Husbands tend to get a bad rap these days. Stories of laziness,
whining, domestic abuse, affairs, and downright hateful natures are far too common.
Of course, we all know that this isn’t the case for every relationship and
marriage isn’t really as awful as the old TV shows claim. However, husbands
Willy Loman of Miller’s Death of a
Salesman and The Commander (or Fred) from Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale aren’t exactly the shining stars of husbandry.
The first and most common trait that the two share is the
acts of adultery that they commit. Of course, Willy only had an affair with one
woman, and the Commander had illegal relationships with at least two of his
handmaids. Yet one evil is not better than the other. Both rejected their
promises to their wives and committed sin, and both are examples of poor
commitment.
Both men also represent an idea of a perfect life, or at
least the wanting of one. William’s obsession with success and big business
drives him practically insane. This shows what motivates Willy to push his
sons, and what the effect of the broken American Dream can have. For example, Willy’s
brother Ben has had the utmost amazing success and Willy wants the same for
himself and his sons, as seen here:
“BEN:
William, you’re being first-rate with your boys. Outstanding, manly chaps!
WILLY (hanging on to his
words): Oh, Ben, that’s good to hear! Because sometimes I’m afraid that I’m not
teaching them the right kind of — Ben, how should I teach them?
BEN (giving great weight to
each word, and with a certain vicious audacity): William, when I walked into
the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I
was rich! (He goes off into darkness around the right corner of the house.)
WILLY: ...was rich! That’s
just the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right!
I was right! I was right!” (Miller 36)
This quote suggests that
Willy is a firm believer in what he does, however, the Commander seems to be
less passionate about his cause. It appears he is only a well-off captain to
reap all the rewards, as well as the illegal ones. His dream of excitement also
drives him into danger, with his taking of Offred to a brothel and offering her
small gifts. He gives to Offred to make himself feel like a good person, or at
least better than most other people. He believes he is above the system, just as
Willy believes he has beat it, or will eventually.
Both men also fail to
realize the corruptness of their lives. Willy is stuck in his psychotic daydream
of life, and The Commander believes that everything is right in Gilead, when himself
and many other leaders defy the laws of the Republic and commit heinous acts. Not
to mention the downright ugliness that is Gilead itself; a world of control and
obsession with perfection. Everyone commits to the idea, but no one commits to
the act.
Willy can be seen still
denying his plainness on page 98 as his son is screaming at him:
BIFF: I am not a leader of
men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working
drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them! I’m one dollar an
hour, Willy I tried seven states and couldn’t raise it. A buck an hour! Do you
gather my meaning? I’m not bringing home any prizes any more, and you’re going
to stop waiting for me to bring them home!
Willy
reacts angrily and calls his son a spiteful mutt before driving off into his
demise.
It’s
clear that both men have a strange obsession with excitement or wealth, and
both have admitted to committing adultery against their wives. It is hard to
relate these characters to myself, since I am not a married man. However, I have
experienced impossible dreams and wants. These characters seem so ridiculously unreal,
it seems crazy for an actual person to treat another like a simple vessel or
animal to be treated, or to teach their sons that all that matters is
likeability. Yet despite their strange characteristics and personalities, the
Commander and Willy Loman both are examples of poor husbands and unrealistic
ideals.
4 comments:
I agree with your post and found it very interesting seeing the Commander compared with this other character in a book I didn't read.
I felt the same way about the Commander as you did, he definitely wasn't a very good husband. I found it kind of odd his relationship with Offred and impressive that he was able to keep it hidden.
I also like your point that both these men represent an aspect of the perfect life and rely on the illusion that everything is perfect
in life. I found the scene where Offred asks for lotion a good example of this as the Commander is surprised that she used butter so her skin isn't so dry.
I also enjoyed this topic because it's a little bit of a sensitive topic. No one wants to confess that their spouse is horrible. As you can see from the Commander's wife. She doesn't really talk about her husband a lot but tries to help Offred get pregnant and hates Offred because of the relationship between her and the Commander.
I agree that these characters seem unreal as I myself could never treat someone like that. It's hard to think that anyone could cheat on their spouse and not feel any sort of guilt about it. There are definitely some people who cheat but they usually feel awful, I have never met or seen anyone that could feel no guilt for cheating. From reading your post about Willy I also don't understand how someone can say the things he says without feeling awful about them. For myself I say something mean to my mom in anger and I'm more likely to cry than she is! In these ways the two characters are people I can't relate to.
Hello Maddie,
The first thing that hooks me to your blog post begins in your first sentence. I agree with your opening sentences, that men may get bad raps just because the small percentage of husbands who actually are abusive, do not work, and cheat on their significant others. Now, it is good and important to mention that not all husbands are perfect, that there are cheaters and mean people out there. While reading these books, I did not think to compare these two characters, even though they share some large traits. I agree with everything that you stated in your blog post and thought you did a good job comparing the two characters as close as you could, while at the same time, explaining some differences between them, which is an exceptional example of comparing and contrasting. Although neither of these characters would relate to yourself very well, I think that I can partially relate to WIlly, not because of his adulterous actions but because he strives for a perfect life, and I want to have a good quality of life. Finally, I also thought you did a good job with your writing style. Including text taken straight from the book really helps your piece flow and make sense, as well as back up your writing. Also, your grammar and word choice was great and words were used correctly to create a well written piece.
Hi there,
Your style of writing is that of a writer who can draw in and retain a large demographic. You have interesting views, and you seem pretty adamant about them. Passion is something I think is very important in any piece I read and you kind of subliminally instill this sense of passion in your writing. Very nice!
I agree that the two are not ideal husbands! Adultery is very bad, especially when in violation of one's moral code and religion that one supposedly supports. The world of Gilead is insane in the first place, however, and I think his tendency toward more sensual relationships with Handmaids is not at the precipice of concern in a world where women are subjugated by men.... and other women! I find that kind of degeneracy just dispicable! Who can claim moral or religious high ground when someone is their slave, especially due to race or in this case gender? It's insane!
Speaking of moral high ground, Willy's multifaceted personality frustrates me. He's mean to people who care for him like his family and Charley, yet he claims being well liked is most important for success. His inner chambers pique my interests.
I find it crazy, like you, that theses people are so obsessed with ideas and their means and acts are so antithetical to those end goals. They're like quasi socialists, never reaching that "golden potential." THEYRE, in fact, average and mundane or worse, terrible people.
Again, great work. I like how you incorporated supplemental quotes to bolster your message. Very nice! Hope your summer was stupendous, see you soon.
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