Death of a Salesman: Just A Guy
A Doll’s House: Slamming The Door
A Long Day’s Journey Into Night: The Wrong Push
Othello: Civilized Incivility
Othello: The Moor That Mirrored Mankind
Othello: Honest Fools
Othello: How Truly Civilized Is Society?
A Streetcar Named Desire: Delicate Balance
A Streetcar Named Desire: Fragile
The Sun Also Rises: Cockroaches on the Parquet Floor
The Sun Also Rises: Underneath It All
Waiting for Godot: Oh My Godot

         “Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.” The character of Iago, in the play Othello, finds himself the only member of his society to realize what truth goes untold. His use of this knowledge to carry out his evil vendettas and disarms the soft under belly of his environment. His societal alienation comes not only from malcontent, however, but also from the blissful ignorance of society.
        The best way to describe the personalities of most of the characters in Othello’s society would be - overly flexible. Iago uses this fact and calls upon an age-old tactic: peer pressure. Because of Iago,  society’s over-dependence on others is open for view. When Cassio is with Iago at the bar, Iago uses phrases like “be a man, aren’t you a man?” or “You truly deserve this” to easily mold the morals of Cassio. This not only allows Iago to further his plan, but also shows the reader how weak the self-respect of the characters is. Iago brings forth this over flexible fault once again by way of Othello. Iago must fully convince Othello of Desdemona’s impurity, and thus uses Othello’s over dependence on society to his advantage. Iago openly fights against honesty, Othello’s most respected quality, by convincing  Othello that he should be wise instead. He says this because “the honest are fools who lose all they’ve worked for.” Because , as with society, Othello finds little faith in his own morals, he quickly falls into the twisted ones of Iago.
         Iago shows more than this hidden societal character flaw; he also unmasks the façade of true love. The emotion of love is the reason this society is too flexible in moral fiber, and thus leaves itself vulnerable to the tricks of Iago. He plays with Othello, once again, to completely reveal these faults. Iago’s plan to kill Cassio was only accepted by Othello because of the manipulation of love. Iago used Othello’s need for self-vindication to his advantage. The self-indulged Othello is a breathing example of society’s uncaring nature. When he says “Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell,” Othello refers to his previously over shadowed vengeful thoughts. His feelings were hidden, but a nudge from Iago brings them into light. Iago used the handkerchief not only as visible proof, but also as a driving force for his campaign. Without it, the true, self-absorbed nature of society would not be completely revealed.
         The society shown by Iago is that with its costume off, a society stripped of its facades. The truth that was untold was unsheathed by the flexible morals of Iago’s society. He easily twisted those morals, and thus he thrust that environment into chaos. Although alienated because of his “truthful” vision of society, Iago used his connection with it to illustrate society’s faults and flaws. The indefensible feelings of love, mixed with questions of morality, cause the disarray in Othello. Othello makes us aware of the reasons why lives are broken apart.

         Barbarians aren’t barbaric, and savages aren’t savage. So often in literature, outsiders of the work’s main culture are considered barbaric and savage, simply because they look different, come from a different culture, or have a different set of morals. Often, these alienated characters show how corrupt and amoral the accepted society really is. Ironically, however, these alienated characters are the ones who have the clearest view of the society. One character in particular stands out as someone terribly wronged by a society that alienated him. Through Othello’s alienation, he was able to show how corrupt and truly terrible the “civilized” society’s morals really were.
 From the very beginning, Othello was showered with racist comments. Being an African man in a white society, Othello was looked down upon, but respected at the same time. Othello was known to the public as “the Moor,” moor meaning outsider. While somewhat of an insult, since he was a general, this comment was always said respectfully. In the very first act, for example, a Senator called Othello “the valiant Moor.” On the other hand, some racist comments were said to Othello that were never accompanied by respect. In the very first act of the play, Othello was referred to as a barbarian and a savage. One would imagine that such a powerful and civilized society would be more accepting of those who were different.
