Mabel Ye AP Literature Mrs. Carey December 15th, 2015 Willy Loman, Blanche DuBois, and Troy Troy Maxson: A Tragic Tragic Trio Trio
The American classics classics Death Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Streetcar Named Desire, Desire, and Fences and Fences by by Arthur Miller, Tennessee Tennessee Williams, and Auust Williams res!ecti"ely h#ld c#m!le$ !r#ta#nists that each share a similar traic trait %% the inability t# !ercei"e reality &r#m illusi#n. Willy, Willy, 'lanche and Tr#y are all delusi#nal t# "aryin derees, h#(e"er it)s clear that they share the same tendency t# retreat t# mem#ries and illusi#ns #& success. *ltimately, these &atal characteristics lead t# their d#(n&alls d #(n&alls %% essentially hihlihtin these !lays as true American traedies. Traedy, t# bein (ith, is de&ined as +a branch #& drama that treats in a seri#us and dini&ied style the s#rr#(&ul #r terrible e"ents enc#untered #r caused by a her#ic indi"idual. -e(all/ A m#re classical de&initi#n (#uld be (hat Arist#tle Arist#tle th#uht #& traedy as a enre that !r#ta#nists are #& hih status and !#(er %% usually #& r#yalty, r#yalty, they must e$!erience a traic &all, the audience sh#uld e$!erience a sense #& catharsis, catharsis, and a traic &all must #ccur #ccu r as a result #& a main &la( #& the !r#ta#nist -nyder/. #(, h#( may this a!!ly t# Death t# Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, Desire, and Fences and Fences Y#u)d Y#u)d be sur!rised t# learn that many as!ects #& each !lay &all riht int# !lace (ith the "ery de&initi#n #& traic enre, the #ne c#mm#n &act#r bein their hamartia, hamartia, #r traic &la( %% in this case, their delusi#n. Acc#rdin t# A.C 'radley in his 1305 c#llecti#n #& lectures The Shakespearean Tragic Hero, #ne #& the main traits #& classic ha4es!earean traedy is that +They are e$ce!ti#nal
beins 67 8is traic characters are made #& the stu&& (e &ind (ithin #ursel"es. This means that traic characters are (ritten t# be c#mm#n %% s#methin Willy, 'lanche and Tr#y are all meant t# be. Their acti#ns and su&&erins are meant t# be usual !r#blems, and (ith this they are intended t# be relatable. A. C 'radley (r#te aain, that +...7 a ha4es!earean traedy is ne"er, li4e s#me miscalled traedies, de!ressin ...7 8#(e"er, the central &eelin is the im!ressi#n #& (aste. 9nce aain, the central characters &eatured in Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Fences tie (ith the "ery de&initi#n #& traedy Miller, Williams, and Wils#n res!ecti"ely characteri:ed their !r#ta#nists t# arner em!athy &r#m the audien ce. Willy is str#n%(illed and ambiti#us 'lanche is !assi#nate and el#;uent %% Tr#y is unyieldin and res#lute. The audience rec#ni:es that these are ##d ;ualities t# !#ssess, and as the !r#ta#nists &all t# each #& their #(n &la(s the audience is le&t t# c#!e. The delusi#n #& bein su!eri#r and u!!er class n#t #nly c#incides (ith #ur central !r#ta#nists, but (ith Arist#tle)s de&initi#n #& ree4 traedy. Willy L#man c#nstantly &abricate illusi#ns t# c#!e (ith his inability t# acce!t the reality in his li&e, s# much as t# belie"e he is in a t#tally di&&erent s#cial class structure. This alins !er&ectly (ith Arist#tle)s de&initi#n #& traedy as a enre Willy is #&ten seen bl#(in u! his n#ne$istent !restie as i& he (as a n#ble &iure %% +2/ ?"en his (i&e Linda, s#me#ne "ery cl#se and t#lerant #& him, rec#ni:es his d elusi#n. Durin her !lea t# 'i&& t# treat his &ather better she uttered, +'ecause he)s #nly a little b#at l##4in &#r a harb#r. -5>/ @urtherm#re, 'lanche and Tr#y are als# deluded t# the !#int #& belie"in they bel#n t# a di&&erent class %% n#t #nly d#es 'lanche build &acade and elab#rate lies t# ensure she is !ure, #& hih status, but she als# !hysically attem!ts t# 4ee! her aesthetic hih class tella)s e$clamati#n +D#n)t y#u thin4 y#ur su!eri#r attitude is a bit #ut #& !lace -1/ ;uesti#ns h#(
'lanche)s u!!er class demean#r c#ntrasts the rather !##r neihb#rh##d they reside in. ?"en the stae directi#ns narrate that +8er a!!earance is inc#nru#us t# the settin ...7 he is daintily dressed -15/ t# &urther sh#( the distincti#n. #cially, 'lanche is als# determined t# belie"e she is ab#"e the l#(er classes she identi&ies tanley as an immirant %% a BP#lac4,B as she says, im!lyin he is in&eri#r t# her. Tr#y, stuc4 in the !ast as he is, is still stead&ast in belie"in he had as much !resence as he did (hen he (as a baseball star. Li4e b#th Willy and 'lanche, he is !r#ne t# tellin elab#rate st#ries and stretchin the truth t# seem su!eri#r. 8#(e"er, his delusi#n d#esn)t &#rce him t# belie"e he is #& hiher status %% i& anythin, his bitter and stubb#rn characteri:ati#n builds t# his delusi#n #& a hih class s#ciety #ut t# et him. Thus, t# s#me e$tent these !r#ta#nists b#th !lace themsel"es in n#ble reard, (ith the the e$ce!ti#n #& Tr#y.
