The Catcher in the Rye--blog1

As “The Catcher in the Rye” begins, we are introduced to the main character of the novel, Holden. Holden begins speaking of an event that changed his life, yet doesn’t actually reveal what the event was. There is a flashback throughout this week’s reading that foreshadows what happened to Holden that changed his life.

In the first chapter, Holden states that he is being kicked out of Percey Prep School because he is failing four of his classes. Holden takes full responsibility for his actions, which reveals a character trait that will be important later on as the plot unfolds. If Holden takes responsibility for all actions that he commits, will he take responsibility for the event that changed his life if it was his fault?

When Holden’s English teacher, Mr. Spencer, discovers that he is being kicked out of school, he invites him over to his house to talk on more time before leaving. Holden mentions that the house is “old and musty.” Through these words, it is evident that not only is Holden still slightly immature, but also quite caught up in outer appearances. Mr. Spencer, throughout Holden’s entire visit, offers advice and guidance. Mr. Spencer appears to be Holden’s father figure so far in the novel.

So far throughout the novel, I have been questioning what Holden’s family is like. He seems to be a kid who doesn’t have a strong foundation, such as having commitment issues like in school and to the fencing team. Does Holden have parents who neglected him? Or does he even have parents at all?

Death of a Salesman---Blog 6

In the conclusion of the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy’s life comes to an end. Biff tells Willy that, “I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them!” As Biff yells as Willy, he demonstrates that in order to achieve the “American Dream,” a person needs to do what they are good at, not at what society believes is the best. Throughout the play, Willy is incredibly caught up in how the rest of society views him, and because of this, he doesn’t pursue his true dreams. This play is still relevant in today’s society. Most of the time people are so caught up in how others view them that they forget to be true to themselves. What would happen to this world if every single person pursued a career where their skills would shine? Our world would be a much more successful and efficient place. We were all given certain God given talents, so why not use what we have and be successful rather than pretend to have what we don’t and fail.

Despite Willy's failures all through his life, he attempts to "grow" through his planting of a garden at the end of the novel. Willy begins to realize at the end of the play that his true talents come in gardening, not salesmanship. The garden symbolizes an attempt at rebirth, but the rebirthing process happens to late, as Willy ends up committing suicide. Willy proves that no matter what your talent may be, using your abilities wisely will result in success.

Death of a Salesman---Blog 5

During this reading, Willy has a flashback to when Biff discovered that he was cheating on Linda. At the beginning of the play, there is a “woman” that is unidentified. It is not until this point in the play that the reader discovers the mysterious woman is Willy’s mistress. The woman’s laugh at the beginning of the play foreshadows to the time when Biff shows up at his father’s hotel room and hears the woman laughing from the bathroom. Also at the beginning of the play, there are multiple references to Linda knitting stockings and Willy getting upset about her doing so. When the stockings were first mentioned, I simply thought that her patching up stockings symbolized their lack of money. After the discovery of Willy’s mistress, she asks him for the pair of stockings that he had promised her. The stockings not only connect the two women, but Willy’s anger about Linda patching up her old stockings proves that he wants her to have new stockings, like his mistress does.

Throughout the play, thus far, it is evident that each character is struggling with events from their past, especially Willy. Clearly Willy’s mental disorder stems from his past and the regrets that he has. I wonder, will Willy admitting his humanly faults result in a correction of his mental disorder?

Death of a Salesman---Blog 4

At the beginning of Act II, there seems to be a sense of hope among everyone. Willy seems hopeful that Biff and Happy will get settled with new jobs, and Linda is hopeful that Willy will not kill himself when she finds the rubber tube gone. Despite the hope found at the beginning of the Act, there is darkness among Willy. I have noticed that not once throughout the play has the reader figured out what it is that Willy sells when at work. Clearly he is trying to achieve the “American Dream,” but because of his unhappiness, he hasn’t quite reached it. Through the aphoristic lines in the play, Miller is able to convey the message that in search of fulfilling the “American Dream,” Willy ends up selling his life, his time, and his entire being to his business. Willy believes that by constantly working and making money, he will be able to achieve the perfect life, but in reality, more times than not, simplicity is better. Now that Willy has been fired, will he stay at home and find happiness with his family, or will he continue wasting his life by working constantly?

