Abandonment ;Death of Salesman by Arthur Miller and Sweat by Lynn Nottage
Death of Salesman by Arthur Miller and Sweat by Lynn Nottage are playwrights that address various social issues within the society. Both Miller and Lynn address the theme of workers’ and family members’ abandonment in their plays. Lynn’s play can be related to the harsh economic and paradoxical political periods American’s undergo. The play is unforced and an accessible examination of the terrible carnage and cost that influential financial facilities wreak during their prioritization of the wealthy over the proper running of communities. Through her play, Lynn explores the tension which occurs between friends who are being laid off. Contrary, Arthur’s play addresses the inability of a man to accept change, and his loss of identity does also focus on the livelihood of some of the American workers. It is thus significant to analyze the relevance of the American workers’ abandonment theme in both scripts. Various dialogues, characters, and different dramatization elements get analyzed to determine how they affect the abandonment theme in both playwrights.
Paragraph 1
- Employers do not care about their employees’ needs and tend to think that they can make decisions without involving the employees. The employers tend to leave the fired employees in devastating positions like, in some cases, the fired individuals are unable to purchase their basic needs.
- In Death of a Salesman, there are various instances where Willy Loman was abandoned. Within the second act, Willy was abandoned by the employers. He had worked in the company for around thirty-four years, and after being laid off, he could barely afford his insurance, a situation that devastated him (Miller, 2007). Willy was mad because his employer failed to honor the promise he had made.
- Quote 1: “I’m talking about your father! There were promises made across this desk! You mustn’t tell me you’ve got people to see—I put thirty-four years into this firm, Howard, and now I can’t pay my insurance! You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away—a man is not a piece of fruit! [After a pause] Now pay attention. Your father—in 1928, I had a big year. I averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions.” (Miller)
- Howard fired Willy without giving him prior notice, an act that shows how cruel employers tend to be with their employees. He forces Willy into unemployment even though he is aware that Willy needs the money to sustain his livelihood. Despite Willy trying to beg Howard, asking him to reconsider his decision, Howard is assertive, and he abandons Willy without considering the amount of sacrifice Willy made for his company for more than thirty years.
- Block Quote 2: Howard: I don’t want you to represent us. I’ve meant to tell you for a long time now.
Willy: Howard, are you firing me?
Howard: I think you need a good long rest, Willy.
Willy: Howard—
Howard: And when you feel better, come back, and we’ll see if we can work something out.
Willy: But I got to earn money, Howard. I’m in no position to— (Miller)
- It is evident that employers make decisions without consulting their subordinate staff; hence they end up leaving them in devastating situations. Employers should at least give their team three months’ notice about being laid off or being fired before they proceed with the act.
Paragraph 2:
- Abandonment impacts to the general well-being of an individual. The person who gets abandoned tends to changes and starts blaming or stating that his failure or success, respectively, resulted from their abandonment. Abandonment creates fear in people and interferes with an individual’s self –esteem. It makes them question their worth and what they did wrong, factors that triggered people to leave.
- Willy’s life is full of abandonment. While he was young, his father deserted him, and later on, his brother went for an expedition to Africa, leaving him behind. After he reaches his adulthood stage, he states that he has to search for his father, who will help him clarify his vocation and find himself. It feels like Willy blames his unsuccessful life on his father’s abandonment despite the fact Willy had his own life to live. Willy seems to question why his father and brother left him, an issue that appears to bother him (Miller, 2007) always. He decides to bring up his children in an exact manner that he was brought up violently without proper love and care. Such action is triggered by the fact that his father abandoned him, which affected his fathering skills.
- Quote 1: Willy: That’s just the way I’m bringing them up, Ben— rugged, well-liked, all-around.
Ben: Yeah? [To biff] Hit that, boy—hard as you can. [He pounds his stomach.]
