Book Summaries

THE AMERICAN DREAM

Author: Edward Albee

Setting:  An apartment

Major Characters

·         Mommy- Mommy is an overbearing and odious woman, who plays the most violent and despicable role in the play.  She frequently emasculates her husband, and is suggested to have mutilated her child.

·         Grandma- Grandma serves as the voice of reason and the narrator of the play.  She is the only character to break the 4^th wall and speak directly to the audience.  She is also the only character who is even remotely likable.  Grandma represents the image of the “old” American Dream.

·         Daddy- Daddy, after years of living with Mommy, has been beaten into a former pulp of a man.  He relies completely on his berating wife, no longer able to act for himself.

·         Mrs. Barker- Mrs. Barker comes from an Adoption Service to Mommy and Daddy’s apartment.  Although attempting to do good, Mrs. Barker is a bit slow to pick up on what is really happening.

·         Young Man- The Young Man represents the idea of the “new” American Dream.  He is beautiful on the outside, but lacks anything deeper.

Plot Overview

                The play begins with Mommy and Daddy, sitting in their apartment, discussing a mystery “they” who has been keeping them waiting.  Finally, Mrs. Barker arrives.  Mrs. Barker is from an adoption agency.  Mommy and Daddy have called her to their home in order to get some “satisfaction”.  Grandma enters, constantly bickering with Mommy, who often threatens to have her taken away if she does not behave, and garnering occasional weak support from Daddy.  Eventually, Grandma tells a story to Mrs. Barker suggesting that Mommy and Daddy once had a baby, and killed it, in an attempt to prevent the same fate from befalling another child.  The Young Man enters, toward the end of the play, looking for some kind of work.  He talks about a feeling of emptiness that he has felt his whole life, suggesting that he may be the twin of Mommy and Daddy’s original child.  Mommy decides that the Young Man will do nicely in place of a baby, and Grandma decides to end the story, while everyone is satisfied.

Style/Theme

                Since The American Dream is a play, it is difficult for Albee to inject his own voice into the story as a novelist could.  He is not a hands on playwright, avoiding the extensive use of stage directions.  The tone of the play is a bit sarcastic.  It is as if Albee is mocking our way of life, especially given his symbols.  Grandma and the Young Man are symbols representing contrasting views of the American Dream.  The Young Man is the concept we accept today.  He is attractive on the inside, but empty below the surface.  He represents an ideal that is based only on surface appearance.  Grandma, though weathered and old, is deep.  She has meaning.   The tone and major symbols work with some rather graphic images of the horrors Mommy and Daddy committed as well as the general feeling the characters give off to aid the theme.  Albee is pointing out how meaningless our goals, and therefore our lives are.

Quotes:
“You just can’t get satisfaction” – Nobody in the play can be satisfied, because they are living lives without depth or meaning

“you are the American Dream” – Grandma says this to the Young Man, acknowledging that a shiny exterior with no depth is what the American Dream has become.

“I am incomplete, and I must therefore… compensate” – Our new way of life is worthless.  We cannot be complete simply buying things and not working hard

DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Author: Arthur Miller

Setting: Willy’s house, in 1940s Brooklyn

Major Characters:

·         Willy Loman- Willy, a salesman, is past his prime.  As his mind decays, Willy is further at odds with his family.  Willy’s strained relationship and failed attempts to attain the American Dream lead to his eventual demise.

·         Biff Loman- Biff is Will and Linda’s son.  Although he longs to work outdoors in California, he returns home to help his parents, who are struggling financially.  Biff and Willy have a very strained relationship.

·         Linda Loman- Linda is married to Willy, and constantly tries to make peace between her husband and son.  She loves her husband fiercely, and will do anything to avoid embarrassing or hurting him.

·         Happy Loman- Happy is Willy’s other son.  Happy is chiefly ignored by his father, and frequently tries to gain attention by claiming he is going to get married and settle down.

