Movie/Book review

Death of a salesman

Death of a Salesman seems to be Arthur Miller’s play that is most famous. However, I think that this play is merely overrated in comparison to other plays. The title of the play seems cold and lacks the suspense that is desired. The main character in the play, who is Willy Lowman, appears to be too open. The play exhibits a failure in his professional life just at the start and his name Lowman is symbolic to his lowly nature. The play brings out Willy as a salesman who is not capable of travelling just within the first fifteen minutes of the play. He also comes out as being suicidal. At the very end of the play, Willy eventually kills himself. It becomes clearer that self destruction is the way that the protagonist chooses and the fact that he kills himself because of insurance money adding up to 20,000 US dollars does not surprise at all. This is because there was foreshadow of the same throughout the conversations.

It is difficult to have belief in the two sons of Lowman. His son Happy is one that is ignored perennially. Despite having a stable job, he keeps on throwing promises of settling down and getting married. Biff on the other hand seems to be more likable than his brother. He toils in ranches and farms and works all along with his hands

The father aspect of Lowman comes out as the best part in the play. Lowman comes out as having depth with a complicated past characterized by undying hopes and regrets. Lowman does not qualify to be a tragic character but represent a common man as it is his wish to die as he had a lot of options but opts to die. 

Oedipus the king

The Oedipus story is a common one among the ancient Greeks and understanding the play requires some knowledge of the background. The tale is based on events that took place earlier. The story is also known as Oedipus complex. Oedipus, not out of carnal lust, tries to sleep with his mother. Discarded from the family, the Oracle tells Oedipus that he was destined to marry his mother after slaying his father. Living with foster parents, Oedipus works hard to ensure that prophesy comes to pass. Oedipus stayed away from his foster father all along not knowing that he was an abandoned child. His father passes away and Oedipus is delighted that he did not kill him. The life of Oedipus turns out to be a tragic one and a clear cut on how one cannot escape fate. The play is built around the fact that Oedipus finds out about the sins he has committed but seems to rebel against them. Oedipus is warned by his wife, who is his mother, of divulging the truth which he goes ahead to ignore. She eventually hangs herself.

Despite the fact that Oedipus has several successful and happy years as a king, he leads an existence that is very difficult. The play makes the reader to have pity for him as he lives his life trying to avoid things which are in reality unavoidable, like marrying his mother and slaying his father. Oedipus parents are also in a state of avoiding fate by casting him away once he is born in order to have him murdered. The play is based on emphasizing the fact that one can change his or her decision but at one point fate must intervene. Further, the actions that people take in life have no impacts in their lives as there is a clear path of one’s life already drawn.

  

Uncle Vanya

Uncle Vanya is a typical ‘grow up’ book, where the characters are always in a struggle against the adversity. This adversity is mostly rooted in some inner conflict that is psychological in nature but eventually find out that life neither bears any meaning nor the satisfaction guarantee. The Uncle Vanya play is full of ignorant, miserable, self-aware and downtrodden fools who all along are in pursuit of the wrong goals.

The play is set at the Russian countryside in a large estate. Mostly, the characters in the play are in constant conflict with their environment. The characters who are from the city ultimately find the countryside life to be unsatisfying and unbearable. The characters who are bred in the countryside find that their counterparts who are bred in the city are very idle and that there cannot be an achievement of peace and productivity with the presence of the city dwellers.

Uncle Vanya is out to reclaim his wasted youth and seeks to have revenge against Serebrakoff who he in turn blames for his entire woes. Most passionately, Uncle Vanya wants to win the heart of the beautiful Helena and also with an aim of punishing Serebarkoff. Vanya eventually becomes angered and intends to shoot the old man. However, he twice misses his target and eventually gets ashamed of himself. Other characters in the play include Sonia, who wishes that Michael strophe who is a country doctor falls in love with her but fears that she cannot be notices because she is plain. Astroff on the other hand is in a secret love with Helena hence being idle, drinks and does not concentrate on his desire of helping his patients. Alexander Serebarkoff yearns for being respected but he is a whiner and knows he is responsible for his failure.