Willy)s mental e$!l#rati#ns c#ntribute reatly t# his literal delusi#n and e"entual s!iralin d#(n&all, h#(e"er #utside in&luences (ere a ma#r im!act. Miller)s ;u#te e$tends t# +Man)s t#tal c#m!ulsi#n is t# e"aluate himsel& ustly 67 his inherent un(illinness t# remain !assi"e in 67 (hat he c#ncei"es t# be a challene t# his dinity. This rins true as Willy e"aluates him in terms #& his success, and aainst e"en his br#ther + Willy <& <)d #ne (ith him t# Alas4a that time, e"erythin (#uld)"e been t#tally di&&erent. -1/ 'lanche,
t# li"e (ith limits under a burdenin s#ciety, (hile he has the &reed#m t# stand u! t# racial inustice +Tr#y B< (ent t# Mr. Jand and as4ed him, GWhy Why y#u #t (hite mens dri"in and the c#l#red li&tinGB -1K=1/, and e"en ha"in an a&&air (ith his (i&e J#se, as '#n# #bser"es B< see y#u be (al4in u! ar#und AlbertaGs h#use. Y#u su!!#sed t# be at Tayl#rsG and y#u be (al4in u! ar#und there.B -1K=F/ Tr#y)s belie& in sel&%created illusi#ns causes him t# !r#"#4e c#n&lict, as his inability t# acce!t #therGs ch#ices in li&e (h en they di&&er &r#m his #(n !hil#s#!hy is a 4ey !art #& his delusi#n. Willy, 'lanche and Tr#y &r#m Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Fences res!ecti"ely are all traic characters, each su&&erin &r#m a 4ey trait %% their delusi#n. Whether it is Willy)s literal inability t# !ercei"e reality &r#m illusi#n, 'lanche)s delicate belie& that she is !ure and u!!er class, #r Tr#y)s re&usal t# m#"e #n in his li&e, delusi#n a&&ects them all. This crucial &la( leads t# their e"entual d#(n&alls, and as a result each !lay bec#mes a !rime e$am!le #& (hat traedy as a enre sh#uld be. Traedy is e"#4ed (hen a character is (illin t# lay d#(n their li&e in #rder t# secure their dinity %% +67 traedy im!lies m#re #!timism 67 The !#ssibility #& "ict#ry 67 the !er&ectibility #& man. -'radley/ @r#m these !lays (e learn &r#m Willy, 'lanche, and Tr#y)s mista4es, and h#( des!ite their #&ten ##d intenti#ns their d#(n&all must #ccur. <& anythin, by readin such traedies (e are cl#ser t# achie"in that s#uht%a&ter !er&ectibility by understandin each character)s "ie(!#ints and strules %% that is (hat the (#rld #& literature is su!!#sed t# d#, a&ter all. “Happy: All right, boy !"m gonna sho# yo$ and e%erybody else that &illy 'oman did not die in %ain He had a good dream !t"s the only dream yo$ can ha%e ( to come o$t n$mber)one man He fo$ght it o$t here, and this is #here !"m gonna #in it for him*
Works Cited
'radley, A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy+ 'ect$res on Hamlet, thello, -ing 'ear, Macbeth. L#nd#n Macmillan, 1305. Print. e(all, Jichard '. BTraedy in Literature.B .ncyclopedia /ritannica nline. ?ncycl#!edia 'ritannica, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2015. nyder, I#hn. 0rospects of 0o#er: Tragedy, Satire, the .ssay, and the Theory of 1enre. Le$int#n, Y * #& entuc4y, 1331. Print.
