Those of us taking Spanish 5 are reading a play in Spanish class right now about a man and a woman who pretend to be the son and daughter-in-law of an older woman whose grandson ran away twenty years ago. She was so distraught that her husband began sending fake letters to her from her grandson, first apologizing, then, over the course of twenty years, telling the occurrences of his life, etc. Then twenty years after he ran away, the real grandson sent a cable informing his grandparents he was coming home... but the boat he was traveling in sank, and all the passengers died. So, basically, the grandmother knew none of this, only that her grandson was coming to see her. So the grandfather went to an organization asking a young man to pose as his grandson. He does, and asks another girl to play the role of his wife. This young man memorizes all of the notes the grandfather had sent to the grandmother, knowing exactly what his fake life is like. When he gets to the grandmother's house, she questions him endlessly, making sure he's the real grandson. She says she spent the past twenty years following his travels and adventures, studying architecture as he prepared for his exams, etc. All goes well until the real grandson appears, claiming to have come on another boat, so as to avoid being followed by the police. He is a theif-- the exact opposite of what the grandmother had spent twenty years imagining. The grandmother is heartbroken.
Now that you have the basis of the story, I'd like to relate it to what we've been discussing in class concerning Willy's and Gatsby's dreams. Willy wanted to be a great salesman, got to the end of his life and realized that he had spent his whole life working at a job he wasn't suited for. Gatsby spent five years of his life idolizing Daisy and trying to find a way to get her back. Similarly, the grandmother in this story spend twenty years of her life imagining her grandson, and the man he had become. How devastating it was for her to find out that the grandson she had spent twenty years of time and energy getting to know was not even real! Gatsby finally reunited with Daisy after five years only to find that she was not the person he had imagined her to be and idolized her as.
So, one of the ideas we've been discussing in class is the question of whether or not this "merciful lie" was worth it in the end. Was twenty years of stalling the truth ultimately worth it? Similarly, were those five years that Gatsby spent idolizing and adoring Daisy ultimately worth the end result? Is the dream worth the price we pay when we finally realize that it's just that, a dream?
Emily T.
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You'd have to be able to embrace failure as a lesson learned in order to truly appreciate the "journey" rather than the final prize which has failed to meet expectations. Would you be willing to start all over again, from scratch, hoping that your next endeavor meets standards? Or do you give up? I'm sure that it all depends on the person dealing with the experience.
Yet I can't help to think that men such as Willy Loman do indeed enjoy the "journey" or the promise of the final prize as much as they would enjoy a successful ending to their dream. Being hopeful is a wonderful feeling because at that point in time, you feel invincible, capable of any feat.
Is it just me, or do things seem so much easier when one is hopeful? For example: Your teacher mentions that a certain math section that has been troubling you won't be on the test. You rejoice and think about how much of a piece of the cake the exam will really be! In reality, however, your mind has actually blocked out other obstacles that you usually encounter while studying. In that single moment when you are filled with excitement/hope, you feel that you are capable of acing that test. What's the catch? You haven't even taken the test yet!
"Slow and steady wins the race." We fall, get back up, and keep trying. We persist, we endure, we fight. Am I idealizing humanity? It is true, many of us do withdraw from the race after having lost the first round; that is precisely why we regret certain aspects of the past. Those who stay on the ground never seem to reach their true potential. They have been condemned by a single failure where the prize did not meet their expectations.
If George Washington had not kept marching, despite a dwindling number of men and harsh weather, he would never have attacked the British on Christmas. We would never have moved on to win the Battle at Saratoga. We would never have gained France as an ally during the American Revolution. So many "what if's"!
Thus, although the sudden realization that a dream is just a dream may be hazardous, there is much to be learned from it. How else are we expected to gain experience and avoid mistakes as we go along? Practice makes perfect.
(Sam Maliha)
Well, first of all, I want to point out that the situations of the play and of Gatsby and Willy are a bit different. While the grandmother did have this disillusionment about her grandson, it was due to the grandfather's lies. Therefore, she trusts the grandfather and accepts his words as the truth. Willy and Gatsby, on the other hand, are creating their own disillusionment. So in that regard, I think the situations are a bit different.
Regardless, I think that perhaps this 'merciful lie' is worth it. Although the grandmother was upset that her grandson turned out to be this criminal, she did realize that the fake grandson and wife did grant her happiness.
And I agree with Sam. Everyone fails sometimes, but each time we fall, we are able to stand back up again, perhaps even wiser and stronger than before.
I agree with Sam in that the journey may be more important then the moment that one achieves, or realizes that they cannot achieve, a goal. Sure, many times hopes do lead to disillusionment. Gatsby idealized Daisy only to be disappointed and Willy hit rock bottom when he realized that he would not reach his goal. However, without these goals these men would have been nothing. Especially in these fictional worlds created by Fitzgerald and Miller every man is little more than his ambitions and dreams. Without them there would be no motivation, no cause for action.
Even if some of our dreams lay on the side of fantasy and in reality will never come true that's no reason to stop hoping. I'm sure this all sounds horribly contrived but it seems better to me that there is something to hope for followed by disapointment than nothing at all.
(Molly Dunbar)
"Without these goals these men would have been nothing." -Molly
One of the problems, though, is the dream itself. Even though Gatsby and Willy may have enjoyed the anticipation, if they had chosen their dreams more wisely (instead, in Willy's case, of desiring a married woman), they might have become something. Instead of longing for a married woman or becoming a beloved salesman when that's not even Willy's talent, they could have spent their time developing the talents they did have. I hope that makes sense... (by the way, did Willy even like his job?)
Emily T.
Willy admired what could become of his job. He wanted to be like the old man who died and had several hundred people attend his funeral. Maybe Willy's dream, however, was simply to be liked. He complained of his actual job frequently and addressed Harold in hopes of altering his status at the company. Why, then, would he wish this same grief to fall upon his sons?
(Sam Maliha)
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