “innovation”, and found his happiness.
3. (My favorite quote that hasn't been used yet :) “A man can’t go out the way he came in, Ben, a man has got to add up to something” (my page 99). Willy feels the need to accomplish something in his line of business, and his desperation speaks out to Ben, yearning for help and guidance through the jungle. This also shows how Willy can’t accept the fact that Biff has amounted to what he thinks is nothing, and Willy’s difficultly in coping with reality.
4. Willy is a tragic hero. Just like a soldier, he gave his life for what he believed would help out those he cared about in the best way that he could. People may see him as a mean, angry, unloving, confused, ungrateful, foolish, failure of a man, but at least he did what he believed in. Though we know that his path was horribly wrong, he still was still unfaltering and diligently committed to his vision of the American Dream to his grave. Very few people have the commitment to pursue a cause for their whole life, and at least that one part of his life makes him spectacular to me.
1. The portrayal of Willy that is the most powerful to me is Dustin Hoffman’s. I think the fact that Hoffman is so physically different than the majority of the Willys makes it stand out more, and I think with his size, it adds to Willy’s need to be so masculine and the need to over compensate because of it. I also am really drawn to John Malkovich’s portrayal of Biff, because it was the only portrayal I could see both his love and contempt for Willy. The 1966 version did not work for me because I felt it was lacking the intensity that the Dustin Hoffman version had.
ReplyDelete2. This is probably my favorite thing we’ve read so far, and I think the economic situation we have been in the past couple of years adds to its impact because this could be going on right now and the type of struggles the characters go through are not isolated to the times and this play is not a period piece. I think it is not just timeless because it’s a classic, but because people will always be struggling due to the pressures of society. I agree with Elizabeth regarding the play being about the pressures from within and external pressure. Willy doesn’t tell Linda about Charley giving him 50 dollars a week and pretends its his pay because he is under the pressure as a patriarch to support his family no matter what, a pressure that stems from what society thinks is right. Biff tells himself that working out West is laughable because that’s what society believes. But Biff heroically learns that external pressure shouldn’t dictate your life, a folly that Willy succumbed to.
3. For some reason I keep think of a line that Ben says on 133 “it does take a great kind of a man to crack the jungle.” I read this as “the jungle” being the pressures of society to live a American Dream-like lifestyle, and Biff is a brave man for realizing it is more fulfilling to live a lifestyle that you want, not the one society prescribes to us.
4. I think one could say there is a bit of heroism in Willy’s suicide. I think, as off the deep end as he was, Willy could see how he was negatively affecting his children and that he was their final obstacle to success, he always had been. The way he built them up to think they could float on through life and still be successful, and the way he projected his dreams and desires on to them. I think in killing himself, he gave his children an extra push and incentive to live a life they were proud of so they wouldn’t end up with the same fate as their father’s.
1. Dustin Hoffman will always be my favorite. His acting is magnificent and is so powerful. I found the other Willy's to be more dull than I would have expected. Hoffman's expresses emotion so brilliantly, especially in the final scene. He demonstrates Willy's conflict between sanity and insanity perfectly. The first clip was definitely too dull, and in the second one, I didn't think Biff was very good.
ReplyDelete2. I loved this play, it is definitely up there with my most favorite lit books of all time. As Jenny said, I think that it is a very powerful book to be reading especially with the economic crisis that we deal with today. Though the American Dream is the overlying theme of this play, Miller is making a main point. I think that he is saying that success and happiness come out of doing something you love, without regard to money. Through out the book, Willy is completely stuck on making himself successful through a job that he doesn't love and pushes his sons to do the same. Miller is pointing out that the American Dream is simply doing what you love. Whether that is to be a park ranger, a lawyer, or a businessman, do what you love.
