Families are more than just a place for biologically related people to gather and relate, but are places that symbolize all the things that they stand for – such as love, hope, unity, and much more. In some families however, they are defined by the lack of these characteristics and the prevalence of other, less welcoming characteristics – such as conflict, resentment, and anger. While these other, less welcoming characteristics have the ability to damage and destroy relationships, they also have the ability to assist others in identifying areas in which the relationships are both strong and weak. The lack of family-like characteristics is prevalent in two classic American plays, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Death of a Salesman, where they play a critical role in advancing the plot and defining the character’s relationships.
The first two family relationships that must be analyzed to assist one in understanding the lack of classical family characteristics in both plays is the relationship between man and wife – that being between Willy and Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman and between Brick and Margaret/Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The relationship between man and wife is supposed to be one that is defined by
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Margaret attempts to carry the marriage, much like Linda does, but fails as Brick, an ex-high school football star turned drunk, constantly turns to the agreements that were made before the marriage. While the two relationships appear to be drastically different on the surface, they are extremely similar underneath, most simply by the marriages being carried by the wife while the husband slowly deteriorates as life moves on, while they are also both placed in turbulent households that affect everyday decisions within their respective
Taylor and Lou Ann demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between the roles and characteristics in a family. Edna Poppy and Virgie Mae replaces the missing physical and emotional traits in a stable household. The examples tie into the fact that not all families in this book match “the norms” and expectations, but are equally valued, blood or
Throughout the evolution of television shows, one thing that is evident in them is that the families follow some sort of sociological theory. By observing these shows, it is easy to perceive what the struggles and achievements these families may experience. Specific examples of television families that display a sociological theory is: Switched at Birth showing conflict theory, Full House presenting symbolic interactionalism, and finally, The 100 which showcases feminist theory. In all of these shows, the families involved each go through their own issues with themselves and each other as well as barriers that may get in the way of their success. Analyzing families through the sociological perspectives open up opportunity for people to better
The most evident and natural of all hierarchal relationships is that of parent and child. This exists from the most primitive and savage of beasts to the most evolved and developed of primates. Thus, nearly all relationships can be made synonymous and equitable with this archetypal hierarchy. The parent-child relationship is perhaps the most delicate, intricate, and dysfunctional of all relationships in existence. Parents regularly disappoint and disillusion their children, and vice versa. Children rebel from the standards set by their parents only to readopt them when necessary. Such is the case in David Mamet's play Oleanna in which the two main characters, John and Carol, assume a rather dysfunctional father-daughter relationship. The actions taken by John throughout the course of the work demarcate the assumption that his exploits are to be viewed as incestuous with respect to the rapport he and his student share. Carol, with the support of her "group," charges her college professor with sexual harassment, rape, and battery. She thus threatens to annihilate every aspect of the life for which he has strived so terribly long.
Brotherly love can be such a wonderful thing. As children, two brothers can always have a playmate to play Cowboys and Indians with, or an older brother to reach the cookies on the counter. Grown up, they would have someone to help start their car engine, or guide them into and out of relationships. However, a brother can also be the resident bully. The older can make the younger eat worms, or step into embarrassing situations for personal amusement. A brother can be the best of friends and/or the worst of enemies. Either philos adelphos or fratricide could result. Brothers have been seen throughout history in love/love, love/hate, and hate/hate relationships. Fortunately, all have been left with a set of moral guidelines—the Ten Commandments, the seven deadly sins, the seven holy virtues, etc.—these guidelines shape people whether they acknowledge it or not. Sam Shepard is a famous playwright who has captured this conflict within families, which projects the overall conflicts of society, through most of his plays. Shepard’s True West captures the struggle between brothers and what could happen when apathy consumes them. Ironically, each of the seven deadly sins—lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride—and the seven holy virtues—chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility—are either lived out or ignored in True West. These sins and virtues, when juxtaposed with the two brothers in the play, reveal an idea that Shepard tries to convey—denial of one’s moral responsibility and isolation of one’s self will lead to destruction and insanity.
In the play “True West” by Sam Shepard, there are two main characters Austin and Lee that are so different and similar due to their family culture of dysfunction. A dysfunctional family is one in which that shows conflict, hostile environments, inappropriate behaviors to not only upon them, but to those around them. In most dysfunctional families you will find children that have been neglected or abused by parents, to which most of these children tend to think that these such behaviors are normal. Shepard shows this relationship of dysfunction of a family between two brothers that shows one brother who thinks he has escaped the dysfunction, and one that has carried out the dysfunctional family culture.
Death of a Salesman is a play by Arthur Miller that follows the dying days of Willy Loman. Willy is a salesman who is not very at selling whatever he is selling so he takes the easy way out and goes to his neighbor, Charley, who has worked very hard for his money. Willy thinks that Charley and his son Bernard are nerdy and that they are not successful. Success to Willy is all about looks, which is why his son Biff grew up with the idea that as long as you are well liked than you will be successful. Willy faces the conscious battle between what he wants his sons to see and what he wants to keep personal. He wants to set the example of success to his sons by having a death of a salesman where tons of people attend his funeral and everyone knows whom they are there for. However, because he cheats at everything in his life from his job to his wife, his sons, Biff and Happy, have no father figure to look up to. This upsets Willy because he wants his sons to find happiness and success by following in his footsteps. Mr. Loman thinks that he will find happiness in work and doesn’t see that his wife, Linda, finds happiness in him. Linda finds joy in their relationship even though she is unaware of the affair he is having with a woman in Boston. She would do anything for him because for her he is everything. She would even kick out her own son because he brings so much pain to house and that “[he] can’t just come to see [her] because she loves [Willy]” (Miller). He is her happiness and her love. She doesn’t want Willy to die when he died. Willy ends up dying in a car crash and thinks that he solved his family’s problems, which is success in his eyes.
“Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller tells the story of a white family in the United States and how Willy, the protagonist of this story, anxiously pursues the idea of a better life. Likewise, “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry tells the story of a colored family in the same country and their difficulties in fulfilling their goals. Although it may seem that the plays are entirely different, they share a specific theme: the staging of the American dream as an unattainable goal for a large segment of the American population. Therefore, analyzing the meaning of this dream for each of the families of these plays will allow readers to understand the criticism made by the authors of these plays to the idea that the United States is a land of
In many literary works, family relationships are the key to the plot. Through a family’s interaction with one another, the reader is able decipher the conflicts of the story. Within a literary family, various characters play different roles in each other’s lives. These are usually people that are emotionally and physically connected in one way or another. They can be brother and sister, mother and daughter, or in this case, father and son. In the Arthur Miller’s novel, Death of A Salesman, the interaction between Willy Loman and his sons, Happy and Biff, allows Miller to comment on father-son relationships and the conflicts that arise from them.
Throughout the play, Williams highlights the importance of family dynamics and interaction in regards to shaping an individual, tacitly emphasizing how the characters in The Glass Menagerie are imprisoned by their environment and situation. Williams shows that Amanda’s nostalgic remembrance of her youth, Tom’s need to escape the Wingfield apartment, and Laura’s “inferiority complex” create a schism between reality and the characters’ perceptions of reality. As the characters in the play struggle with personal wants and needs, the family dysfunction further forms an imaginary bubble around the Wingfield apartment, crafting an atmosphere filled with unrequited love, unknown abilities, and unrealized goals. However, Williams is keen to note that the _______ actions of the characters can bring light the harsh realities of the world. In The Glass Menagerie, Williams illustrates the duality of fantasy and reality with the passive and active actions of the characters in an effort to illuminate that it is human nature to live in ignorance but realizes that humanity can only truly experience life after recognizing truth.
Arthur Miller, author of Death of a Salesman, describes a family that exemplifies a failure of the 1940s. The Loman family ultimately falls to pieces after it is evident they cannot handle the pressure in their lives. As the Lomans continue to live their life readers see the root of their issues. Some readers say that their downfall is a result of their insecurities. Strain put on the Loman family leads to their demise; this pressure stems from high expectations, unhealthy relationships, and from societal norms.
n the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman has a different relationship with his sons in the beginning of the play compared to that of the flashback scene. Early on in the beginning of the play, Willy Loman’s relationship with his sons can be characterized as distant and stressed. Furthermore, Biff Loman, the youngest of the two sons, says ”Everything I say there’s a twist of mockery on his face. I can’t get near him”. This quote emphasizes the idea that Willy Loman is constantly mocking his son Biff, resulting in a very distant and strained relationship. On the contrary, during the flashback scene, Willy Loman’s relationship with his sons can be considered loving and close. In more detail, when Willy Loman returns home, Biff says to his
No matter who you are and what experiences you’ve had, everyone can agree that family plays a huge role in your life. In the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” family plays a role in teaching Charlie that your family is chosen for you but you can pick your own friends, but in the book “Love, Hate, and Other Filters” family is taught to the reader by showing how no matter what happens and what decisions you make or what is said, your family is always going to be there for you when it comes down to it. Both authors Stephen Chbosky and Samira Ahmed teach me about family using revealing actions.
Family relationships are important in life and in novels, it shows you the interactions of the characters have to one another. It sets the situations of what is going on between the characters and actions toward each other. A huge relationship when growing up is the father and son. This relationship is a critical impact in ones life weather it is a normal healthy relationship or complete opposite. In the Novel “Death Of A Salesman” by “Arthur Miller,”shows that the character Willy Loman who is the father of two sons who names are “Happy” and “Bliff.” The interaction between Willy and his son Biff is disconnected and unstable.
Family’s comes in all shapes and sizes. Some have three members and then some have ten or fifteen. The number of members may be different but we all have similar issues. "All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"? (Tolstoy) That is a true statement if you ask me it means so much. It means to me that it does not matter what type of family you are, you will and am going to have issues. No family is perfect, there is always a flaw. Some families are just good at hiding it, and then some are not. There are many plays, stories and poems’ that can relate to the line that Leo Tolstoy wrote and I chose three from each; A Raisin in the Sun (376), "Everyday Use" (268) and "Those Winter Sundays" (338)
Bradford said that «By leaps and bounds, the father is the best part of Arthur Miller’s play». Indeed, father is a significant part but not the best in this play; I believe without Linda’s we would not have understood the nature of Lomans’s aspirations and personality. She advocated a kind of counterbalance to the harder style of communication, her words as if soothed, lulling Willie. Linda gives Willy undeserved compliments, agreeing with him on his looks and ambition. She enables her husband Willy to live in a fantasy world, because she knows that the truth would bring nothing but hurt to him, and she didn’t want to see him in pain so she decides to hide the truth : when she agrees with Willy, about the success of his business when in fact she knows that Willy is making no money and he is a very unsuccessful man in pretty much everything and anything he does. Biff ,he is different from Willy because he does finally accept and embrace the fact that he has been living a lie all of his life :«We never told the truth for ten minutes in this