Jungle of Life: Revised

1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.

In Death of A Salesman, Arthur Miller's last scene accurately sums up his characters' lives and reinforces the theme.The scene, Willy's funeral, is effective because it serves as both a testament to his life and a promise for the future. Willy Loman died the death of a salesman, having spent his life selling both himself and his own broken dreams and twisted ideology. Willy would've liked nothing better than to work with his own two hands, but is instead forced into the dreams of others. 

One theme of the play is to follow your dreams. As his son, Biff, comments in the scene, there was more of Willy in the front stoop than in anything Willy ever sold. Willy's passion is truly in carpentry. Willy lies not in material and success, but in open spaces and hard work. However, society has other plans. The dreams of others are a vault of apartments that trap the Lomans in the city. Willy's brother Ben started out like Willy: he went away chasing a dream. But unlike Willy, Ben went into the jungle and "came out rich." Here, the jungle represents the city, which is certainly as dark, wild, and dangerous as anything Ben may have faced. The beasts of Willy's industrial jungle, though, turned out even more dangerous.

In the end, it was through chasing down that elusive satisfaction that Willy met his downfall. He was unable to accept reality, so he ended it. In the funeral scene, Willy's family and friend(s) realize the devastating impact that getting caught up in others' dreams can have. Biff says, "he had the wrong dreams." In this way, Willy's family mourns not only his life but the jungle of life that everyone must walk through. 

While the scene serves tribute to Willy Loman's life, however, it is about more than that. The funeral is a kind of salute to the future, a way of saying, "you can't beat us down." After Willy dies, Biff vows to follow his dream for him--his original dream. He vows to go out west and find the opportunity Willy never did.

Like the play itself, Miller's last scene looks both at the past and the future in order to create a better present. Willy had been thrown into a jungle, and unlike Ben, he didn't make it out alive. Perhaps what Ben really meant by "came out rich" was that he survived--survived the beasts of societal standards and simply followed a dream. Willy was trapped into societal standards and forced into others' ideals and dreams, crumbling under the weight of it all. But perhaps, through this last scene and through his family, he and his dream live on.

Reflect

We've just finished our first read of Ceremony. Personally, I'm a little conflicted in my feelings toward the book. It's kind of a love-hate relationship: on the one hand, I like the little Native American tales and poems interspersed, but on the other hand, I have no idea what they mean. I also found the concept of time and narrative a little warped, but I suppose that's on purpose.

The AP test is coming up fast. We've been practicing our in-class essays. Which I'm--maybe--slightly--if I'm lucky--better at. Maybe. But I don't know. The whole "write three essays in two hours that will win over the judges" thing is a little daunting. Add that to the multiple choice, which I'm--maybe--slightly--if I'm lucky--better at, and you've found the reason why this class has started to make me a little nervous. It feels a little like we've been dumped on an accelerating train... and as the test gets nearer, we just have more and more assignments. We read Ceremony (243 pgs) in the same amount of time as we read American Dream (approx. 100 pgs). Also, we have readings, blogs, and other things due soon. Well, enough of this. Me sitting here talking about it doesn't make it closer to being done.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Setting: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is set in Denmark, in the forest and in and around the royal palace, and on a ship traveling to England.

Plot: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been summoned to the royal palace to find the cause of and cure Hamlet's madness. Along the way, they meet the Players. Nothing else much really happens... or so they think.

Theme: What is humanity, and what is its role in Fate? Is life controlled by Fate, or chance, and do we have control, or is it all just a script without direction? Through the play, questions of identity, defying/accepting Fate, and our role in life are prominent.

Quotes: Life in a box is better than no life at all. This is said by Rosencrantz as he debates the meaning of life and death. He decides that any life, even life under the influence of Fate, with no control or direction, is better than death. However, by the end of the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern both have grown and no realize that this is not true. As Guildenstern says of leaving for England, "We'll be free." As in, they will escape the box (the play) and finally regain direction to their lives.

Fear! The crack that might flood your brain with light! This is said by Guildenstern after the coin-tossing game has made him question even the most solid of things, such as the law of probability. Sometimes, the things most solid are those you cannot see, such as fear, and only fear itself can prompt one toward action, and, while cracking the surface of identity, also brings knowledge and certainty--light. We see this again in the end of the play. Throughout, the plot is slow and driven by light dialogue and speculation. But when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find out they are to be executed, they finally find their direction: continue to England, and find the light that is death.

I remember when there were no questions. This by Rosencrantz after his first encounter with Elsinore. It implies that there was once a time of certainty and direction, or, in other words, innocence. Everything was given out freely, and existence and control were givens. Now, however, everything has been clouded over and twisted around, and each question is empty air. The quote betrays the motif of questions that is recurrent throughout the play.

Imagery/Symbolism: The "box" is a constant image and symbol, referring, of course, to the play itself, which is carefully scripted beyond an individual character's control. It is inescapable, the "Fate" and the "god" of which the characters speak.

The coins, too, are both an image and symbol throughout the play. Every coin toss results in heads coming out on top. Just like in Hamlet, with its "hunter vs. hunted," we must wonder who is "heads" and who is "tails," and who will come out on top. The head typically represents the crown and state, or the king. The "artists" are at the bottom, the tails. And this is true as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are shown to be equally discardable and even interchangable, even though by the law of probability, eventually they should come out on top.

Allusions: The play frequently alludes to Hamlet. This is needless to say, since the play is set up within Hamlet--or maybe the other way around.