        In addition to racial comments, Othello’s culture also slandered him. After eloping with Brabantio’s daughter, Desdemona, Brabantio attacked Othello’s culture in a fit of rage. Convinced that his daughter would never marry a savage, Brabantio verbally assaulted Othello saying, “To fall in love with what she fear’d to look on! It is a judgment maim’d and most imperfect that will confess perfection so could err against all rules of nature, and must be driven to find out practices of cunning hell, why this should be. I therefore vouch again that with some mixtures powerful o’er the blood or with some dram conjur’d to this effect, he wrought upon her.” Not only were these comments insulting to Othello’s culture, but also showed Brabantio’s lack of knowledge about any culture other than his own. As a result, Brabantio was forced to make false assumptions just to pin fault on, and further alienate, Othello from being accepted in society.
         Coming from a different culture and society, Othello was raised with a different set of morals than those the white society believed in. Being a very sentimental and passionate man, Othello believed in true love and also believed that he had found true love in Desdemona. Othello’s deep and passionate love for Desdemona was displayed through his inability to accept that Desdemona could be cheating on him. Each time Desdemona’s “affair” was brought up, Othello would lose consciousness and foam at the mouth, showing the mad state of mind Desdemona’s infidelity would drive him to. “Lie with her-lie on her? We say like on her when they belie her. Lie with her. Zounds, that’s fulsome. Handkerchief-confessions-handkerchief! To confess, and be hang’d for his labour-first, to be hang’d, and then to confess. I tremble at it. Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion without some instruction. It is not words that shakes me thus –pish! –noses, ears, and lips. Is’t possible? Confess! Handkerchief! O devil! Falls in a trance.”
        Because of Othello’s extreme feelings for Desdemona, he gave her his love, trust, and a handkerchief. This handkerchief was very dear to Othello. Dyed with the blood of Egyptian virgins, this handkerchief had been a gift from Othello’s mother. Upon presenting Othello with the handkerchief, his mother also told him to give it to the woman he loves. Representing the purity and trueness of his love, Othello gave this handkerchief to Desdemona, who cherished it until she lost it. Coming from an entirely different society, Desdemona did not realize the enormity of what this handkerchief represented. Desdemona’s blindness and carelessness further alienate Othello because they demean Othello’s way of expressing his love. Love should be universal. An inability to detect symbols of love, the deepest, most passionate, and important emotion shows an extreme lack of good morals in that society.
         According to Henrik Ibsen, “The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone.” Unfortunately for Othello, standing alone did not give him strength. Othello stood alone, in every sense of the word, but Othello’s strength was crushed by the overwhelming power of the “civilized society.” A civilized society’s inability to accept and understand an outsider puts into question how truly civilized that society is. In what kind of society is a barbarian more civilized? - A society that is blind to anything different from the majority and whose morals aren’t quite right. This is the society that suffocated Othello. When standing alone, even the strongest man can be taken down.

        Have you ever looked at a lake and wondered if there were anything underneath the surface? I’m sure that’s what many people reading The Sun Also Rises asked themselves as they looked at Brett. Is there anything beneath her surface? Because of his strong, durable friendship with Brett, Jake Barnes is the only character who can answer that question. Through Jake’s narration, Brett shows us that, in order to have true love, the qualities of both a platonic and a sexual relationship must be present.
        Because of his emasculation, Brett doesn’t commit to a relationship with Jake even though she “turns to jelly” whenever he’s around. We see, however, that Brett is deeply touched by a kiss that Jake gives her after he notices that her hands are shaking. She can’t feel tied to Jake, though, since they could never have sex. Because of the lack of physical interaction, Brett admits that she would cheat on Jake and decides that it would be better to distance herself than to hurt either one of them. In a carriage ride with Jake, Brett breaks away from a kiss and retreats to a corner. Brett can’t let the kiss continue because she knows that a relationship wouldn’t be successful. So, whenever she feels as if she’s getting too close, Brett is forced to remove herself and try to build up walls between them.
        Because of these walls and his love for her, Jake introduces Brett to multiple men that she ends up sleeping with. When she is introduced to Pedro Romero, she believes that she’s falling in love with him and tells Jake that she can’t help it, adding that Romero must use a shoehorn to get his tight green pants on. By Hemingway’s juxtaposition of these two statements, the reader is able to see that Brett is only sexually attracted to Romero since she only notices his physical attributions in a lustful way. After Brett runs away with Romero, Jake receives a telegram from her, asking for help. Because of his true love for her, Brett sends Jake the telegram, knowing that she can depend on him to come right away and be the great friend he’s always been.  Jake, predictably, does leave right away to discover that Romero had wanted to get married, but Brett refused him since she didn’t want to be someone “who ruined children.” All of the sexual aspects were there, but there was a lack of communication since Romero spoke broken English.