Plot

                Willy comes home from a business trip, and Linda tells him he is too old to travel.  He resolves to ask his boss to give him more work at home in New York, so he won’t have to drive so much.  Meanwhile, Biff and Happy, both now living at home, discuss the old days and their plans now that they are home. The story is told through flashbacks to Biff and Happy’s childhood, when Biff was a football star and Willy was more successful.   It is revealed, as the story moves forward, that Willy did not reach his position through work, but by sleeping with secretaries of clients.  Now that he is older, this system no longer works.  We meet several secondary characters, such as Willy’s brother Ben.  Willy tells us that Ben went to Africa and made his fortune there.  We also meet Charlie and Bernard, Willy and Biff’s opposites.  Charlie works hard, and encourages his son to do the same, leading to the success of their family.  Willy, on the other hand, gets fired from his job.  Biff tries to straighten out his life, visiting an old boss with a business proposal, but panics, steals something, and leaves.  Biff and Willy fight so much that it almost destroys the family.  Finally, Willy sees that the only way out of his debt is to die.  He crashes his car for the insurance money, freeing his family from the burden of his debt, and himself.

Style/Theme

                Arthur Miller is more controlling than Albee.  He provides a lot of stage directions, leaving less up to the actors and director.   Miller’s tone is honest.  He does not tiptoe around painful subjects in Willy’s life, keeping his audience as informed as possible given the unreliable protagonist.  An important symbol is that of the seeds.  Willy is constantly talking about planting seeds in his empty garden.  This simple desire is symbolic of Willy’s need to put down roots and have something meaningful in his life.  Although he strives desperately to reach the American  Dream, part of him realizes the emptiness in his existence.  His desire for meaning manifests itself in the simple planting of seeds.  Overall, Miller is pointing out the uselessness of the current American Dream, and the improper methods we use to achieve it.

Quotes:

“Nothing’s planted.  I don’t have a thing in the ground.” – Willy’s desire to plant some trees reveals his need for something real.  They have no roots, nothing real to hold onto in their lives, because of the fruitless and fake American Dream the Lomans have been chasing.

“well liked” –Willy seems to think you do not need to work hard or be smart to succeed. All you need is to be popular.  This shows how meaningless the new American Dream is.

CEREMONY

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko

Setting:  The story jumps around in time, but is mainly set right after World War II

Major Characters:

·         Tayo- Tayo is the protagonist of the novel.  He is half white, and half Native American.  Because of this, Tayo is never fully accepted in either world.  After coming home from war, Tayo is sick and confused.  He must find himself in order to save his people.

·         Betonie- Betonie is the only medicine man who is capable of helping Tayo.  He uses a combination of the new world and old world to help his patient.

·         Ts’eh- Tayo meets and falls in love with Ts’eh.  It turns out, however, that she is a manifestation of the spirit of the land, and not a real person.  She represents the necessity of man’s connection with nature.

·         Auntie- Auntie is Tayo’s caretaker, and a staunch believer in old-world Native American society.  Anything new or pertaining to whites is wrong.  She has treated Tayo as an outsider in his own home throughout his entire life, because he is half white.

·         Emo- Emo represents all that is wrong with the world.  He is simply an evil man, who enjoys killing and hatred.  He is the main tangible antagonist in the story.

Plot

                Tayo is just returning home from his time in the hospital after his tour of duty during World War II.  Through a series of flashbacks and circular stories, the audience learns about Tayo’s childhood and family.  His brother, Rocky, the light of his Aunt’s life, is killed in the war.  We also meet some other Native Americans who fought in the war with Tayo.  There are those that are Tayo’s friends, such as Harley, and those that are not, namely Emo.  All are alcoholics, using liquor to quell the sickness they and Tayo are struck by.  It seems like nobody can help Tayo.  The white doctors did nothing.  The Laguna elders cannot help him.  Finally, Betonie, a medicine man combining elements of white society and Laguna culture tells Tayo he must complete a ceremony in order to get better.  In the process of the ceremony, Tayo meets Ts’eh.   The only times Tayo seems truly content are when he is with this woman.  Although not directly stated, it is accepted that Ts’eh is not a real woman, but nature.  The story ends with Tayo completing the ceremony, ending the drought in the Laguna land and restoring order to the world.

Style/Theme

                The story is mostly told in the 3^rd person, with a solemn tone.  There is a somewhat dark air hanging over the novel, although its relatively optimistic ending helps it to appear a bit hopeful.  Images are an important part of this novel, as vivid descriptions of nature are common.  Silko emphasizes the importance of a connection to nature through her portraits of natural scenes.  Symbolism is also heavily used, especially in reference to color.  Yellow often references the sun, an important part of Laguna culture.  Ts’eh herself is also a symbol, once again referencing nature.  The connections to the natural world combined with these other techniques all help Silko to make her main point.  We must embrace the past as well as look forward to the future in order to succeed. 

Quotes:

“Sunrise” – The novel begins and ends with this word.  It shows that everything comes full circle, and that stories just begin again.

