Post on 14-Dec-2015
In Tenesse Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire”
and Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”, absent
characters are used to not only provide exposition,
but also to set up the tragic downfall of the
protagonist and to further the themes through
expressionism.
EXPOSITION
Absent characters have a significant impact
on the behaviours, attitudes, and aspirations of the
protagonists in both Death of a Salesman and A
Streetcar Named Desire
ALLEN GREY
the catalyst for Blanche’s delusions
romanced and married Blanche as part of his manipulation to mask his own sexuality
Blanche’s promiscuity also sprouts from the fact that she is missing and grieving for
her idealistic and naive romance.
“I’ve got to be good—and keep my hands off children.” Blanche’s flirtatious nature
with young men seem to indicate her inability to forget Allen Grey, who was “just a
boy” when she married him.
Ironically, this scene also reveals her hypocritical nature – she is just as lustful as
Stanley is under her genteel façade. Her illusions of innocent love mask her obsession
to be “desired” by a man.
“I don’t want realism – I want magic!” – reveals Blanche’s escapist quality
THE DUBOIS FAMILY
represent the grandeur and that Blanche seeks
Belle Reve seems like paradise, as the title indicates; a “good dream”
Eunice remarks that it must be filled with “tall, white columns.”
Now just an illusion, like Blanche’s fantasies about her own disposition
The death of the Dubois family represents the destruction of Blanche’s ideals
“All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father! Mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So
big with it, it couldn’t be put in a coffin! But had to be burned like rubbish! You just came home in time for
the funerals. Funerals are quiet, but death–not always.”
Blanche compares death (abstract, unkown) with a funeral (concrete) which she describes is better,
comforted with flowers.
“How in hell do you think all that sickness and dying was paid for? Death is expensive, Miss Stella!…Why,
the Grim Reaper had put up his tent on our doorstep!”
It seems as if death has touched Blanche in a way – she is fading in her physical beauty as well as her
sanity.
MR. LOMAN
Willy lacks memories of his father
He made and sold flutes
was a traveller
“he’d toss the whole family into the wagon and then he’d drive the team
right across the country; through Ohio and Indiana Michigan, Illinois, and all
the Western states.”
left Willy when he was three and a half
The absence of a father’s presence seems to have had negatively impacted
Willy. He is filled with self-doubt and feels doubtful raising his own kids
probably due to the fact that he was barely raised by his own father.
FLUTE
represents the value of a good that can be sold
contrasts Willy and his father’s capability
Willy has only an elementary understanding of the
products, while his father can take pride in the
instruments he sells.
SIGNIFICANCE
Absent characters have such a lasting impression on the central
characters because they are only memories. Blanche and Willy
cannot question, fight, or reason with these characters because
they are essentially gone. And the protagonists are trapped in the
past and must battle with the problems alone. In short, everything
the audience is able to pick out from absent characters is that they
provide background contexts of protagonists. They allow us to have
some sort of understanding why Blanche is a pretentious escapist
and why Willy is unable to turn away from the American Dream.
ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS THE AUTHORS OF
THEIR OWN MISFORTUNES OR VICTIMS OF THE
INFLUENCE OF ACs?
"ARE WE WHO WE SAY WE ARE OR ARE WE THE
PRODUCTS OF OTHERS?"
TRAGEDY
Absent characters in both plays drive the tragic downfall of the
protagonist through their absence from the action of the play;
this absence allows them to haunt both Blanche DuBois and Willy
Loman without allowing closure, thereby preventing them from
functioning as “normal” people
The protagonists also place their hope for salvation in
characters not actually present, and are therefore shattered
when these missing characters abandon them to fend for
themselves.
BEN LOMAN
Not following Ben to Alaska is a constant regret for
Willy; he feels as if Ben left him to conquer the
American Dream himself, and is unable to get over
this abandonment
This is shown through Ben’s continual presence in
Willy’s personal dialogue, despite the fact that Ben
has been entirely absent from Willy’s adult life
“I’ve got to go” [picking up his valise]…Goodbye, William.”
(Miller 65/66)
Short sentences indicate general disinterest; Willy feels as
though Ben doesn’t care about him, and is constantly leaving him-
this is obvious in his comparatively long, rambling sentences
where he tries to extend their time together
Formality of “William” (as opposed to Willy) indicates distance
but also the hope that Ben views Willy as an adult of equal
stature.