        If a stranger was the narrator instead of Jake, Brett would have been portrayed as a “slut,” and we wouldn’t see her emotional side as she searched for a true love. Because we wouldn’t see her emotional struggle, we would’ve disregarded her and lost all respect for her. However, with Jake as the narrator, we’re able to see the deeper side of Brett and learn that, in a relationship, the physical and platonic aspects are equally important and we can’t have one without the other. Thus proving that there are unlikely meanings beneath the most surfaces.

         The character of Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams provides a glimpse at a fragile male character and how such a character reacts to certain situations.  This fragility leads Mitch to befriend Blanche (an equally fragile character) and to eventually develop into someone who Blanche feels comfortable sharing her secrets with.  As Blanche’s confidant, Mitch is able to provide the reader with significant details within the story.  But that’s not all Mitch does, as he also acts as a foil to Stanley.  By performing these roles within the play, Mitch becomes the most important figure.
         Mitch and Blanche are made to be compatible because they have so much in common symbolically.  Whereas Blanche lost her one true chance at romantic love at a very young age, Mitch never had any opportunity for such a relationship.  Each of their excuses for not having a relationship of any significant value is based on problems with others, however.  Mitch restrains himself from affection because of his duty to tend to his mother, whereas Blanche has used her deceased husband’s memory as a shield to fend off suitors.  Both are lost because of these excuses and their resulting fragility, and neither has been truly happy for a long time.  Ultimately, their parallelism is the reason Blanche chooses Mitch to confide in.
         The most important role that Mitch plays, however, is that of Blanche’s confidant, because the information he discovers is so crucial to the reader.  When Blanche tells Mitch of her sixteen-year-old husband’s gay affair and resulting suicide, it reveals much about Blanche’s background.  This is the reason she chases young men, and this is the reason she can’t settle down.  Without Mitch’s presence as Blanche’s confidant, this information would not have been volunteered.
        The other key role of Mitch is his place as a foil to Stanley. Mitch perceives mutual events occurring differently.  Upon Blanche’s arrival, Stanley puts up a front and gradually likes Blanche less and less. He eventually decides to investigate Blanche’s past.  Stanley automatically assumes her past is shady; in the beginning of the play he rummages through her suitcase.  However, Mitch reacts to Blanche’s entrance quite differently.  He begins with an attempt to befriend her.  This eventually leads to a romantic relationship.  He is very kind to her, as opposed to Stanley with his probing anger.  At the end of the play, too, Stanley and Mitch react very differently to Blanche’s departure.  Stanley decides to show nothing but indifference, while Mitch appears to have gone a bit crazy himself, as he mutters to himself throughout the poker game.  This difference in emotional attachment for Blanche is key to the portrayal of Mitch as a foil for Stanley.
        Ultimately, it is Mitch’s character that holds the play together by providing a tool of comparison to the other characters.  The fact that he is fragile in the affairs of love and life itself help to sharply contrast him to Stanley as well as to draw Blanche to him.  Because of his relationships to the main characters that expose his fragility, Mitch is shown to be the most important figure in the play.

         “In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.”  This quote by literary critic John Churton Collins perfectly illustrates the ideals of friendship in the play A Streetcar Named Desire. The merit of a good friend has never been argued, but Tennessee Williams takes this idea to another level in his story of the friendships formed and sustained at Elysian Fields. Through his portrayal of the character Eunice, Williams proves that often our friends know more about us than we do.  By studying the nuances of friendship described in the play, we learn that sometimes people on the outside looking in have the clearest view.
         Eunice is a constant support system for Stella.  After Stanley beats his wife in scene three, Stella and Blanche turn to Eunice for shelter.  She provides an escape for them, and throughout the play, there is always the option to seek refuge with Eunice.  “We’ll go to that woman upstairs,” Blanche says, as if Eunice held the power to make things right.  When Stanley realizes the mistake he has made and frantically calls for Stella, Eunice is the only one to vocalize the fact that it is not okay for Stanley to hit his wife, saying, “You can’t beat on a woman like that and expect her to come back to you.” Eunice acts as the moral authority of Elysian Fields.  In a world where spousal abuse is not only accepted but commonplace, Eunice stands up for her friend and illuminates the fact that all is not well in the Kowalski residence.  By threatening to call the police, she shows Stanley that his violence and aggression are unacceptable acts.