3. Linda's very last line really gets to me. "I search and search and I search, and I can't understand it, Willy...I made the last payment on the house today...We're free...We're free...We're free" (139). Willy has been searching for himself his entire life. He spent too much time searching and wishing and hoping for a life that wasn't meant for him when all he needed to do was relax. This also seems like Miller talking about the American Dream. It is fleeting, always moving, and unattainable. We search and search for it and once it is attained, it is gone in an instant. As skewed as this is, Willy's death was when the Loman family became free and attained the dream they always wanted.
4. Willy denies that Biff is a failure right until he dies, so I cannot say he is a complete hero. He never came to an actual realization of what his life was, but rather continued this fantasy up until his death. However, I do think that he is heroic in that he separated himself from his children, thus taking all of the stress that he caused out of their lives.
1) Suprisingly, my favorite portrayal of Willy is the production Dustin Hoffman. I always pictured Willy to be a stocky man but Hoffman's size shows how weak and pathetic Willy really is. Hoffman portrays Willy's demise with great emotion and grief. The other productions seemed a bit forced in comparison, although I liked the british production as well. Malcovitch’s performance accentuated Hoffman’s talent, as their relationship engulfed me to a point where I was ignoring Linda and Happy when they interjected. I would love to see that production from start to finish.
ReplyDelete2) “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy” (134). This line sums up the meaning behind the majority of the literature we have read this year. The characters in these novels are blinded by the promise of diamonds, and fail to see the reality that they are walking through an empty jungle. I loved this book and it’s my favorite that we’ve read so far, but it felt like being trapped in quicksand. The further we read, the farther we sank, knowing the results of the story but trudging along anyway. We reached rock bottom for Willy Loman. This play is an extraordinary exhibition of the depths that a man can sink to.
3) Like I said before, one line summed up the intentions of Willy Loman to me. “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy” (134). Willy is inspired by the mythical character, Ben. Ben lives the exotic, wealthy life that he dreams of every minute of every day. He takes the gamble of entering the jungle, and returns empty handed, but he is satisfied by the fantasy of the diamonds that await him.
4) I have a tough time agreeing with Miller in this sense. Willy doesn’t pursue his dream until the very end; he refuses to face the reality of his failure. He is so afraid of failure that he can’t see it staring him in the face. There was no moment in this play where I would describe Willy as “heroic”, but I understand Miller’s point. Willy dies very romantically, chasing after Ben and his lavish life. His life at home is no longer bearable and his desperation is palpable. What Willy does is nothing different from his actions throughout the play. He doesn’t embrace his problems, and that’s what leads to his demise. He convinces himself that the reality of his problems is not important, and that wealth and glory are just around the corner. Willy dies a desperate man.
1. Dustin Hoffman plays the perfect Willy. In the clip above, it's absolutely heartbreaking to watch his anger/sadness/confusion over what's happened to his life, and I think the Hoffman does the best at portraying this. His Willy Loman is the most powerful to me. Hoffman connects the whirlwind of emotions that Willy feels and portrays them as nothing less than his own feelings. It feels like he means every word he's saying.
ReplyDelete2. I really liked the play. Yes, it is about the american dream, but it's very specific in its commentary. Miller takes an average while family and shows their failure. We don't normally associate failure with this stereotypical american family. Miller is commenting on, like other people said, appearance vs. reality but also family dynamic. I think we underestimate the impact a family dynamic has on a person's success or failure for that matter.
3. One of my favorite lines in the play is when Willy is shocked that Bernard didn't brag about trying a case in front of the supreme court and Charley says, "He don't have to- he's gonna do it." A lot of what the play is talking about is how there's a difference between dreaming up a great big dream and actually living it. Willy talks so much about how well-liked he is and how great of a salesman he is, but he never makes it. Bernard on the other hand makes it and doesn't feel it's necessary to share it with everyone. This line just proves to Willy and the reader that he really truly is a failure.
4. While I do find it admirable that Willy never gives up, I just can't stand the manner in which he conducts his relationship with his sons. He is so hypocritical and can't accept that he messed up. He led Biff down a dangerous path, one of hot-air and arrogance and it got him no where. It really bothers me that Willy can't see that he was Biff's hero but. constantly let him down.
