2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may
betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their
own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written
essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the
work as a whole.
In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, the main protagonist, Willy Loman, betrays his family by having a steady and secret affair with a mistress. This betrayal damages his entire family, and its consequences force Willy to finally face reality and admit to his mistakes.
All throughout the play Willy is weaving between the present time and his past memories. For much of the story, Willy exclaims things like "they know me up and down New England!" and assures his family that his success in business has earned him a great reputation across the entire country, but none of that is true. He rejects the reality of his situation by lying about it. This trend stops after his memories finally bring him to the moment when his son caught him with his mistress. Willy realizes that he can not keep running from the truth. His son knows what happened, and can hold him accountable for the affair. When Willy's betrayal caught up with him, it forced an end to his delusional frame of mind.
Willy not only betrays his family, but himself as well. He loves his family, and this is obvious when he brags about his son's high school popularity, saying "Remember how their faces used to light up whenever he[Biff] walked by?" He betrayed his own values when he cheated and exposed his son to betrayal by someone he loved. After witnessing his father's treachery, Biff gives up on his schooling and his future. Willy has not only destroyed his own ability to avoid facing reality, but has destroyed his son's life, which in turn tears his family apart.
Death of a Salesman illustrates how an act of betrayal, especially when caught in the act, ultimately forces the character to face reality, and accept the consequences of their action. This can destroy the things the character loved most, like Willy Loman with his family.
Soo Mary,
ReplyDeleteNice. Nice. Nice. I hate these posts. Sorry about all the honesty, I know I'm never honest...hhhmm. Let me reiterate, I hate writing these posts. They force me to practice and practice tends to be a witch until I've finally figured out the activity and can later slay it without any troubles. This post of you contains a thesis. You answer the question and develop a sandwich so thats like 5 points right there in my book. But, I'm not here to give you a score so take a deep breath. I aint got time for that. Okay, well, you claim that Willy's betrayal destroys his family but you only address one of the characters-Biff. What? Willy doesn't have a second son or a doting wife? So you know, add that in there. If you want to of course and if you actually read these comments.
First off, just a general criticism, I think that this essay feels a little rushed and a bit too short for a Closed Prompt essay, in my opinion. Okay, now on to more nit-picky things... Your first body paragraph sounds almost solely like plot summary, and when you do try to add in a sentence or two relating to your thesis, it sounds disjointed and not thought out. Also, your conclusion paragraph sounds exactly like the prompt, and I think it could be beefed up a bit. Other than that, I love this prompt! And I think that you picked a really great topic to write on, and it sounds like you have a few good ideas, but maybe you were busy the night you wrote this? Or forgot we had to do it until eleven or something? But either way, it has definite potential, it just sounds a little half-baked.
ReplyDeleteHey Mary,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sierra in the idea that this essay seems a little rushed. Usually, I'd like to see a standard two to three paragraph essay that goes in-line with the thesis statement. Besides that, everything you said in your essay is accurate, though you should try to avoid making this sound like a plot summary. Including more examples would help with this, and structuring the essay differently as well. All in all, I think you had a lot of good ideas here but didn't fully put them into words.
Hey girl,
ReplyDeleteYeah I do have to agree with Sierra and Helle, the essay seemed rushed. But hey, we've all been I that boat!! I'd pronounce that fair to say! It's great that you were consistent in acknowledging your thesis statement. However, the whole thing was so short that it felt like you just said it all in one breath. But again, I know it was primarily because you were in a hurry and that does not affect my opinion of your abilities to kick bisquicks whatsoever.