         While Eunice has a firmer grasp on the rules of morality than any other character in the play, she is not an idealist, but a realist.  She is able to find a delicate balance between how things are and how they should be, as evidenced by her support of Stella’s decision to commit Blanche to a mental institution.   “You’ve got to keep on going,” she tells Stella, proving that she understands what is happening in Stella’s life better than Stella.  While Eunice believes that there may be some truth in Blanche’s story of rape, she knows that life as they know it in the Quarter cannot go on if Blanche remains at Elysian Fields.  Blanche’s rape set her already precarious mental stability over the top, and Stella cannot give up her life because of it.
         Eunice’s perceptions of the events that transpire in the play allow the reader to better understand what is happening.  She is an objective third party, and as such helps Stella to better understand herself.  She provides shelter, friendship, and morality to Stella and everyone else at Elysian Fields.  While the other characters are too preoccupied with their own lives to recognize the problems transpiring among them, Eunice, a good friend and an impartial observer, allows the reader a clearer view of the imperfect paradise of the Kowalski home.

        It’s bad to be lost, but it’s far worse to be lost and not realize that you are. Willy Loman demonstrates this theory in the drama Death of a Salesman through his struggles of being lost in a modern America which he believes is still like the old. He tries to make something special out of himself but, instead, is forced to be “just a guy” in the anonymity of the business world. Eventually, however, Willy realizes that the American dream cannot really be achieved and exposes this through his inevitable suicide.
        Willy is clinging to the old times, while everyone else has moved on. This is first exposed through the setting. “…An air of dream clings to the place, a dream rising out of reality.” Willy has a modest house amidst apartments. This quote suggests that the house he lives in is clinging to the American dream, while the apartments represent the reality of the changing America. It’s ironic that he calls this country the “greatest” in the world for opportunity when he doesn’t have any. Willy convinces himself that things haven’t changed, and that he can do business the same way- personally. He quotes, “You and Hap and I, and I’ll show you all the towns. America is full of beautiful towns and fine, upstanding people. And they know me, they know me up and down New England…I have friends.” Willy’s desperation to have friends is shown through this quote. He says he has friends in hopes that it will come true. Willy is truly lost without knowing that he is. Willy’s false faith in the American dream is also shown through his hope of his son’s achieving it. He refuses to believe that things have changed- instead, be blames his disappointments on his sons. Willy says, “Biff Loman is lost. The greatest country in the world, a man with such personal attractiveness gets lost.”
        When Willy’s instability is revealed, he can no longer be trusted by his fellow characters or by the reader. If Willy, the only person who truly believes in the American dream anymore, is unstable, then the dream can’t be possible. Willy’s inability to take on common tasks is the first of his problems. “He stops at a green light and then it turns red and he goes,” the play reads. His problems then become worse when Willy’s obsession with the past is revealed. Willy’s memories are always packed with pleasant imagery, indicating that he wishes things could still be the same as the used to be. “This time of year it was lilac and wisteria. And the peonies would come out, and the daffodils.” It is also interesting to note that he talks to his brother Ben from the past. This not only shows his instability, but also shows his yearning to become as successful as his brother. Finally, Willy’s mental incapability is seen by his sons, further proving that he cannot be trusted. Happy tells Biff, “I wanted to talk to you about Dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s- happening to him. He talks to himself.” Biff also breaks down and essentially tells his father to stop dreaming about things that aren’t real when he says, “…But I was never a salesman for Bill Oliver. Let’s hold on the facts, tonight, Pop…I was a shipping clerk.” The fact that Willy’s mental capability cannot be trusted diminishes hopes for the American dream.
        When Willy finally sees that things have changed, he also realizes that his idea of the American dream cannot come true. This is first shown when he says, “In those days there was personality in it, Howard. There was respect, comradeship, and gratitude in it. Today it’s all cut and dries, and there’s not chance for bringing friendship to bear- or personality…” This is the first time that Willy recognizes a difference in the way business was done in the past, and how it is now done in the present. Finally, Willy has an epiphany when his sons become ashamed of him. First, Biff tells him that he doesn’t want to try to obtain the American dream. Biff says, “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be…when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am.” Willy had such high hopes for Biff to be successful that when Biff tells him this, he feels betrayed. Happy makes things worse by quoting- “No, that’s not my father, he’s just a guy.”