Death of a Salesman---Blog 3

In today’s reading of Death of a Salesman, there was a continuous them of loyalty. Through the previous reading’s it has been evident that Linda is still very much in love with her husband, when she refers to him “as the most handsomest man,” and she would anything to protect him.

Throughout the end of Act I, Willy is determined to take a walk even though Linda tries to get him to stay home. Biff and Happy are upset that their mother is letting Willy walk at night in fear that “he will hurt himself.” Linda shushes the boys because she doesn’t want Willy to hear them, and this again shows her concern and love for Willy. Linda admits to Biff that Willy’s behavior gets worse when Biff comes home for a visit. Biff states that maybe if he only comes home to visit Linda, Willy’s conditions will improve by not seeing him. Linda responds to Biff saying, “No. You can’t just come to see me, because I love him. He’s the dearest man in the world to me, and I won’t have anyone making him feel unwanted and low and blue.” Through this statement, Linda reveals that she will not let anything harm Willy’s feelings because he is the most important person in her life. When Linda states that she “won’t have anyone making him feel unwanted and low and blue,” there is also foreshadowing that Biff, along with others, will eventually makes Willy feel inferior.

Although Linda has complete faithfulness towards Willy, he seems to lack the proper respect for her. When he comes back in from his walk, and starts conversing with Biff and Happy, he constantly yells at Linda to “be quiet” and “stop interrupting.” Biff gets angry and tells his father to respect Linda, but he continues to disrespect her. I wonder, will Linda continue to love and support Willy despite his disrespect and unfaithfulness?

Death of a Salesman---Blog 2

In Death of a Salesman, Willy’s mental disorder is becoming more predominant. Willy has flashbacks and hallucinations. These flashbacks and hallucinations seem to be either regrets that Willy has or the view on how he wishes events would have happened in his life. Through his visions, an insight is given into Willy’s life outside of the present.

Another aspect that plays into Willy’s personality is his lack of self-confidence. He constantly refers to himself as “just a fat man…[who] no one notices at the office.” Being a faithful, loving wife, Linda reassures Willy that he is “the handsomest” man she has ever met. The exchange of words between Willy and Linda lead me to believe that Linda is incredibly faithful to Willy and would do anything possible to make him happy. Later, during a flashback, Willy is speaking to “a woman.” This woman mentions that she will see him next time he gets back on business. This hallucination proves that Willy was unfaithful to his wife, despite her faithfulness to him. I wonder, is Willy’s lack of self confidence a product of his unfaithfulness?

Through the style of this play, we are able to understand the story from Willy’s perspective, which helps us understand his definition of the “American Dream.” Willy is incredibly caught up in looks and whether he is well liked. Will Willy’s mental disorder help him have a change of heart and rediscover what the “American Dream” truly is, or will looks continue to control his happiness?

Death of a Salesman---Blog 1

Arthur Miller, in his play, Death of a Salesman, portrays how different people view the American dream. At the beginning of the play, Willy and Linda discuss Willy’s day and the fact that he struggled while driving to the city. Linda suggests that maybe the steering was bad on the car, but Willy insisted, “I was driving along, and I was fine…and then all the sudden I’m going off the road.” This conversation between Linda and Willy foreshadows that something bad will happen while Willy is driving to work.

We are also introduced to Linda and Willy’s children, Happy and Biff. Through this reading, we learn that Biff and Happy came home for visit, but have intentions of moving out west to farm. Through discussions between Happy and Biff, it is clear that Happy has established himself as an individual, but Biff is still just settling for a job and not a career.

Meanwhile, Willy goes to the kitchen to get a snack before bed. While in the kitchen, Willy is constantly talking to himself. The talking begins as mumbling, but soon it appears that Willy is having a full on conversation as if someone else were present in the room. Although not present in the room, Willy seems to be warning Biff as he says, “Just wanna be careful with those girls…you want to watch your schooling first.” Through these lines, it is revealed that maybe something happened to Biff and there is a reason why he is now at home. Did his father warn him to focus on school, and he didn’t listen, thus making a failure of himself? Also, the fact that Willy is speaking to himself symbolizes some sort of mental disorder, possibly related to trauma from past events.