1. I enjoy the first clip the British version the best. Warren Mitchell as Willy plays such a perfect old and broken man that you feel sad for the guy. Great actors in all the clips I thought Biff was well done in Dustin Hoffman-Willy version but he was a little young looking for me. I see Biff as a powerful older man towards the end of the book as he begins to take charge and assert control over this breaking Loman household. I thought the British version also did a nice job on really focusing on Willy and Biff. I seemed to forget about Linda and Happy altogether which just enhanced the tension between Willy and Biff.
ReplyDelete2. This play is truly tragic. A sad play to the very end with Linda crying at the grave that showed a great deal of ideas and concepts that can influence everyone's lives. Failure was a huge concept that hung over the Loman house. The way people deal with failure differs. Willy showed us over and over again terrible ways in which to deal with failure. Learning from these mistakes and taking what you have learned to follow your dreams is something Willy should have done a long time ago. I think Arthur Miller asks the audience if they have failed in something and need to reconsider it.
3. "What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am!" (132). This is Biff in the final argument between Willy and Biff. I think this line is vital because everyone has wanted to say it for the longest time but because it would be going against the normal way of a salesman Willy never said this. Willy must never lose his respect and this is why he has been slowly breaking over the years. If he had just admitted this simple line and changed his ways the Loman household might not be in shambles.
4. I don't agree with Willy's actions here. I do not think he is a hero in this final act. He is finally ready to die because Willy has finally realized Biff his own son has always loved him. But if things were truly getting better why did he not live to see the day where Biff got a new job and worked hard? Why did Willy not find a new job as a carpenter? I think Miller may be implying that Willy's character could not change even if he tried. I feel bad for Willy here but I still wouldn't see him as a hero.
The British version of the play seemed a bit over-acted, especially the actor who played Biff. John Malkovich's Biff is more poignant, more real, more uncomfortable to the viewer than the other versions. I was not such a big fan of Mildred Dunnock's reaction to the pipe being placed on the table. Lee J. Cobb and the British version of Willy were more tired, whereas Hoffman was angry and tired. I think that combination was what made his portrayal (and incidentally, the entire film) more successful than the others. Hoffman really captures the mood swings and different sides of Willy's character; when he argues, it blows you back from the screen with its intensity, and the argument between Biff and Willy is the cornerstone of this last scene.
ReplyDeleteThe play starts out with an image of failure, and ends with death, possibly suicide. Although this has certainly not been the most uplifting piece of literature we've read, and really none of the books we've read have been, it really made me think in a way that none of the others have. For starters, there is very little hope in this play. Gatsby's green light is conspicuously absent, from the beginning until the end. At the end, Biff and Happy have diverged to two different views on the American dream. Happy thinks that it still exists, that he can keep working and find a better place for himself: "...Willy Loman did not die in vain" (137). Biff, on the other hand, has grown steadily more disillusioned about the dream that Willy fought and died for, up to those last moments around the kitchen table. Biff doesn't believe he amounted to anything or ever will. In a way, he makes his situation as hopeless as Willy's, he can't see beyond his problems and into bettering himself. The play ends up being mainly about the conflict between two halves of Willy: the one that believes in Ben, in prosperity and happiness, and the one that is fatigued and tired, unsuccessful, unfaithful, and groveling- the more human side.
Bernard: "You know, 'If at first you don't succeed..." Willy: "Yes, I believe in that." Bernard: "But sometimes, Willy, it's better for a man just to walk away." I know this is a long "line," but I think it describes perfectly the atmosphere of the play and Willy's troubles in one fell swoop. Willy clearly believes in the ethos of hard work and success, but can't attain these goals himself. Bernard, who ends up actually succeeding, unlike Willy's sons, tells him that sometimes it's okay to lay aside idealism. Willy is fiercely, tenaciously idealistic, and it proves impossible for him to let go of his dream, even though in the end he himself ruins it.
