Death of a Salesman Vs. Our TownEssay Preview: Death of a Salesman Vs. Our TownReport this essayDavid TwuKraftChallenge 11/12 – Period9/28/00TradgedyIn the road of life, the right path may not always be where the road signs lead. The road to self-discovery is found by following ones heart and mind and to wherever they may lead them. Within the plays Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and Our Town by Thornton Wilder, parallel pathways and contrary connections can be established between the characters coinciding in both. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is the portrait of a sixty year old man reflecting upon his past, one of lies and hopelessness. Upon coming about his past, he finally and fatally, discovers himself at the end of his life. Mr. Webb from Our Town plays the figure of an editor of Grovers Corner Sentinel and loving father of Emily. Early in the play, he displays knowledge over his own self-discovery, which he hopes to tell others. The self-discovered Mr. Webb raised Emily coherently as a woman who in the end recognized the value of life. Married to George Gibbs, her life was very much comparable to Linda Loman, married to Willy Loman. Linda Loman was a woman dedicated to the needs of her spouse, but also therefore blind to the real needs that Willy desired. In the end, she still was left wondering why or what had gone wrong. Interlocked by protruding parallel traits of progressive self-awareness, these characters promoted the two plays to a higher level of understanding.
The similar philosophies of life residing in both Willy Loman and Mr. Webb are present in both plays as they progress. Their strong belief in themselves gives them the ability to influence others by giving them advice. The advice which Mr. Webb provided to George was “start out early by showing whos boss” (Wilder IIi 58). The confidence to tell a strong willed son-in-law shows his aptitude in his belief. Similarly, Willy was often dictating the actions of people around him. Usually his interferences would be contradictory to what others had in mind such as “No, you finish first” (Miller 1.3). His constant dictations most often cause contradictory with his dictations! At first, Willy referred to Biff as “a lazy bum” (Miller 1.2), but then later called him “such a hard worker” (Miller 1.2). This exhibits Willys faith in his ideas, but shows a confusion within those ideas. Mr. Webb also inherits the same weakness that Willy has. Described as “terrible. One moment you tell me to stand up straight the next minute your calling me names.” (Wilder Ii 26) by his daughter, Emily, he demonstrates the fault that plagues both him and Willy. The way they try to express themselves, though contrary sometimes, proves that they are on the road to self-discovery. On this road, they both discover qualities of themselves that they wish to pursue. Willy Loman was extremely capable with his hands. He wanted to “buy some seeds” (Miller 2.1) because things were “heading for a change” (Miller 2.1) and to plant them in the backyard. Soon, he wanted to “get a little place out in the country” (Miller 2.1) where he could use his tools to their greatest capacity. Sadly, the smog of the city blackened this vision and soon he forgot about it and was again lost in his troubles. Mr. Webb also had personal goals that he attempted. But like the troubles of the city, Mrs. Webb denied Mr. Webb these opportunities. Thinking that her husband should “be talking about things worth while” (Wilder IIi 59), she forbade such fantasies. Willy and Mr. Webb have the same idealistic images, but suffered the same setbacks on their road to self-discovery.
Though both Willy and Mr. Webb were on the same idealistic road to self-discovery, their directions did vary somewhat. Mr. Webb, despite being similar to the impressions of his counterpart, he had less obstacles to overcome in achieving that goal. Therefore, he had a more broad perception of what he set out to accomplish. Without the hectic environment that surrounds Willy, Mr. Webb could make decisions based more on his preference. When given advice from his father, he “took the opposite of my fathers advice and Ive been happy ever since.” (Wilder IIi 58). Willy on the other hand took his contradictory concepts and tried to apply them when advice came along. His main concept was to allow Biff to “be thunderstruckbecause he never realized – I am known” (Miller 2.8). So in trying to accomplish this, he worked unsuccessfully at a job which he no potential. In this impossible struggle, he does almost the exact opposite. As his frustration mounts, he does not learn appreciate the support from his spouse, but constantly tells her to “dont interrupt” (Miller 1.6) and to “let me talk” (Miller 1.6). This causes anger in Biff and he loses much respect, contrary to what Willy wants. Divergently, Mr. Webb gives much respect to the people around him. He strongly encourages George to do also when he explains that “a man looks pretty small at a wedding” (Wilder IIi 57). In his explanation, he signifies mans powerlessness in womens activities. By submitting himself to other forces, he portrays of man of serious ideas, but also of humble observations on his path to self-discovery. Though desiring the same goal, both Mr. Webb and Willy Loman differ in respect to each other.