- Though Willy seems to be used to people abandoning him, he, at times, gives them a reason to leave, even though he does fear abandonment. Contrary, despite Biff being aware of Willy’s affair, he did tolerate him; he ensured that Willy’s critics did not stop him from achieving his goals. Nothing curbs Happy and Biff from deserting Willy after his outburst at the restaurant. Willy comes off in some cases as abusive, although Biff did nothing to provoke him. He calls Biff names, but Biff does not seem to be bothered, he ensures that Willy’s character does not control him or his life decisions. In this case, Willy gave Biff reasons to abandon him and focus on himself.
- Block Quote: Willy: Biff, you’re going to go to that lunch tomorrow, or—
Biff: I can’t go. I’ve got no appointment!
Happy: Biff, for…!
Willy: Are you spiting me?
Biff: Don’t take it that way! Goddammit!
Willy [strikes biff and falters away from the table]: You rotten little louse! Are you spiting me?
- From the paragraph, it is evident that abandonment affects the life of an individual, depending on how the individual perceives the issue. One can channel the abandonment energy into positive energy that will enable them to thrive into better individuals, and one can also choose to utilize the power to do more damage than good. Thus, the effect of abandonment on the well-being of individuals is dependent on the personal view on neglect, and in some cases, individuals who are abandoned tend to provoke others, which results in them being abandoned.
Paragraph 3:
Employers tend to annoy employees by firing them unnecessarily. Some of the unfair bases that can trigger employers to fire employees include race and the class of individuals. Lynn tells a narrative of friends who work together in a factory, which later on threatens to lay off workers and cut wages. The play focuses on the racial animus that is aroused by a steelworkers union busting in a blue-collar, dying Pennsylvania. Sweat exposes how the American Working class collapsed within the new millennium. Under pressure and without hope or income, people sought to adapt to racism as a reflex. However, although employers abandon their employees, Sweat brings out the power of redemption and forgiveness. Nottage looks at the year 2000 and compares it to the year 2008. She shows how a factory plans on abandoning some of its employees (Nottage).
The employees Tracey, Jessie, and Cynthia, who are best friends, dedicated their whole lives to the factory they have been working in. Previous generations of their families have also been working in the company; however, the company plans on disassembling and abandoning its workers. In the process, Cynthia, who is to be promoted to a manager, is used as a scapegoat by friends and company (Nottage). As the play concludes, there is a character that had been crippled during a company’s accident and was maimed afterward when a drunken union member tried to revenge on a scab is seen pushing a walker across the bar where he had been injured. The individual is seen holding a cleaning rag and working. It is an indication that companies are cruel and that they do not prioritize the well-being of their employees instead. To companies, what matters is gaining profits, and they tend not to be held liable for the injuries employees might encounter while at work. Additionally, companies fail to consult their employees about firing and promotion of workers, and they fail to compensate their fired employees.
Paragraph 4:
In every organization, there is always one individual from the lower class who takes the blame for most issues that a company undergoes. At the same time, there’s that party that profits from such situations. In most cases, the individual who takes blame tends to be abandoned by the company (Nottage). Additionally, there is Chris, and his family abandoned his father because of his drug addiction problem. Chris’s father lost the respect of his family. From the passage, it is evident there is a group of individuals that benefits from abandonment while the other group suffers. However, when it comes to families, the abandoned family member gives their relatives enough reasons to leave them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the theme of abandonment is well illustrated in both playwrights. Workers get abandoned with their employers while family members, mostly fathers, get abandoned by their families. Arthur Miller’s play revolves around the life of Willy and how his father and brother abandoned him. Later on, Willy was abandoned by his employer and his family because of having an affair. Abandonment is a state that most individuals fear, for they do not like being left alone by their loved ones. From the discussion, it is evident that employers are very inconsiderate about their employees; they have a habit of developing new reforms and firing employees without consulting or giving them prior notice. Such a form of abandonment leaves the affected employees in distress. In both playwrights, individuals who were abandoned by their family members were mostly at fault.
Works Cited
Miller, A. Death of a salesman. Pearson Education, India, 2007.
Nottage, L. “Sweat.” SpringerReference, doi: 10.1007/springerreference_307898.