        Because even his own sons don’t think that he is special, Willy truly feels like “just a guy.” No matter how had he tries, he realizes, he cannot be successful and obtain the American dream. When Willy, the only character left with hopes for the American dream, commits suicide; he truly represents the death of the American dream.

         In a comedy, when we watch people stumble, we laugh.  Samuel Beckett uses sense vs. nonsense and verbal irony to produce comedy, but he also produces disquietude in the readers of Waiting for Godot by making us cringe at the similarity of his characters foibles to ours.  Beckett urges us to think about “just living,” but the more we think about it, the harder it is to actually do.  To Beckett, a tree seems to be the only thing that can “just live.”
         The structure of Waiting for Godot seems illogical and random, but is it?  Lucky’s speech, disorganized and long, is a perfect representation of the book condensed; the speeches in the book are very random and run-on.  This brings disquietude to the reader who is attempting to decipher meaning from the speeches because there “seems” to be no pattern of thought.  In reality, what actually provokes the most disquietude in the reader is that no pattern at all is actually the pattern of our lives.  The readers feel this way because the characters’ lives in Waiting for Godot mirror their own.  In our lives, the “practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts” is important to us.  These sports are mainly distractions that keep us busy.  When all of the sports and activities are grouped together in an unpunctuated speech, however, they seem unimportant to the meaning of our lives.  Also, Lucky’s speech clusters all the sports together with unrelated words such as “dying”, “conating”, and “camogie”.  Tennis and skating seem trivial compared to dying, and they seem demeaned when placed with the made-up words “conating” and “camogie.”  Reading this, people feel disquietude because they do not want to think the things they enjoy are meaningless.
         Speeches carry much thought, which is why, like Lucky’s speech, Beckett uses Vladimir’s speech to prove the point that, ironically, “just living” is not possible.  Vladimir ironically states that he “should not waste time in idle discourse,” and that he should “do something” while he “has the chance.”  This is ironic because he speaks fervently about imminent action, living, and helping, but he does nothing of the sort.  Personally, I oftentimes feel that I relate to Vladimir because I spend my time thinking of how I can change, but I rarely make any changes.  I find myself wishing to “just live” like the tree, but distractions limit my actions.  I find pleasure in dreaming about acting, but my failure to act and succeed produces disquietude.  In Waiting for Godot, Estragon and Vladimir attempt “to do” the tree.  Neither of them is able to accomplish the task, however, and they stagger away as they contemplate why.  They are trying to live like a tree when it is impossible to do so.  As a result, Vladimir and Estragon receive pleasure in thinking that they may be able to live their lives without distractions, but gain disquietude in realizing that it is impossible.
         To be a tree would be the sweetest thing: evolving through life with simplicity and stability, but analyzing our distractions only distracts us more, making that state increasingly harder to reach.  Since Waiting for Godot mirrors our lives, the structure of the speeches and the nonsense prove that it is impossible to live without distractions.  Now that I’ve written a paper about why I can’t be a tree, and interpreted my problem through thoughtful analysis, what have I accomplished in my quest for simplicity?  Nothing.  I can just laugh at myself and move along.

         Believe it or not, men have never usurped the minds of females. By publishing A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen shattered the then-dominant theme of men controlling women. Ibsen annihilated this power scheme by portraying a woman who pretends to not have power over her husband even though she does. It is, in fact, Nora’s façade of neediness that makes her final departure all the more glorious.
        In A Doll’s House, Helmer, Nora’s pretentious husband, believes he is in control of Nora. He asserts his superiority by giving Nora animal names such as “squirrel” and “skylark.” He also mandates that she not buy any treats for herself—that the family funds should only be used for her clothing and familial necessities. These actions show that Helmer sees Nora as someone who is not quite equal to someone such as himself.
        Helmer is so parsimonious that he prohibits Nora from eating macaroons. In a tiny, though unbelievably important, act of defiance, however, Nora eats the macaroons in private. Nora also shows her defiance in the end by leaving Helmer and the children. Thus, by going against her husband’s wishes, she shows her power over him. If he had power over her free will, she would not be able to do such things. It was little acts such as these done within the realm of men’s ignorance that started revolutions to give women rights.
