Adversity In Horace's Death Of A Salesman

William Shakespeare once stated, “Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.” Throughout a lifetime, many individuals encounter obstacles, and overcoming hindrances often elicits a positive response providing a sense of motivation and drive toward success. Hardship can contort our perspective on the world around us and makes us multifaceted individuals. However, incessant adversity can burden any individual, and the effect of this distress can be devastating to one’s prosperity. Sometimes, the excessive demand placed upon someone is destructive, instigating his or her downfall. As evidenced by literary, historical, film, and personal examples, Horace’s notion that adversity can bring forth hidden talents

applies only to certain situations and is highly dependent on an individual’s personality.
In Shakespeare’s quote about adversity, he addresses the impact of difficult times on our character and awareness. For instance, the current President of the United States, Barack Obama, endured a difficult upbringing and was forced to overcome many obstacles in order to achieve the success that he has today. After Obama’s birth, his father left his family and fled to Africa. By growing up in a single- parent household, Obama was devoid of the fatherly guidance ideal for the development of an adolescent. Further on in his life, Barack Obama wanted to connect to his African roots and visited Kenya in an effort to meet his father. To his shock and disappointment, he learned that his father died as a political extremist. Though in grief over the loss of his father, Obama was determined to utilize the methods of compromise and peace, following the practices of his role model, Mahatma Gandhi. At Harvard University, Obama arranged a protest for women’s right to teach, a method that was much more effective than the Black Panther extremist approach. This act elucidates Obama’s valor and leadership qualities, bringing out the individual who desires change in the global community. Because his true qualities shone through when placed in unacceptable situations, Obama serves as the epitome of how adversity can elicit positive qualities.
Though individuals like Barack Obama can overcome adversity and display positive characteristic, others crumble under the pressure. For instance, the young adult in “John Smith” of This American Life degraded with the increasing pressure placed upon him. His family overemphasized tradition, which caused the twenty- six- year old to feel burdened. Furthermore, his financial struggle hindered his progress, and caused an onset of bad habits. He started taking drugs and had to go to court for his behavior; John couldn’t completely recover from the effects of the familial pressure and economic struggle. In fact, such a strain on his psychological development resulted in his downfall as an individual. The path that he envisioned for himself is a stark contrast to his parents’ traditional values, and this clash of insights served to weaken John’s emotional and financial stability. John’s degradation illustrates that adversity does not always develop a person’s character. In fact, adversity can place a constraint on one’s actualization.
A literary example that corroborates this notion derives from “Death of a Salesman”, in which the main character, Willy Loman, struggles to achieve his version of the American Dream.

Willy’s emotional and financial struggle elicits a conglomeration of bad qualities – lies, infidelity, and disillusionment. Willy’s unsuccessful career as a salesman further engrains his negative self- image, making him doubt his fatherly qualities. He is constantly bickering about his luck, but he never admits that he has a problem. Willy never overcomes this vocational obstacle, and he finds solace in the past. He constantly dreams about his elder son, Biff’s, high school football career and never attempts to wholeheartedly remediate his struggle. In the end, Willy kills himself, foolishly thinking that the act would benefit his family. His disparity and Byronic characterization throughout the novel causes readers to sympathize with Willy. The psychological effects of adversity can be so severe that it causes one to hate his or her existence, as illustrated by Willy and his battle against

instability.
Personally, obstacles have only served to strengthen my character and beliefs.

Without adversity, I wouldn’t fully recognize the significance of prosperity and success. For example, in middle school, I had a difficult time with a couple people who I thought were my friends. Though they were nice to me, I just did not like the way they treated others, and eventually I stopped supporting them. Though it is not a particularly positive situation, I did derive meaning and awareness from this experience. Today, I know that the friends I want will not have demeaning characteristics. I found my identity by establishing my values and confirming them through my actions. I recall a conversation I had with my grandpa when he told me about how it doesn't matter about what other people are trying to achieve but rather what changes I want to bring about in the world. This advice has stuck with me for as long as I remember and the close rapport I have with my grandparents truly does inspire me to become the person I know I can be. In my opinion, identity and self-awareness are aspects in life that are mutable processes and often change throughout a lifetime based on circumstances. I realized that my experiences through both prosperity and hardship only serve to enhance my decisions and purpose in

life.
Adversity and hardship are ubiquitous and reappear throughout life, but some individuals cannot cope with the severity of the struggle placed upon them. The inability to alleviate their own pains results in foolish actions, as shown by John Smith and Willy Loman. Some individuals, on the other hand, bring out their best qualities during a hardship, as epitomized by Barack Obama’s advancement as a leader as well as my expression as an independent individual. Thus, Horace’s statement that adversity always elicits hidden talents does not hold true for all individuals and is highly dependent on situation and personal characteristics.