Death of a Salesman versus The Cat's Table

Both works “The Cats Table” and Death of a Salesman demonstrate that everything is not always as it seems. This idea is presented through the use of setting, point of view and symbols. There is always more to things than what meets the eye and everything is not always as it seems. Setting plays such a large role in initiating the story and setting the feeling, the entire story revolves around setting. Where the story is told from can change the story entirely, someone may over exaggerate, or even under exaggerate what occurs throughout the story. Symbols really help the audience to better understand the story, uprooting deeper meaning or plainly helping get a point across to us, the readers. All of these attributes will help to prove that not everything is black and white and that we as sceptics really need to look further, we need to look past what is above the surface to a greater, far more important meaning.

In both literary works, setting plays a large role by capturing the feeling and helping the audience better understand them. Willy Loman has always seen himself as a high class, hardworking man, although his very limited friends and family would beg to differ. “He’s a man way out there in the blue . . . A salesman is got to dream, boy.” This quote helps us better understand that Willy Loman is a small man in a big world and if he does not dream or over exaggerate at all he will not amount to much. Willy portrays himself as a very successful man, but realistically, Willy Loman is a failure who will never amount to anything. The Cats Table is a tale which involves much mistreatment and neglect to those who do not deserve it. “What is interesting and important happens mostly in secret, in places where there is no power”. Th...

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...wn simple ways. “Over the years, confusing fragments, lost corners of stories, have a clearer meaning when seen in a new light, a different place.” ― Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table. The boys boarded the vessel not knowing the journey ahead, not knowing that the memories and the friends they have made on this vessel with remain with them for the rest of their lives.

A very common saying is “Don’t judge a book by its cover” which essentially means that everything is not always as it seems, there is usually much more to the story than what meets the eye. Death of a Salesman and “The Cat’s Table” both involve major elements proving that not everything is black and white, including setting, point of view, and symbolism. All of these crucial parts of literature help in proving that there is always more to a story, and that people do deserve the benefit of the doubt.