        Nora’s little acts of defiance, such as her husband’s trip to Italy and eating macaroons, all contribute to her final departure. Nora realizes that she is not happy in her marriage, and she “slams the door” on Helmer and their marriage forever. Helmer doesn’t see this coming, and is therefore blinded by the control that Nora wields over him. Ibsen uses Nora to illustrate the duties one has to oneself above all else.
        The fact that Torvald is shocked when Nora leaves him also shows that he thinks he is in total control even of her free will. Ibsen uses dramatic irony here by making it known that it was Nora, a woman, who saved her husband’s life by funding the trip. Thus, not only is she in control of money and the whereabouts of the family, but also she was in control of a man’s life. This was unprecedented in the 19th Century, and that is why it is so crucial.
 Henrik Ibsen uses Helmer and Nora’s relationship to exemplify the power men of the time thought they had over women. In reality, however, they do not, as Nora shows us with her significant acts of defiance throughout Ibsen’s play. Without progressive thinkers such as Nora, women would still be viewed as the inferior race. And that is one of the crucial uses of literature; without knowledge of the past, we have nothing with which to compare the alterations of the future.

        In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, we cannot help but feel sorry for the unfortunate Moor of Venice, but if we are unable to learn the lesson he has taught us, we may end up in his shoes and pave the way to our own disasters. Through Othello, a man who is struggling to attain a positive status in a society where he is alienated because of his ethnicity, Shakespeare reveals to us a universal weakness of mankind: undue concern over fashioning the self for societal appeal.
        Othello is looked down upon by the Venetian society because he is an outsider. When he leaves to marry Desdemona, Brabantio accuses him of using enchanted spells to lure her to his home. This shows us that the members of society adhered to the stereotypes of foreigners that came to their land. Later on Iago accuses Othello in front of Brabantio, saying that he is “an old black ram tupping your white ewe.” People judged outsiders on the basis of their color, and as Othello was of a darker skin color and of a different race, he was denounced. Society believed that people who were fair were more moral, but later on it is realized that nothing of the sort is true; as even the Duke states to Brabantio “your son-in-law is far more fair than black.” By examining the true nature of Othello, the Venetians find that he is really a moral, just, and loving human being. We can relate to the Venetians because many times we are insecure of meeting new people or of confronting them, and then later on when we find out more about them, we disregard our initial assumptions about their characters and personalities.
        The handkerchief that Othello presented to Desdemona was a gift to him from his mother. It was so that his wife would not be tempted to elope with other men. However, Othello never revealed the meaning behind this to Desdemona because he was afraid. He didn’t want society to think that he associated himself with magic and acts of evil. We know that Othello truly believes in the “magic” of the handkerchief, but he doesn’t tell Desdemona until he is told that she has been cheating on him (and the handkerchief is lost). Society’s stereotypical character trait of him is that he is eccentric and perhaps even barbarous but in fact he really isn’t. This relates to us, citizens of the society that we are living in right now, in that we are so afraid of what others will think of us that we hide our true selves; whether or not we truly believe in things, they remain hidden in our hearts.
        An extremely shocking point in the play is when Othello kills Desdemona because he believes that she has cheated on him. Othello loves her very much, as we can see when he continues to passionately kiss her before he smothers her in the scene. It seems as if he doesn’t even want to commit this action; he even says “we will meet again (after death)”, but he still murders her because that was what was customary in society. Yet it can also be said that his actions were selfish and abhorrent, because he killed her to maintain his positive status. He was obsessed with what society would say about him, and at the same obsessed in his love for his wife, but his concern toward his status surpassed that of his love. His actions show us that people can be so worried about what ensues in the minds of other people that they actually neglect the things that matter more to them.
        We as the audience cannot help but feel resentful toward Othello’s actions, but in a way he represents mankind, or at least a vulnerable element of humanity. We must learn from him- we must try to overcome our insecurities about other people (like the Venetians had about him) and our insecurities about ourselves, and we must not be too concerned over societal effects. By affirming ourselves in this way we can finally be able to uphold our own values, beliefs, and the things that we love.

