How does Fences the play by August Wilson intersect with the themes, characters, and relationships in Death of a Salesman The play by Arthur Miller?
Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" is a play with themes revolving around abandonment, denial, failure, desperation, and betrayal. It is a tragedy that portrays the contrast between Loman family realities and dreams. Both August Wilson’s Fences (1957) and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949) seem to be similar based while also different from other readers. The two plays depict a picture of how people who try to achieve a prosperous life through different means, however, they mistakenly lose track in their battle to succeed and end up in misery.
The two plays share similarities despite the two families coming from different backgrounds. The two plays are popular and famous in American literature. August Wilson and Auther Miller are connected in their plays in terms of characters, ideas, and outstanding heroes, however, the plots of the two plays are different. In the two plays, the families attempt to achieve the American dream however, their dreams are not achieved, Millers and Wilson's families are ordinary American families. The two plays demonstrate the rise and fall of a person's dreams due to personality decline and unreal purposes. The main characters in the two plays have different perceptions of their dreams, however, they seem to fail in sharing their dreams with the families. For instance, Willy Loman had the perception that for one to achieve the American dream or live a prosperous life, he has to use his attractions and connections to forge himself into this type of life. Moreover, Willy’s believes are mistaken as he thinks that because he was with Biff in the same high school during their childhood, Biff Oliver a businessman would give a large loan to his son. Willy starts visualizing his American dreams through hallucinations and illusions when he realizes that he was moving away from his dream. He also tries to pile pressure on his sons. Troy Maxson believes in opportunities that lack diligence and hard work, he denies his son an opportunity to play baseball despite the recruiter showing interest in the sons' ability.
Willy Loman is the main hero in Arthur Miller's play. Loman portrays a character of a hard-working person who relied on a charming smile and appearance with a complex character. Willy is stuck in his world of illusions and wishes. The salesman evades success and evades from the judgment of the harsh realities of life.
Fences narrate a fictional story about his struggles with death to his friend Bono, he is a dreamer, however, Fences achieves some success by making profits for his family. In Willy's case, his sons and wife are worried because of his disorder as he is fearful. Troy's family is different as it doesn't tolerate such dreams (Parker, 1966). The two societies do not support, sympathize, or respect the two heroes.
The treatment of women. The treatment of women is one of the themes that cut across the two plays. Linda is the loving wife to Willy Loman, she supports Loman in everything and takes care of his sons. Her husband humiliates her other than appreciating everything she does for him. Linda Loman portrays a character of an ideal American wife, as she is supportive, reliable, and loving. Miller's representation of Linda is a description of a wife without aims or any desires.
The role of sport.The role of sports is among the themes in the two plays. For instance, the two characters in the "Fences" and "Death of a Salesman" have sons but their desires and how they are treated they receive are different. For instance, the salesman dreams tell the neighbors about his son's football career. Willy has a magnificent plan for his son's future and supports his ambitions of playing soccer. However, Willy's dreams faded away whenever Biff failed his mathematics examination.
Fear of Death
Willy’s family suffered from financial credits, his business was not successful, and he is not respected by other people. However, he is traumatized by his fears, his tragedy is portrayed in his moral and material problems. The salesman contemplates suicide, he believes that by killing himself, his son will have a brighter future and the family will be saved from problems. The male American Dream is demonstrated by the "Death of a Salesman”. From this play, the character of men is portrayed by untrustworthiness, non-logical, underdeveloped, and unstable. The same scenarios are reflected in August Wilson's play "Fences". There is a fear of neglect for his race by the main character. This is portrayed by Wilson’s desire to representing American society and his attitudes towards skin color. In this play, Troy overcomes his imaginations and he is not afraid of death.
Conflict
In the two plays, there are struggles between reliable support and fears, elusive world and reality, and the society with the people. However, Troy and Willy are defeated in this battle by their fears. Willy’s hero is killed by unjustified life plans and gilts, however, Willy killed himself.
Symbolism
In Wilson's play, the building of the fence is the main symbol, however, the members of the family benefit from this structure in different ways. For instance, Toy's wife believes that her family is protected from any harm through the erection of a fence. Maxson’s family built a fence that enclosed each person from the other. Wilson (Koprince, 2006) points out those fences were built by some people to keep others away while others encourage inclusivity. Several symbols are used by Miller in his play "Death of a Salesman" such as music which is the main symbol in this play, the rubber hose, stockings, and seeds. In the entire play, the sounds of a flute are heard. The music symbolizes the future, Willy could have the flute however, he chose a different path away from the father's will.
Conclusion
The two plays leave the audience in suspense as at the end of each play, the audience is left to think about their personalities. This revolves around death, lost relationships infidelity, and fighting within the family. The two plays share several themes, for instance, there is dissolution within the lives of the two hard-working men. The main characters within the plays share similarities, however, the play writers try to highlight the differences between the two. For instance, Willy decides to end his life so that his family can benefit from his life $ 20,000 insurance. Willy justifies his death with the aspect of ensuring that his family lives a better life and not indebted after his death. Troy kills himself for the sake of the prosperity of his family life, therefore, his death is justifiable based on his thoughts. Troy believes that he is building a solid foundation for his family’s future hence, he did not require emotional support.
