End of English Class Thoughts

As you may or may not know, I had an epic English class this semester. To end the term, we read the Death of Ivan Ilych and saw the play Death of a Salesman. Now how is reading about death a good way to end the semester? These stories weren't so much about death, but rather about life.

Death of a Salesman is a tragedy, for it shows how a man in search of greatness only blinds himself to the truth, thus leads his household into turmoil. The salesman, Willy Loman, is 63 years old and a very unsuccessful salesman. Even though his salary is based solely on commission, he refuses to quit his job despite earning next to nothing. His whole life he dreamed about being a great salesman, to be respected and well liked. He taught his children all the wrong things--that they were magnificent and born that way. All of the lies that Willy fed his children only corrupted them as they grew older. It was no mistake that both his sons grew up to be worthless individuals.

Death of Ivan Ilych on the other hand, is about a man who has it all--money, status, family--yet the irony is he has very little in life. Ilych, hit with the harsh reality of terminal illness and chronic pains, starts to question his own life. Having lived a life of propriety, while his achievements and status rose to new heights, Ilych's life in fact was like a rock falling into abyss. All of his accomplishments meant nothing to him because his marriage was a mess. He cared for no one but himself, and thus no one sympathized for him during his illness. Surrounded by falsity, Ilych dies a miserable death, realizing he lived his life the wrong way. He lived a life deemed "correct" by the rest of society, not what the way he wanted to live. The people all around him, including his wife, are all selfish individuals who care only about moving up in the social ladder.

Both of these stories offer interesting lessons. One very important thing I've come across while thinking about both of these stories is the discussion on lies. Willy Loman reminds me that "a lie told often enough becomes truth." This is a very dangerous misconception that many people fail to realize. In fact, I've finally realized something about myself. All these years I have been lying to myself, believing in things that are not such. The truth hurts and that is why most people cannot face the truth. Denial is only a hindrance to self-improvement, and recognition of the problem is the first step.