Tartuffe

Tartuffe is a demonstration of the gamut of personalities of humans by Molière. This is through Orgon, who is taken easily by the Tartuffe’s false piety and the response by his family concerning his gullibility. The play is a demonstration of man’s nature as far as the spectrum of his characters is concerned. This is exhibited through the corrupt and crafty nature of Tartuffe and the gullibility of Orgon. There is a further illustration of the same through Demise, who is characterized as a quick tempered person, Mariane’s submissive nature, the sarcastic nature of Dorine among other characters who bring out the composition of the characteristics of human beings. From the start of the play, there is a clear frustration by the family of Orgon concerning his inability to see through the rouse of Tartuffe. In each and every character, we are able to see some bit of ourselves. This then strengthens the believability of the characters used by Molière.

The story revolves around Orgon who is a rich man in Paris France, and who meets Tartuffe in church. He is easily carried away by the appearance of Tartuffe and sympathizes with those who are poor and think that it is a sign of devotion to the Lord. Orgon is deceived by appearance of Tartuffe who in the past has conned several people of their money and succeeded to turn brothers against one another. Tartuffe is in fact the one who ultimately causes his downfall as a result of being lustful with his wife. All along, Cleante, who is the brother in law to Orgon, tried to warn him but Orgon offers a deaf ear to his advice. However, Cleante does not give up or leave, showing how concerned he is for the welfare of his brother in law. Orgon disowns his own son due to the treachery by Tartuffe. This annoys Damise and he eventually pushes his father away instead of struggling to shed light on the true character of Tartuffe. 

Everyman

Everyman is a play that is majorly based on expressing the importance of morality. It is an allegory which bases heavily on the perspectives of Christianity religion and has a lot of similarities with the belief of the resurrection of Jesus Christ by the Christians after crucifixion and ascension to heaven. The play opens in a prologue taking the messenger form, informing the audience about the ultimate fate that is to befall Everyman. The messenger further states the fact that in the end humanity will be called upon by God to stand before Him and to offer an account of their works throughout their lives. The progression of the play heads to a point where God calls upon Death to go and get Everyman to stand before Him in order to offer an account of his deeds in life. Death sets out and eventually gets Everyman, who in turn tries to bribe death so that he is not taken away. Death refuses but tells Everyman that he has a chance of taking someone with him so as not to face judgment alone. Everyone goes to a number of friends including Fellowship, who had promised to always stand with him in all circumstances but fellowship declines.

Everyman eventually dies and when the mourners have departed, Everyman faces his readers and not his maker in an attempt to make his case for absolution or sympathy. To himself, he argues that he is an average human and seeks to be pardoned for the deprivations that he had inflicted on his children who were innocent. The play is built on the moral life of people, taking a Christian religious view of the earthly life. This is represented by Everyman’s own life. 

Fences

August Wilson in ‘Fences’ explores the Maxons family’s relationship and life. The play is about Troy Maxon, who is the protagonist and a former baseball athlete who is now a trash collector and who is very restless. Troy is a representative of the struggle for fair treatment and justice during the 1950s. He represents the nature of humanity of being reluctant to accept the changes that have occurred in the social setting. The troy exhibits both pride and shame experienced by Troy. He is ashamed on the fact that he can only afford a home for him and his family through his brother who is mentally unstable and a former WWII veteran. The setting description mentions a fence that is incomplete and that borders part of the yard, offering a metaphoric state of building a fence around the property of Troy. One wonders what Troy Maxon is keen on keeping out and what he is trying to keep in.

Troy’s wooden porch, from the descriptions by the playwright, seems to be in a very bad state and requires some painting. Despite the fact that the porch is an addition that was recently done, it still needs paint. Troy also has eighteen years old neglected wife, spending better part of his energy and lifetime on both his porch and wife but ultimately fails to commit to the unpainted and unfinished porch and to his marriage. Troy explains his actions through the baseball. In talking about facing death, Troy uses terminologies of baseball in comparing the face off with a grim reaper to a duel that happens between the batter and the pitcher. After working for over two decades on the back of a truck, Troy is eventually promoted to drive the garbage truck but this causes him to be separated with his friends and other African American community.