“’It seems like I already heard these stories before- only thing is, the names sound different’”- Once again, everything comes full circle.  Everything and everyone is related because they have all experienced the same stories.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Author: Jane Austen

Setting: around 1800 in England

Major Characters:

·         Elizabeth Bennet- Elizabeth is smart and attractive, although not as pretty as her sister, Jane.  She is the most independent of the novel, and decides that she would rather not marry at all than marry for a reason other than love.

·         Jane Bennet- Jane is known for her beauty, and is softspoken.  She is the oldest girl in her family, and maintains a romance with Mr. Bingley throughout the novel. 

·         Mr. Darcy- Mr. Darcy is very, very rich.  He is Elizabeth’s love interest, although at first the two do not get along.  He is very smart, but also very judgmental, not unlike his future wife.

·         Mr. Bennet- Despite loving all of his daughters, Elizabeth is clearly Mr. Bennet’s favorite.  He has a good sense of humor, and enjoys riling his wife up. He is a rather hands-off father.

·         Mrs. Bennet- Mrs. Bennet is a seen as a frivolous character, whose only concern is marrying her daughters off.  She is flustered easily and is frequently upset about something or other.

Plot

                The story begins when Jane and Bingley’s courtship does.  As the relationship between Bingley and Jane blossoms, Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy.  The two immediately dislike each other. Elizabeth thinks he is too proud, and Darcy refuses to dance with her, only confirming her suspicions.  As Jane and Bingley continue to spend time together, Mr. Collins visits the Bennet household.  He proposes marriage to Elizabeth, who, much to her mother’s chagrin, declines.  Elizabeth meets and develops a crush on Mr. Wickham, an enemy of Darcy’s.   Bingley and Darcy return to London, and Mr. Collins marries Charlotte, a friend of Elizabeth’s.  Later, suddenly, Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, who angrily refutes him.  She believes him to be the reason for Jane and Bingley’s deteriorating relationship.  Darcy writes a letter to Elizabeth, explaining his background, which changes her mind about him. On a visit to Darcy’s estate, Elizabeth and Darcy are able to get along well.  Lydia runs away with Wickham, and Darcy is able to convince Wickham to marry her, in order to prevent the Bennet family from being humiliated.  In the end, Jane marries Bingley and Elizabeth marries Darcy.

Style/Theme:

                This novel is written in the 3^rd person, with a comedic tone.  Jane Austen is commenting on society, but in a light, funny way.  There are vivid descriptions in this novel of some of the most pointless things.  Austen could describe the decoration of a room for pages on end, highlighting the frivolousness of the society the Bennets live in.  Pride and Prejudice is not heavy on symbolism.  It does not play into theme as much as other aspects could.  Everything is focused on social standing and money.  Austen is trying to convince us through the ridiculousness of the images and the actions of her characters that love and happiness should be the pursuits of life, not social validation and wealth.

Quotes:

“Vanity and pride are different things”- This makes an important distinction among characteristics Darcy and Elizabeth share.  It is important to take pride in yourself.  We just should not care about what others thing of us

“The business of her life was to get her daughters married”- This quote exemplifies the time.  Women were to be married, and their mothers where to orchestrate it.  They saw nothing else that could even compare in importance.

HAMLET

Author: William Shakespeare

Setting: Denmark

Major Characters:

·         Hamlet- Hamlet is famous for not doing anything.  He agonizes and debates throughout the play, but never actually acts, making him one of literatures most indecisive heroes.  As an audience, we are never sure if Hamlet is insane, or just pretending. 

·         Gertrude- Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother, and the Queen.  Although she loves her son, she eventually chooses her husband over him, and pays the ultimate price for her corruption.

·         Claudius- Claudius, now the king, killed his brother and married his widow.  He is a rather sympathetic villain, with an entire monologue about his regret and worries.  Still, he also pays for his corruption and attempts on Hamlet’s life.

·         Ghost- The Ghost is the spirit of Hamlet’s father.  He tells Hamlet to go and avenge his death.