         “While we were waiting I saw a cockroach on the parquet floor that must have been about three inches long. I pointed him out to Bill and then put my shoe on him.  We agreed he must have just come in from the garden.  It was really an awfully clean hotel,” Jake narrates.  Yawn...why should I care about these cockroaches if this character ultimately decides to disregard their existence?  Jake’s descriptions constantly cross the line of being detailed to being a waste of space in the book.  What we must realize is that through long paragraphs that have literally no impact on progressing the plot Hemingway is drawing the reader unknowingly into the world of Jake Barnes.
What’s the significance of cockroaches on the parquet floor?  Nothing, and perhaps that’s why Hemingway included this in his masterpiece.  Because of Jake’s lack of passion for everything in his daily life, it makes the revelation of Jake’s real passion a truly poignant moment in literature.  The two different tones of Jake’s narration are so starkly contrasted, the reader realizes the truth about Jake Barnes, and in turn about himself.  He comes to understand that we don’t live for the paragraphs of cockroaches that will undoubtedly make up the bulk of our lives, but for the rare and truly special bullfighter paragraphs.
         “He had the greatness...he was perfect,” Jake later gushes about Pedro Romero.  “Romero’s bull-fighting gave real emotion, because he kept the absolute purity of line in his movements and always quietly and calmly let the horns pass him close each time.”  After so many pages of cockroach-like descriptions, where is this coming from?  We’ve seen Jake float through his life until now.  Now we see the “aficion” that lies within Jake, and we understand its significance because of the endless droning on every other page.  While Jake is merely trying to describe Pedro Romero to the reader, he accidentally ends up describing himself through his respect of Pedro.  We see not just Pedro’s character through Hemingway’s words, but Jake’s passion through Hemingway’s style.
         “I’m not interested in bull-fighters.” Cohn voices at the beginning of the book.  No character has the aficion like Jake does.  “Somehow it was taken for granted that an American could not have aficion.  He might simulate it or confuse it with excitement, but he could not really have it.  When they saw that I had aficion, and there was no password, no set questions that could bring it out, rather it was a sort of oral spiritual examination with the questions always a little on the defensive and never apparent, there was this same embarrassed putting the hand on the shoulder, or a ‘Buen hombre.’” True aficionados assume that Jake is just like the rest of his friends, but he is far more. We can see that some people see Jake’s aficion is very, very special.  While any other character’s narrative description of Pedro Romero would be merely complimentary at best, Jake’s admiring view of him is enhanced by the way he narrates scenes he has no aficion for, such as discovering a cockroach on the parquet floor.

         Othello is an unusual general, the type of man many people in Venice are not accustomed to.  Since he hails from Africa and is of a different race, Venetian society assumes that he must be uncivilized.  However, throughout the play, Othello’s interactions with and alienation from others reveals society’s true values and assumptions, showing that, ironically, Othello may be the most civilized of all.  He speaks poetically and lives his life by Africa’s old traditions and values.
         Othello’s mere being brings out the prejudices in society.  Iago, a villain who always know how to get people to agree with him, is the principal character that uses Othello to bring out these prejudices.  He uses vulgar, racist language when trying to convince Brabantio to pursue Othello for marrying Desdemona.  Brabantio’s inner racism is revealed as Iago begins to win him over, yelling, “A black ram is tupping your white ewe!  Do you really want to be grandsire to the devil’s son?”  The disgusting language reinforces beliefs Brabantio must already hold, and thus pits him against the “Barbary horse” Othello.
         Even though he is branded uncivilized, Othello also carries with him his own values and beliefs of the way women should be treated, according to the land where he was raised.  Clearly, marriage and proper etiquette of society was never taught to him as he elopes with Desdemona in the middle of the night.  Othello sees no problem with this because they were in love and, “[Othello] admired her and she pitied [Othello],” but Brabantio calls it “stealing,” and promises to take back his daughter.