Willy is tragically heroic, heroic to a fault. It is ultimately his heroism that is his undoing. He believes in the American dream to the very end, following Ben into oblivion. If heroism were measured by how much one accomplished, Willy would not be a hero. His sons are failures, and he is the cause of this. Biff could have succeeded, had Willy been more encouraging of his academic pursuits. But Willy told him to say no to the naysayers, and this is what brought Biff down in the end. Ditto for Willy.
1.I really liked the British version of the play. All of the actors in the British version seemed to have a lot more passion, as opposed to the other versions. In the version directly after the British one, the actor who played Willy seemed to be very tired, and I liked the anger that the British actor portrayed more. Also I also thought that the actor who played Willy in the American version was too old to play Willy. Its not that he wasn't a good actor, but I feel like Willy should be much younger than he was able to portray.
ReplyDelete2. I liked the play because, for me, it was easier to understand than The Paper Chase. The emotions that the characters portray in the Paper Chase were so confusing to me, but the emotions in Death of a Salesman were much easier to understand. I think that the American Dream shown in this novel, is being happy and being able to support one's family. This book shows this more than any other book we've read so far. Willy thinks happiness is popularity and he wants to be able to support his family, but he achieves neither which is why he wants to end his life. I also think that one of the important points in this book is being able to recognize one's faults and failures and being able to own up to them and start over. Biff is the only person to achieve this, even though he is the biggest failure in the family.
3. I think the most powerful moment in the play is when Biff and Happy are in the bar after Happy tries and picks up that random girl. Biff says, "And then he gave me one look and--I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been! We've been talking in a dream for fifteen years."(104) This moment really explains the whole book because the majority of the book the whole Loman family is just dreaming and not looking at reality. The moment that Biff "wakes up"(104) is the most important moment in the book because it represents hope and change for the Lomans.
4.I think that Willy is heroic. The fact that he failed isn't important, its important that he failed multiple times yet he still got up and fought on after every time. He is thrown to the ground by the world over and over, yet he continues on working and striving to be the man that he wants to be. Many people would say that he's not heroic because of all the times he tries to give up and commit suicide, but that's wrong because the book is only telling the last couple months of his life. He had persevered for 20+ years before that the book doesn't even show. I think Willy is heroic because of his actions, not because of hi success.
ReplyDelete1. I felt that the first one, with Warren Mitchell, and the last two, with Dustin Hoffman, accurately showed Willy’s state of mind, with the original seeming as if Willy were simply an angry old man. I thought the first of the clips most accurately depicted Willy.
2. The idea of success and failure was a theme seen throughout the play, exploring what exactly society defines as success. This is seen through the juxtaposition of Willy’s definition of success with Biff’s definition by the end of the play, as well as the societal pressure on all of the Lomans to achieve “success”.
3. The line that I feel defines this play for me is Biff’s, “I don’t know – what I’m supposed to want. This I feel really shows the different pressures surrounding Biff that reveal what the play is truly about.
4. Willy did his best when confronted with an unwinnable situation, an unwinnable life, and continued to do so up until the end, when it eventually caused him to simply fall apart. I would consider him heroic, yes, due to this fact.
I really like all of them except that the one with the older man, in 1966 with J. Cobb, was a bit underwhelming. After seeing the first one, the British version, which I thought was extremely well done and I thought was some of the best acting and the most convincing acting out of all of the other clips. I really like Hoffman in the clips because i feel like he portrays a very convincing willy Loman, however i feel like the rest of the characters in those clips are trying to to hard and i do not really like them at all. Biff seems insincere and Linda seems very disconnected from the scene and I do no think that is really how she is because she is such an important character especailly when she is crying, and showing emotion which she does not do very often.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this play because for the first time in a while we see a hero who is not conventional at all. he is the opposite of the heros that we normally see in great American literature. He is tragic, and a failure but at the same time he is also the person we look to to save the family. We see him in most of the book as a complete failure, but slowly through the book I find that I am having a harder and harder time calling him a failure. He has worked his whole life to support his family, and has tried so hard to do whatever he can for his family. So by the end of the book he is more of a hero than I saw him as in the first place.