Plot

                Some guards and Hamlet’s friend, Horatio, see the Ghost, but cannot speak to it.  They tell Hamlet, who follows it the next night.  The Ghost tells Hamlet that he is Hamlet’s father, and that Hamlet must avenge his death.  He claims to have been murdered by his brother, Claudius.  Hamlet promises he will do as the Ghost says.  Meanwhile, Polonius, the King’s advisor, is sending his son, Laertes, back to school.  Before he leaves, Laertes warns his sister, Ophelia, against Hamlet and his intentions.  Polonius does the same.  Ophelia returns gifts Hamlet bestowed upon her to him, and he yells at her.  Hamlet organizes a play to be put on, reenacting his father’s murder to test Claudius.  As predicted, Claudius is alarmed and runs out of the room.  Hamlet then goes to see his mother, and, thinking the King is spying, accidentally kills Polonius.  Claudius organizes to have Hamlet taken away to England and killed, but Hamlet outsmarts the messengers escorting him and is taken back to Denmark by pirates.  Ophelia, possibly pregnant and mad, drowns herself just after Laertes returns to Denmark.  Laertes and Claudius devise a plan to kill Hamlet, but Laertes realizes the King’s wickedness and reveals the plot.  In the end, Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude and Laertes all die, leaving Denmark to the outside, pure rule of Fortinbras.

Style/Theme

                The tone of Hamlet is very dark.  The element of uncertainty that is prevalent throughout the play makes the reader very uneasy, adding to an overall ominous feeling.  An important symbol in the novel is Hamlet’s friend’s skull.  In the graveyard, as it is dug up, Hamlet grabs it, and then begins contemplating death.  Death is something we are all uncertain about.  Nobody knows what happens when you die.  This further elaborates on the idea of uncertainty hovering over the play.  All of the elements can relate to this uncertain theme that Shakespeare was so interested in.  Shakespeare asks us how we can ever be certain of anything, casting doubt on what exactly is right and what is wrong.

Quotes:

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” – This line foreshadows the corruption and uncertainty that is to follow.  It also projects an image of death, as in, a corpse rotting, another theme in the play.

“All that lives must die” – Death is inevitable.  Nobody can avoid it, and nobody understands it completely.  This is a common bond we all share, and a fear we all maintain, a fear of the unknown.

FIFTH BUSINESS

Author: Robertson Davies

Setting: Begins 1908 in Canada, spans a lifetime

Major Characters:

·         Dunstan Ramsay- Dunstan is narrating the novel, attempting to justify his life to the headmaster of the school he taught at.  He acknowledges his role as a “Fifth Business” in life.

·         Mary Dempster- Dunstan is in love with Mary beginning at age 10.  She is not all “there”, and eventually is put in an insane asylum

·         Percy Staunton- Percy is Dunstan’s childhood friend.  Although he and Dunstan have their ups and downs, he does help Dunstan out of a financial crisis.

·         Paul Dempster- Paul is Mary’s son, and Dunstan feels responsible for his birth.  He eventually becomes a magician.  Dunstan taught him many magic tricks as a child.

·         Liesl Vitzlipützli- Liesl is a wise, but unattractive woman.  She plays the essential role of labeling Dunstan as a “Fifth Business”.

Plot

                The story begins with Dunstan ducking a snowball that hits Mary Dempster, inducing the birth of her son Paul.  Dunstan, Mary, and Paul are forever linked. Dunstan later becomes Mary’s caretaker, and travels with Paul when Paul grows up and becomes a magician.  Percy and Dunstan, although not always cordial, are locked together forever, each affecting the others’ life.  Dunstan describes his entire life in the book, chronicling numerous adventures and encounters.  Essentially, however, the novel is a search for self, something Dunstan never quite finds.

Style/Theme

                The novel is a 1^st person narrative, with a rather wry tone.  Dunstan is clever, and he knows it.  He does not hesitate to let that show in his descriptions of people, places, and events.  Mary Dempster is clearly a Virgin Mary-esque symbol. At one point, she sleeps with a tramp, and years later it turns out that this reformed his life.  She is small and child-like, and delivers a baby with a struggle.  Mary is a religious symbol that suggests a kind of synchronicity in the world.  History, stories, and myths are all the same.  Be it religion or a bedtime story, plot elements are eerily connected in a kind of way that cannot be an accident.  Davies suggests that the universe has an order, and morality can be guided by everyone having a place in the world.

               

Quotes:

“You must get to know your personal devil” – This is a quote dealing with the idea that we must all face the same challenges.  Whether you want to call it religion, coincidence, or synchronicity, we are all connected by the things that can lead us astray from our roles in life and morality.

“We all think of ourselves as stars” – Nobody wants to believe that he is unimportant.  Dunstan advocates, in a way, realizing when you are not important as a way of gaining meaning.