'Death Of A Salesman' By Jon Krakauer: Literary Analysis

Memory is the quality that allows the readers to personally connect with a work of art. Relatable works tend to have more of an emotional impact on the reader. Symbols are used to connect the tangible to something intangible. Through this connection, readers will associate the aspects of the thing being symbolized to the symbol. For example, if a character is used to symbolize the devil in a work of art, the audience will associate the aspects of the devil to the character. Patterns allow readers to parallel one work of art to another work of art.

How can two people watch or read the same story and yet, interpret it completely differently? Does it have to do with the author’s intentions, or maybe it has to do with the viewers’ own backgrounds and ideologies? Whatever the case may be, viewing one piece of work can lead to a wide array of opinions and critiques. It is through the diversity of such lenses that Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller has become one of the most well-known plays in modern history. There are many different ways in which a play can be criticized, however, criticisms from the approaches of a Marxist and reader-response will be utilized to further dissect Death of a Salesman. Marxist criticism sees pieces of works as a struggle between different socioeconomic classes; what better way to see Miller’s play than for what it is at face value, the struggle of a middle-class man trying to achieve the American dream (1750). On the other hand, a reader-response criticism comes from either an objective or subjective view; in this case Death of a Salesman will be viewed with a subjective lens based on Willy’s deteriorating mental health (1746).

There are an infinite amount of unique responses to the question “What is the meaning of life?”. However, the majority of people will agree that the true meaning of life is to find happiness and what is really important to one’s self. In Jon Krakauer’s, Into The Wild, Chris McCandless conveys this idealism through his life’s journey as he bravely defies all limitations. Chris McCandless isolates himself from society in his Alaskan Odyssey as a way to defy accepted expectations and to begin discovering the meanings of life without any corrupted influences.

By recognizing patterns you can understand a text much easier. If you connect the information of a story and it still doesn’t make sense, look to find a pattern. A pattern would be when a main character is sad and it is raining. Then you would compare that pattern to a different story and it would help you better understand what is going on.

The story of Chris McCandless has become a pop culture phenomenon. Many are fascinated by his desire to abandon his family and society and “walk into the wild” (Krakauer 69). Newscasts, magazine articles, movies, and books have tried to define what motivated him to give up everything for his Alaskan odyssey; however, the answers died with McCandless. People make assumptions about him without knowing his entire story. McCandless chose to do the unconventional, making people think he was either foolish or brave and determined, but ultimately he was selfish for doing what he did.

The gripping tale of a young man who leaves all that he has and goes to live amidst the natural world, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer showcases the two years Christopher McCandless had spent journeying throughout the United States before his unfortunate death. After graduating from Emory University in 1990, McCandless disconnected with all of his past relations and abandoned the majority of his possessions. McCandless’ decisions either seem extremely unwise or extremely courageous. He had a comfortable life with few worries yet he still chose to toss it all away and venture into unknown territories. What many wonder is why he would do such an irrational thing. Maybe, McCandless’ was simply trying to run away from his perception of reality.

How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by understanding symbol or pattern.

Literature is affected by memory, symbols, and patterns though the connections made between the reader and the novels. By understanding the symbols and patterns of a novel, the reader can better connect to the story being told. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is obsessed with looking at a green light. Realizing that the green light symbolizes Gatsby’s longing for Daisy, the reader can better acknowledge the greater theme of the story. Symbols and patterns provide better interpretation of a story to the reader.

Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, describes the adventure of Christopher McCandless, a young man that ventured into the wilderness of Alaska hoping to find himself and the meaning of life. He undergoes his dangerous journey because he was persuade by of writers like Henry D. Thoreau, who believe it is was best to get farther away from the mainstreams of life. McCandless’ wild adventure was supposed to lead him towards personal growth but instead resulted in his death caused by his unpreparedness towards the atrocity nature.

Throughout history, people encounter a stage in their lives where they feel the necessity to assert their independence and challenge their abilities and self-worth. In the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the author shares his understanding and kinship with the main character, Chris McCandless, a young man who thrusts himself into a life of solitude and a harsh environment during his search for meaning to his life. Krakauer depicts himself and McCandless as modern day transcendentalists with an abundance of competency, resourcefulness and skills as naturalists. Although McCandless chose to experience a life of solitude and face the hazards that nature presents, his lack of preparedness prevented him from completing his endeavor successfully.

The story ‘Death of a Salesman’ written by Miller focuses on a man doing all he can to allow him and his family to live the American dream. Throughout the story it is shown how the Loman’s struggle with finding happiness and also with becoming successful. Throughout their entire lives many problems come their way resulting in a devastating death caused by foolishness and the drive to be successful. Ever since he and his wife, Linda, met she has been living a sad and miserable life, because she has been trying support his unachievable goals. Also by him being naïve put his children’s lives in jeopardy and also made them lose sight of who they really were. Miller uses the Loman family to show how feeling the need to appear a certain way to the public and trying to live a life that is not really yours can turn into an American nightmare.

Recognizing patterns makes reading complicated literature easier by being able to connect occurring experiences to ones that have happened earlier before. Once these things are recognized, literature takes on a new form. You identify every aspect of a piece of work without having to investigate it. A great example is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you didn’t recognize patterns throughout the book before recognizing patterns, you will not see the hidden symbols that add so much volume to the story being portrayed. Not recognizing them means you don’t know the meaning behind the mockingbird and how they represent Tom Robinson’s death. Mockingbirds are as harmless as they can be, representing Tom’s innocence. Lee was comparing a mockingbirds

What happens when a child is held to high expectations; also what if a parent has instilled faulty morals into a child that they expect greatness from? This can lead to a terrible combination of failures and disappointments. In Death of a Salesman, by Author Miller the readers see how a character named Biff, a child held to high expectations, partnered with a parent with faulty morals, has ultimately caused his inability to see things for what they are and he is unable to make just decisions for himself. The reader can also see Biffs growth as an individual when he finally decides to break free of the expectation his parent put on him, in which he finds his true self.

Memory affects the reading of literature because it allows you make connections and will assist in recognize patterns in the novel. Patterns, in turn, can reveal hidden meanings in the text, for instance, if something is mentioned repeatedly through out the novel that is a large clue that it is of extreme importance to completely comprehending the piece of literature. Symbols reveal to you what text can 't and guide you to a more complex and complete understanding of the underlying point the author is trying to make.

Understanding how memory, patterns, and symbols all work together in literary works will help you to better appreciate what you are reading. Memory helps us to link one story to another, letting us have a better connection to characters and events, since we’ve already seen characters and events that are, in some aspects, similar. Symbols let us better understand what the real theme is; is The Lord of the Flies really only about a bunch of stranded boys who starts to killing each other, while a pig’s head watches? No, understanding that each of the boys(and the pig’s head) represent a symbol helps you get to the message the author is trying to tell you. Patterns helps us figure out which details are important and which are not so much important, so we’re not as bogged down with every detail of a story instead of the story itself