Death of a sales man and A streetcar named desire: comparative Essay Example

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These characters blame their loved ones for their failures, relieving themselves of their own wrongdoings and displaying their psychotic state of minds. Their obsession with illusions demonstrates how fantasy can consume one's thoughts. Blanche and Willy deceive themselves into thinking that their lies and illusions are true, resulting in inner conflicts. Blanche's intense fantasies make her believe that she desires magic instead of reality to escape her unhappy memories, even though this is impossible (Williams 117).

Willy is becoming aware that he has strange thoughts, but he is unable to discern reality from his delusions (Miller 14). Both characters prefer their fantasies of having successful lives, but conflict arises when their inner frustration becomes a manifestation of their overall insanity. They are not angry at deceiving themselves, but they treasure what they believe to be a perfect life. Their mental explorations continue to flourish as they are consumed by their love for fantasy, ultimately leading to complete insanity.

Blanche and Willy demonstrate their inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy, indicating their preoccupation with their illusions. As a result, both characters’ mental breakdowns are directly influenced by their personal and familial conflicts. The characters’ obsession with fantasy is revealed through conflict, while symbolism exposes a similar fate. Both plays employ symbols to convey deeper meanings of failure and the characters’ efforts to conceal reality, which they were unable to articulate verbally. Luxurious items like diamonds, pearls, and a treasure chest serve as symbols that represent Blanche and Willy’s failure to achieve their unrealized dreams.

While Blanche is bathing, her brother-in-law, Stanley, secretly enters her room and rummages through a small

drawer in her trunk, gathering a handful of fake costume jewelry. These items mirror the falseness of Blanche's own life (Williams 36). Meanwhile, Willy recognizes that a diamond is physically hard and rough to the touch, serving as a symbolic representation of the difficulty and challenges associated with achieving success and attaining the American dream (Miller 126). Both Blanche and Willy exemplify their infatuation with their idealistic and patriotic dreams. They struggle to confront their own past mistakes, which are highlighted by the presence of diamonds and jewelry in their lives.

Blanche and Willy use imitation jewelry and diamonds to deceive themselves into thinking they have achieved success. These symbols of success, however, mirror the fakeness prevalent in their overall lives, fueled by their continuous illusions. Luxury items, which ironically represent failure, highlight their inability to accept the hand fate has dealt them, ultimately driving them to insanity and, in Willy's case, suicide. Both Blanche and Willy resort to various forms of intoxication as a means to escape from reality.

Liquor is Blanche's primary means of escaping the truth as it "buzzes right through [her] and feels so good," enabling her to live and depend on her lies (Williams 21). Linda, Willy's wife, recognizes his delusions, suicide attempts, and the evidence of a new nibble on the gas pipe as well as a length of rubber pipe behind the fuse box (Miller 59). Both liquor and the rubber pipe serve as symbols of Blanche and Willy's efforts to evade reality, even though it is ultimately impossible, resulting in their loss of sanity.

In both A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a

Salesman, the main characters struggle to emotionally and literally support themselves and their families, which leads them to desperation and madness. The use of symbolism in these plays highlights their failure to achieve their desires and break free from their unhappy lives. Symbolism is a way for them to hide from reality, but the underlying theme shows that they cannot escape their fate. The theme exposes the characters' insanity by depicting the power of fantasy and the American dream in overwhelming reality.

The main characters in the text fail to recognize reality and instead rely on illusions, causing them to lose touch with the truth. Blanche acknowledges her own mental state and confesses that she often fabricates stories, understanding that a considerable part of her allure as a woman is built on illusion. Similarly, Willy is confined by his own fantasies, convinced that he is a prosperous and popular salesman. He holds the belief that those who can generate personal interest are the ones who succeed in life.

Blanche and Willy have both prioritized their fantasies over reality, convincing themselves that their imaginary worlds are the truth. They not only let these illusions shape their beliefs but also acknowledge how much these fantasies consume their lives. The overpowering force of delusion is evident in how Blanche and Willy have dedicated themselves to fulfilling their dreams, ultimately resulting in failure rather than success.

Both Blanche and Willy share an obsession with the American dream, even though it remains unattainable for both of them. Blanche admits to struggling in recent years after losing her inheritance, Belle Reve. Likewise, Willy believes he has dedicated his

entire life to owning a house that now stands empty. Both characters showcase their incapacity to fulfill their dreams, emphasizing the influence of illusions.

Blanche’s former residence, known as "Belle Reve," which translates to "beautiful dream," symbolizes her lost hope for happiness. Both Blanche and Willy earnestly believe that they can find personal fulfillment through their dreams, but this belief is significant because it shows how their grasp on reality is tied to their understanding of the American dream. Their obsession with achieving success, despite it being unattainable, ultimately leads to their ultimate downfall. By trying to hide from reality and chase the American dream, Blanche and Willy ultimately lose their sanity.

Both Blanche and Willy have reached a psychotic state due to conflict, symbolism, and theme. The insanity of Blanche and Willy highlights the conflict within their familial relationships. Symbolism reveals the deeper meanings and emotions that have contributed to their loss of sanity. The theme explores the characters' escape from reality through excessive lying and fantasy. Ultimately, delusion causes an insane mind to depend on dreams, fantasies, and illusions.