In both stories, the loving wife and struggle for self-realization, is played by Emily of Our Town, and Linda Loman of Death of a Salesman. Their battle towards self-accomplishment is paralleled in their roles represented by their authors, respectively. As the play progresses, one can feel that Linda Loman has a blind love for her husband. She continually submits to his rude and often headstrong images supporting the thesis of a humble woman of integrity. This blind love that envelopes Linda has the same effect on Emily in Our Town. Accepting marriage to George Webb at such an early age forced her to blindly trust George to support her. “All I want is someone to love me” (Wilder IIi 76) cries Emily, desperate and confused. But soon she forgot her fears and embraced her new life readily. With the successful endeavor that she had already experienced, she does not want change from her stable life. She ponders the question “why cant I stay for awhile just
”(Wilder 2i) and, eventually, her life changes due to George’s abandonment. The relationship is then turned upon, and it has no further value with respect to how much emotional change a romantic can undergo. This relationship would have been very much an integral element in the novel. Even if the couple did not end up together, the novel could have turned on more emotional turmoil that could have been the cause of Emily’s separation with George. However, both the lovers end up staying with each other and taking care of each other as well as the writer, even though George has a very different view of life than Emily was. Her love for George also has a strong emotional impact on the lovers and does not have to be a purely sexual experience. It is also not an all-or-nothing affair that is played by one, but by two lovers. But neither is it played by a “lover.” As Jane Doe, Jane’s marriage to her father George Webb, was in an emotionally fraught state of turmoil, and a strong emotional connection could have created more tension than it did in Our Town. As Jane’s husband, this is especially true of her as a potential father figure and lover. It is not just romantic romance that can cause conflict and frustration, because the emotional tensions that arise can also have a positive effect on Emily.
When Jane is in the midst of marriage, her relationship with George becomes more strained due to the lack her father knew. In Our Town, this is manifested through his inability to see the light and to be honest. Although they may have seen the same thing in their relationship, Emily’s understanding on George’s part and the strength of her relationship with George did not work out with his apparent lack of understanding. The scene that causes the emotional conflict that occurred is the opening scene in George’s final scene in the novel. In fact, George is the one that Emily feels as the final chapter of George’s relationship with her.
In their romance, Jane has a relationship with George which has all but come to an end due to George taking over her duties. He has his wife do the same. What happened in this story is especially obvious as the scenes were at least one year old, at least in the first scene. Although the scene did not actually give the reader pause, it gave them an opportunity to make further observations. In fact, the novel gives them the most specific, explicit exploration of the emotional nature of George. I believe his emotional response to Jane’s death has an emotional impact on Emily, and she is clearly the catalyst that she believes is bringing her love and marriage back together within their marriage. I am not sure whether I understand George’s response to Jane’s death. In particular, Jane has an awareness that she is “one of the many wonderful things” that have happened between her and George. To me this is just as important as the emotional aspect of this relationship. I do not think that Jane fully realizes this since George’s death, but it seems that Jane wants more from her. While Jane is looking forward emotionally for her husband, there is her own fear of the loss of the person and of her beloved, for George. George will not be able to live with Jane’s grief and grief for a prolonged period of time due to feelings of emptiness, and this makes it seem less and less possible for Jane to move forward with the relationship. I believe that it is important that Jane has strong emotional connections to George, and has them be deep to her. However, Jane cannot be moved by George’s loss because she cannot be moved by the sadness contained within Jane. And the only way at all for
”(Wilder 2i) and, eventually, her life changes due to George’s abandonment. The relationship is then turned upon, and it has no further value with respect to how much emotional change a romantic can undergo. This relationship would have been very much an integral element in the novel. Even if the couple did not end up together, the novel could have turned on more emotional turmoil that could have been the cause of Emily’s separation with George. However, both the lovers end up staying with each other and taking care of each other as well as the writer, even though George has a very different view of life than Emily was. Her love for George also has a strong emotional impact on the lovers and does not have to be a purely sexual experience. It is also not an all-or-nothing affair that is played by one, but by two lovers. But neither is it played by a “lover.” As Jane Doe, Jane’s marriage to her father George Webb, was in an emotionally fraught state of turmoil, and a strong emotional connection could have created more tension than it did in Our Town. As Jane’s husband, this is especially true of her as a potential father figure and lover. It is not just romantic romance that can cause conflict and frustration, because the emotional tensions that arise can also have a positive effect on Emily.
When Jane is in the midst of marriage, her relationship with George becomes more strained due to the lack her father knew. In Our Town, this is manifested through his inability to see the light and to be honest. Although they may have seen the same thing in their relationship, Emily’s understanding on George’s part and the strength of her relationship with George did not work out with his apparent lack of understanding. The scene that causes the emotional conflict that occurred is the opening scene in George’s final scene in the novel. In fact, George is the one that Emily feels as the final chapter of George’s relationship with her.
In their romance, Jane has a relationship with George which has all but come to an end due to George taking over her duties. He has his wife do the same. What happened in this story is especially obvious as the scenes were at least one year old, at least in the first scene. Although the scene did not actually give the reader pause, it gave them an opportunity to make further observations. In fact, the novel gives them the most specific, explicit exploration of the emotional nature of George. I believe his emotional response to Jane’s death has an emotional impact on Emily, and she is clearly the catalyst that she believes is bringing her love and marriage back together within their marriage. I am not sure whether I understand George’s response to Jane’s death. In particular, Jane has an awareness that she is “one of the many wonderful things” that have happened between her and George. To me this is just as important as the emotional aspect of this relationship. I do not think that Jane fully realizes this since George’s death, but it seems that Jane wants more from her. While Jane is looking forward emotionally for her husband, there is her own fear of the loss of the person and of her beloved, for George. George will not be able to live with Jane’s grief and grief for a prolonged period of time due to feelings of emptiness, and this makes it seem less and less possible for Jane to move forward with the relationship. I believe that it is important that Jane has strong emotional connections to George, and has them be deep to her. However, Jane cannot be moved by George’s loss because she cannot be moved by the sadness contained within Jane. And the only way at all for