the quote that I found that explained the play the most is Biff's entire explosion to willy. I believe he is the first honest person in the house, and I think that for the first time he is free. He is at that moment the freest person in the house. Even when Biff is trying to tell his dad the truth and tell him how badly he raised him, and what went wrong Linda still tries to protect him. I believe this is the perfect scene to show the book, because we see the true faults in willy explained by his son.
I agree with Ben. I think willy his heroic, but almost so heroic that he loses sight of when is truly important and fails miserably. He does in fact believe that the American Dream is attainable, that is why he started on this path in the first place. I think that if the American dream is supposed to be seen as only material items then he would definitely not be a success, but because we are able to see past material items and see the core of the person and what they stand for then I can see him as a hero.
ReplyDeleteThe first clip is definitely my favorite because of the true intensity it has. I think comparatively to the second clip, it has a lot of tension and the Willy's actor really comes out as an old, old tired man. The second clip didn't really work for me because Willy spoke too slow to sound angry at times. The third one was okay and I think it fits but the first clip seems the most realistic and it kept me interested the whole way through.
I really loved reading this play despite the conflicting questions Miller suggests about Willy's worth. It makes me think about my dad and how much he devotes himself to my family. I think it also inspires me to take advantage of everything my parents work for to make me happy.
I think the "moral of the story" is really to appreciate the opportunities we get as well as to not give in to societal pressure to be a certain success. It's so incredibly annoying when I see someone's potential to do something great because their talent just shines through so obviously, but unfortunately many of us become Biff's and try to make someone else happy. Biff tries to fulfill WIlly's dream and his father's idea of success becomes so embedded into his mind that he ends up believing that is the one and only right way to becoming successful. I think the phrase, "If you do what you love, you'll never have to work," has a lot of meaning to it. Obviously, if one develops a career in what they love the outcomes will come out great. And whether or not one becomes rich in this career, you're still happy because you do what you enjoy. Also, I think the book wants us to think of our parents. Miller basically puts a question of whether or not Willy is worth: pity, patience, or staying with. The play illustrates how parents will love their children unconditionally and do whatever it takes to bring them up well, but it is not always the case with their children.
"My own apartment, a car, and plenty of women. And still, goddammit, I'm lonely." (23)
I don't think a hero is the right word to describe him as but perhaps a inspiration. He chose to die without much dignity and that says a lot. But as of right now we don't know that he actually saved his sons or anyone from anything worse. We just don't know. He worked and worked and unfortunately he didn't get compensation. I do not think he is heroic
I liked Dustin Hoffman’s Willy the most. He really portrayed all the feelings and emotions which I feel in Willy’s character when I read the play. What I liked about Dustin Hoffman’s interpretation which instead I did not find satisfactory in the second clip, was the level of energy and power with which Willy talks to Biff. Hoffman’s Willy has a more visibly extreme reaction than Lee J. Cobb’s Willy. I think Cobb was too quiet for playing the art of a man who is going insane and talking to himself all the time, his reaction to Biff’s challenges should have been stronger in my mind. In the British clip, instead I found that Biff pleaded more with his father; you could really hear the desperation in his voice before the anger and frustration.
ReplyDeleteThis play shows the effects of what society has done to a man who strives to play society’s game his way and succeed. Willy Loman should never have become a business man, that is not what he liked to do, but the idea of being liked by everyone and making what he thought would be easy money drew him in. This play shows the pressures of society’s expectations and standards for what is considered success can do to a person. Because of these standards Willy just could not accept that Biff wanted to work outside, not be a business man and work in an office.