BILL OLIVER
Absence from the action allows Willy’s hope for the
future to be entirely shattered, through shattering
Biff’s hope for a loan and then being unavailable to
explain it to Willy
“How did I even get the idea I was a salesman for
him…I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life
has been.” (Miller 81)
“Say you got a lunch date with Oliver tomorrow…Dad is never
so happy as when he’s looking forward to something.” (Miller 82)
False hope created by kids because Oliver let them down but
can’t say he did
Juxtaposition: Biff is miserable over having to lie but Happy is
overjoyed because his Dad will never have to know the truth
(ignorance is bliss); however its precisely the false hope that puts
the final nail in Willy Loman’s coffin
ALLEN GREY
Suicide caused Blanche to feel entirely abandoned and unwanted, which leads to
lifelong flashbacks of Polka music in addition to other hallucinations.
“Then somebody caught my arm…Allen! The Grey boy! He’d stuck a revolver in his
mouth and fired… And then the searchlight which had been turned on the world was
turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light stronger
then this – kitchen – candle…”
Blanche’s world without her husband is dark (lonely, void of hope.) After he leaves her,
she feels entirely lost, and seeks the company of men which continually lets her down,
as she falls in love with each one. Blanche knows this is wrong (“a girl alone in the
world has got to keep a firm hold on her emotions or she’ll be lost” (Williams 87)) but
can’t help it as she already feels more broken than anyone could ever hope to fix.
SHEP HUNTLEIGH
Absence leaves Blanche waiting for things to get better and they never
do
Inability/unwillingness to communicate allows her to continue living a lie
rather than taking action to improve the situation
“Just when I thought my luck had begun to fail me – …Into the picture
pops this Miami millionaire!” (Williams 124)
Blanche refuses to admit how desperate her situation is; later, when
Stanely tells her the truth, she begins screaming (“Oh!”) as if she is in
physical pain.
Believing her own lies only made the truth harsher.
Absent characters help further the protagonist’s fears of
abandonment (in the case of Allen Grey and Ben Loman)
and build up false hope (in the case of Shep Huntleigh
and Bill Oliver) which conclude in the truth being so much
harder to accept.
Having this truth exposed eventually snaps the already
fragile psyches of both tragic heroes, bringing about their
downfall.
Is Ben Loman an absent character? Why or why
not?
How would having these characters appear in the
action affect the impact of the play? Would it be
more or less effective?
EXPRESSIONISM THROUGH ABSENT CHARACTERS
Absent characters also further develop
expressionism within the two plays
Blanche’s suffering is highlighted through this as
well as Willy’s dreams of being successful
EXPRESSIONISM IN “A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE”
Allan Grey’s story is told from Blanche’s point of view
The audience feels more sympathy for Blanche because of this;
the play becomes more subjective
If Allan told the story, audience might not understand that
Blanche tried her best to help and would sympathize more with
Allan
“He came to me for help. … all I knew was I’d failed him in some
mysterious way… He was in the quick sands and clutching at me…
I was slipping in with him!” –Blanche, Williams 95
AMBITION AND SUCCESS IN DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Ben is used throughout the play to portray Willy’s hopes and
dreams
Willy dwells on the memory of when Ben told him and his boys
how he became a millionaire
“Why boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and
when I was twenty-one I walked out. … And by God I was rich.” –
Ben, page 33
Using memory to express Willy’s desires shows what’s really
important to Willy: wealth and success
DEVELOPING CORE THEMES
Absent characters further develop major themes in
the plays
These themes include self-delusion, dependence on
others, wealth and success, and satisfying parental
expectations
BLANCHE’S NAÏVETÉ
By speaking of Shep Huntleigh, Blanche reveals
her self-delusions
She continuously puts her hope into other people
but they cannot help her
“As a matter of fact there wasn’t no wire at all!” –
Stanley, page 127
But naïve Blanche still believes in “the kindness of
others”
THE LOMANS’ ULTIMATE FAILURE
Willy’s dream is for himself as well as his sons to be great
renowned businessmen who are rich, powerful, and well-liked
However, they could never achieve that goal. This is portrayed
through the absent character Bill Oliver
Oliver didn’t talk to Biff when he went to meet him. He didn’t even
recognize Biff! This shows that a life such as Oliver’s is out of the
reach of the Lomans’
“He walked away. I saw him for one minute. I got so mad I
could’ve torn the walls down!” –Biff, page 81
SATISFYING PARENTAL EXPECTATIONS
Biff constantly tries to make Willy proud but fails.
Through stealing Oliver’s fountain pen, Biff hopes
to steal some of Oliver’s wealth for his father.
Willy is still angry but Biff continues to try to make
him happy.
“Dad, I’ll make good, I’ll make good.” –Biff, page 8