Self Fulfilling Beliefs In A Tale Of Two Cities

Though his pride is his hamartia and what initiates his tragic fall, Oedipus’ past is the kindling which burned down his world. Initially, Oedipus is the cause of the curse on Thebes, ... ... middle of paper ... ...de for the benefit of his family, but which in turn benefited no one. Their hamartia, their pride made them unable to let go of the past, which caused their tragic downfall. Two proud men could not just accept the way things were, and had to go and try to change things that had no need for changing. Oedipus and Willy because of their pride did the exact opposite of what they intended: Willy wanted to help his family, and instead he had just hurt them.

As literally as Mr. Miller can say it, dust turns to dust. Suddenly, there is nothing" (Internet 1). The New York Times has expressed the tragedy in the ‘Death of a Salesman’ with no inaccuracy. The phantom of his life has been the American Dream that he has longed for and has not successfully achieved. Willy has terminated his life as an act of cowardice because of the failure of his career, the inaccuracy of raising his two sons, and neglecting Linda, the wife, that has devoted her life and support to her unfaithful husband.

His boss was looking to fire him for a long time. His whole life, he has had the wrong idea. “Success doesn’t come from just luck, popularity, or personality. All throughout the Death of a Salesman, Loman tells his two sons, Biff and Happy, that the key to success in life is to be “well liked” and that all you need is “a smile and a shoeshine.” (Brett) However, Willy completely ignored his true calling of working with his hands, to become a business man. He was so infatuated with the American Dream, he didn’t realize that he wasn’t a good Salesman, and would have succeeded as ... ... middle of paper ... ...ity to indulge in a world that doesn’t exist.

Willy focuses solely on achieving his dreams of success as a salesman and helping Biff become a great man, resulting in him ignoring his family, declining status in society, and reality, leading to his demise. He never realizes what he has lost by chasing after inconceivable dreams; however, Wilder’s Emily reflects on her life after she dies and begins to understand that her lack of appreciation for the little moments took away from the fullness of her life. Even though Wilder and Miller tell two unique stories, they use similar methods to show their thoughts on living and essentially convey the same message about how dreams can ruin people and how not appreciating the little things takes away from the quality of life. After seeing both his father and brother find success, Willy attempts to prove himself to his family by chasing after his own version of the American dream. Willy grows up in the “wild prosperity of the 1920’s” when rags-to-riches tales inspire everybody, making them believe that “achieving material success [is] God’s intention for humankind (Abbotson, Criticism by Bloom).

Seeing how both families, the Linton and the Earnshaw's stand up for one another, Heathcliff understands that the one thing that kept him alive has now been defeated. Therefore his life has no purpose, and he has lost. Emily Bronte's master piece, Wuthering Heights, is a timeless story of love, deception, betrayal and revenge. It recognizes that life in the world is not a utopia. Revenge is the main theme in the book because it highlights important events, personality flaws, and the path to self-destruction.

Nonetheless, Lear becomes a better person as a result of losing everything he has. His nothingness holds meaning because it gives him

But he is weak in his sense of self, content to live as a symbol of a glorious past rather than as a true human. O'Conner exploits this weakness and slowly breaks the General down through the course of the story. She demonstrates the dangers of living a lie, of becoming someone that one is not. Her message is that the fate of the General will be the fate of all man if he chooses to live within a lie. O'Conner warns that life lived without human identity is comparable to Havel's river of pseudo-life.

He is Willy’s only friend, and offers him a job when the old salesman is fired. Willy’s egotism gets in the way, however, and he cannot bring himself to work for Charley, since this would be admitting failure. Charley symbolizes reality- a reality that Willy never acknowledges. Death of a Salesman is one of America’s most tragic plays, because it tells of disappointment, failure, and death. Ultimately, Willy wastes his adult years trying- unsuccessfully- to prove his worth.

I believe that the main downfall of the Loman family was Willy’s refusal to face reality. There are many examples of Willy’s inability to face reality within the novel. He lived in a fantasy world. One of the key examples was when Howard fired Willy. Willy was a horrible salesman who never was able to sell anything and deserved what was coming to him.

Pip is ashamed of his home, unhappy with it, his family and his life. Herbert’s defeat contrasts with Pip’s own defeated life by being common. Herbert takes his defeat and accepts it without complaint, instead taking a positive attitude towards it, making Herbert much happier than Pip as a result. Herbert is humble. He accepts failure and loss in stride and keeps moving forward.