“We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house!” (131). When Biff says this he addresses the family’s problem not just him and his dad’s problem, Biff recognizes that what they did all their lives to be liked and fit in was all a façade and that it led them nowhere.
I cannot say that I think Willy’s act at the end was heroic, because I don’t think of it in terms of being heroic or not. I think in some strange way he was still perusing his dream of success, he was getting in his car to go, and I didn’t see it as a determined suicide attempt. When I read it, it was almost as if his death happened because he was in such a rush to follow Ben or go to Boston or just follow his success dream. Especially in the clip which shows the end, it seemed to me that he was trying to follow Ben out the door, into that bright light=heaven? Success? It seemed to me that when Willy rushed out of that house he felt more complete and fulfilled because he knew that Biff loved him.
1. I too, like many other people, found myself enjoying the British production. I don't know, but for some reason, I liked the Willy in this one a lot more. Hoffman seems, I don’t know, too angry all the time, although, I know that this scene is supposed to portray Willy’s anger. The second one on the other hand was too slow. It’s interesting to see how different productions have slightly different interpretations.
ReplyDelete2. I really enjoyed this play. Although boring in the first few pages, it quickly picked up the pace, and was easy to understand and not lacking in emotion at all. It stayed interesting up to the end, even though we knew that in one way or another, Willy was going to kill himself. It set up interesting conflicts, such as the one within ourselves when we agreed with both Linda and Howard regarding Willy. It set a failure up as our hero. I think the play is ultimately about failure and happiness. Regarding the American Dream, one almost never hears of failure. But that is exactly what befell Willy Loman in his quest for happiness and success. Failure. Not everyone succeeds. And happiness comes from what we love doing. Biff himself said that Willy was happiest when he was working on the house.
3. “We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house! […] You’re practically full of it! We all are And I’m though with it.” I like this quote because, for the second time, Biff acknowledges what a failure he is and that he and his family have been living in a dream of hope and nonsense for far too long. Happy, even at this moment, tries denying it. But, they have been disillusioned into believing that being well liked and trying hard will reward you.
4. I don’t know if I can call Willy heroic. He worked hard, tried hard, made mistakes, and was human. And, in the end, he commits suicide to try to get his family the insurance money (we never really find out if it worked, but Linda does mention she paid off the house). But, in the scope of things, he failed. He failed to provide well for his family. He failed to teach his kids correctly and led his family on a dream. But, he still tries hard, despite everything being stacked against him. He follows his dreams and aspirations. While I feel he was admirable in some areas, I don’t feel I can call him a hero.
1. The first two were actually my favorite clips. I liked in the first one how Willy came across as very Jewish. We discussed in class that we all see Willy as a stereotypical Jewish father. I thought this portrayal of him explained a lot of his actions and words. I though it was the perfect image of Willy that I have in my mind. The second one was quite good because of how run down Cobb is in it. He is exhausted and puts off an air of simply being done, which is obviously one of Willy's most profound characteristics. The other 2 were ok but not as striking as the first two.
ReplyDelete2. The play is ultimately about success and failure. It is a study into how we define success and failure. It looks into the concept of the American Dream and tries to seek whether or not the concept exists and is attainable. I think, in the end, we, as readers, are being asked how we personally define success and failure. One of the amazing things about this play is how much dispute it causes. It allows for personal reflexion and each individual will have a different take on it than the person next to it. I think it was written to make us dissect our every day lives; to make us wonder how WE characterize, judge and define people.
3. "I don't say he's a great man. Willy Lowman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him." This line stood out to me because it calls into question our judgments we pass on others. It questions the reader: What makes someone successful? What makes someone a failure? Should we pity Willy? Hate him? Understand him? I think this is ultimately Miller asking the reader to consider and truly reflect upon our every day lives.
4. I think in the end Willy turns out to be un-heroic. Not because of the suicide but because of his character. He never achieves anything. In the end there is no epiphany, no moment of grandeur. He follows the voices in his head until he reunites with Ben. I understand that he was trying to help Biff and his life had lost all meaning, however I think it is the sum of all things in his life, climaxing at his death, that make him un-heroic to me.