         Othello, however, soon learns that women of this society are not to be trusted when Iago informs him that Desdemona has been cheating on him.  The Moor begins to develop the “overbearing monster” of jealousy, and as he is presented with more and more ‘evidence,’ he doesn’t know how to proceed.  Should he forgive Desdemona because he loves her, or punish her like Iago implies should be done in this society?  In the end, Othello is dragged in by society and with resignation, finally murders Desdemona.  His sadness while suffocating her is clear as she laments something like, “please God save my soul,” and he agrees, “Amen.  Thy poor soul,” and shows that the murder is something he feels he must do, not something he wants to do.  But, as Iago says, Othello must “be a man,” in society and become resigned to the belief that women are inferior.  Women are objects to be played with in Venice, but in Africa, women had power over men.  Othello demonstrated his beliefs when he presented Desdemona with the handkerchief that “an Egyptian woman gave to [Othello’s] mother, saying as long as she kept it, [his] father would be subdued by her love.”  But when Desdemona, according to Iago, gave away the handkerchief, Othello saw it as rejecting and alienating his culture.  From this point, he begins to embrace the more “civilized” culture, and kills Desdemona.
         Othello’s surrender to the corruption of society is the ultimate satire.  The reader observes his changes in personality from the beginning, where he speaks in flowing poetry, to the end, where he uses cold prose.  As Othello submits to the values of society, he becomes more and more uncivilized by the minute, revealing that civilized society is the ultimate corruption.

         All it takes is one wrong push to send the tower tumbling down. Edmund is the wrong push in A Long Day’s Journey Into Night. His entire family, including him, exists on a fragile balance. At the start of the play, Mary and James are joking about Mary’s weight. “You’re a fine armful now, Mary, with those twenty pounds you’ve gained.’ ‘I’ve gotten too fat, you mean, dear. I really ought to reduce.’”  But under the joking tones are the slight strains of tensions. Only on the surface is the Tyrone family normal. Edmund’s sickness starts a chain reaction that brings the Tyrone family’s dark secrets to the surface.
         Through Edmund’s illness we see the depths of James’ money obsession. James is the father, the head of the family. His obsession with money is a little thing on it’s own, but it is the first piece of the tower to fall. And with its fall, revels how James’ money problem affects his sons, and destroys his wife. James is quite willing to buy as much land as he wants, but cannot bring himself to send his son to a well-run, expensive, sanatorium. As Edmund says “…your own son!” The argument over James’ choice of sanatorium runs into his biggest past mistake, how James and his money obsession are responsible for Mary’s addiction. James paid for a cheap doctor, who got Mary addicted to Morphine, instead of an expensive one who knew what he was doing. At times, James is blamed for Mary’s addiction, which has started to resurface.
         Mary, the second head of the family, has an addiction to Morphine that tears apart the family by sending her two sons into emotional turmoil. However Mary has recently returned to the family, morphine free. Edmund’s sickness is what pushes her back to morphine. Mary’s father died of consumption, and now Edmund has it. On top of that, Edmund’s illness reminds her of her dead baby. As she herself says “And now, ever since he’s been so sick I’ve kept remembering…my father and I’ve been so frightened and guilty.” The combination of her fear, guilt and strain she is under from trying to act normal become too much for her. Eventually she returns to her old habits, taking another piece of the tower down with her and changes the attitude of her eldest son, Jamie.
         Jamie begins the play by being merely frustrated at his younger brother Edmund’s illness and his father’s reluctance to get Edmund a good doctor. As Jamie says to Tyrone “It might never have happened if you’d sent him to a real doctor when he first got sick.” Jamie blames Tyrone for Edmund getting sick, and becomes increasingly angry when Tyrone defends his position. Already set on the edge by these things, Jamie loses hope when his mother’s morphine habit resurfaces and the last piece of the tower crumbles with him. With both parents unable and unwilling to fulfill their roles as parents, the end of the play sees Jamie as drunk, and angry-minded, having reveled the depths of both his hate and love of his sick younger brother, Edmund.
         The full weight of the Tyrone family’s problems is known. The carefully constructed mask of the family is shattered the tower has fallen. But by the next morning, both will be rebuilt. The mask itself is made out of many small parts, for instance James’ money obsession. It started small but grew big and soon took don the family. The same is true of the Tyrone family mask and Edmund’s illness. Both started out small, but now they have both consumed the family. The Tyrone family wants nothing more than to be normal. But they can never be normal and so they construct a façade, a tower, which falls every time. This time, because Edmund’s illness brings out the worst in the family. By the end of the day and the play, the true face of the family is seen reflected in the rubble of a ruined tower; a stingy father, a dope fiend mother, a cynical hating son and the cause of the family’s fall, a mortally sick son.