The first video was intense and showed a lot of the emotion that I understood from reading this part. I like how the room was sort of dark which kind of goes along with what is going on. The actor shows anger and I feel that is accurate. Willy has had anger and frustration the whole play and he releases it write here. Biff also releases stress and his emotions and this is why I liked this video the most because to me it was the most accurate portrayal.
ReplyDeleteI think this play comments on the idea of dreams and how to pursue them and success and failure. We are driven by the idea of the American Dream, and this play shows us that it is a bit of a myth and it isn't necessarily true and/ or attainable. This play also shows how people do the impossible to reach their goals but they discover they will never get there, like Willy and the boys. We see Willy falls for the advertisements and this is a comment on the fact that this American Dream is a myth for many because it is brought to us by the media. To me this play shows that if you are lucky enough or if you do things right you will reach your dreams.
The line that best describes the book is when Biff states “We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house..."(137). These people's lives have been built on lies and false dream and they have never faced reality and the way things really are in their situation. Biff realizes he has to stop living this way and has to change now that he has time left before it is I late.
I can see how/why Willy would be considered a hero because of the result of his death. He shows Biff what not to become and inspires him to become something better and to follow his dreams. But he is also not the hero because he did not grow or become a better person during his journey. He was only a failure and really had no impact on the world.
Seeing the interactions between Willy and Biff in the first two clips added an entirely new diminution to the play for me. I was able to better pareciate how difficult it must have been for Biff to confront his father, who for his entire youth has been a role model and a leader. He may not have been extraordinary in any sense, but he kept the family afloat enough, and that is all Biff knows. It must have taken a immense amount of courage to go against everything that he has grown up believing. That really, for me, was the most powerful thing in this scene, because as an audience, we believe that Biff is doing the right thing, it seems obvious, but to Biff, it is unknown territory. He has hit rock bottom to such a point that he has nothing to lose going against his rearing.
ReplyDeleteInnumerable things can be said about this play, and I suppose that is one of the reasons it is held in such high esteem. For me it was about being honest with yourself. Miller is saying that when you fail in a realm that you are not pre-disposed to, there is nothing to fall back on, but when you choose a life you want to live, there is more humanity, and hope. The American Dream is being happy doing something you love, regardless of the pay.
"Maybe I oughta get stuck into something. Maybe that’s my trouble. I’m like a boy. I’m not married, I’m not in business, I just — I’m like a boy. Are you content, Hap? You’re a success, aren’t you? Are you content?" I love that is is posed as a question. Biff doesn't know what he should be doing. All he knows is that he cannot commit to a life dedicated to "building a future" for the sake of that 2 week vacation. The reference Biff makes to being a boy is interesting too, because Biff never grows up, but it seems that all of the grownups in society are unhappy, and Biff recognizes that and searches elsewhere, but he cannot feel confident that he is in fact taking the right path, which is something most everyone can relate to, the fear of the unknown and the future and trying to provide stability but not lose sight of who you are as a person.
Oxford Dictionary definition of hero : "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities." According to this definition, Willy is most definitely not a hero. His suicide can be seen as a courageous sacrifice, ultimately the biggest sacrifice anyone can make, but its seems to me that it is more of an act of desperation. It is his last attempt to live faithfully to his conception of his life and achievements. (gatsby reference!) He still refuses to accept that his son is in his eyes a failure. It was a cowardly act, in an attempt to ignore the alternatives. He was not a flexible man, too prideful to accept help, and it led ultimately to his demise. Willy is an ordinary man with ordinary problems who is not able to face reality, and build a solid foundation.
Arthur Miller ,Brooklyn NY, A great American Writer, A true realism that reaches deep ; language that speaks truthfully . Maybe because he is from an urban city the stories characters and language relate . Maybe it's his courage to be real
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