AP Study Cards for Novels and Plays

The Glass Menagerie by: Tennessee Williams

Summary: Amanda Wingfield, a faded Southern belle of middle age, shares a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son Tom, in his early twenties, and his slightly older sister, Laura. Although she is a survivor and a pragmatist, Amanda yearns for the comforts and admiration she remembers from her days as a debutante. She worries especially about the future of her daughter Laura, a young woman with a limp (an aftereffect of bout of polio) and a tremulous insecurity about the outside world. Tom works in a shoe warehouse doing his best to support the family. He chafes under the banality and boredom of everyday life and struggles to write, while spending much of his spare time going to the movies — or so he says — at all hours of the night. Amanda is obsessed with finding a suitor (or, as she puts it, a "gentleman caller") for Laura, whose crippling shyness has led her to drop out of both high school and a subsequent secretarial course, and who spends much of her time polishing and arranging her collection of little glass animals. Pressured by his mother to help find a caller for Laura, Tom invites an acquaintance from work named Jim home for dinner. The delighted Amanda spruces up the apartment, prepares a special dinner, and converses coquettishly with Jim. Laura discovers that Jim is the boy she was attracted to in high school and has often thought of since — though the relationship between the shy Laura and the "most likely to succeed" Jim was never more than a distant, teasing acquaintanceship. Initially, Laura is so overcome by shyness that she is unable to join the others at dinner, and she claims to be ill. After dinner, however, Jim and Laura are left alone by candlelight in the living room, waiting for the electricity to be restored. (Tom has not paid the power bill, which hints to the audience that he is banking the bill money and preparing to leave the household.) As the evening progresses, Jim recognizes Laura's feelings of inferiority and encourages her to think better of herself. He and Laura share a quiet dance, in which he accidentally brushes against her glass menagerie, knocking a glass unicorn to the floor and breaking off its horn. Jim then compliments Laura and kisses her. After Jim reveals that he is already engaged to be married, Laura asks him to take the broken unicorn as a gift and he then leaves. When Amanda learns that Jim is to be married, she turns her anger upon Tom and cruelly lashes out at him--although Tom did not know that Jim was engaged, and Amanda knows this. As Tom speaks at the end of the play, he says that he left home soon afterward and did not return. In Tom's final speech, he bids farewell to his mother and sister, and asks Laura to blow out the candles as the play ends Main Characters: Amanda Wingfield: Laura and Tom's mother. A proud, vivacious woman, Amanda clings fervently to memories of a vanished, genteel past. She is simultaneously admirable, charming, pitiable, and laughable. Amanda Wingfield: Laura and Tom's mother. A proud, vivacious woman, Amanda clings fervently to memories of a vanished, genteel past. She is simultaneously admirable, charming, pitiable, and laughable. Tom Wingfield: Amanda's son and Laura's younger brother. Themes: The difficulty of accepting reality; the impossibility of true escape; the unrelenting power of memory Point of View: Tom both narrates and participates in the play. The older Tom remembers his youth and then becomes a younger Tom who participates in the action as scenes from his youth play out. The point of view of the older Tom is reflective, and he warns us that his memory distorts the past. The younger Tom is impulsive and angry. The action sometimes consists of events that Tom does not witness; at these points, the play goes beyond simply describing events from Tom's own memory. Tone: Tragic; sarcastic; bleak Symbols: Laura's glass menagerie; the glass unicorn; "Blue Roses"; the fire escape Motifs: Laura's glass menagerie; the glass unicorn; "Blue Roses"; the fire escape

Les Miserables by: Victor Hugo

Summary: Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. Main Characters: Jean Valjean: Cosette's adopted father. Valjean is an ex-convict who leaves behind a life of hatred and deceit and makes his fortune with his innovative industrial techniques. Cosette: Fantine's daughter, who lives as Valjean's adopted daughter after her mother dies. Javert: A police inspector who strictly believes in law and order and will stop at nothing to enforce France's harsh penal codes. Themes: The importance of love and compassion; social injustice in nineteenth-century France; the long-term effects of the French Revolution on French society Point of View: The story is told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator who frequently addresses us. The narrator not only knows what the characters are thinking at all times but also has a detailed grasp of contemporary politics and society. Tone: The tone tends to reflect the narrator's empathy with the char-acters. When describing broader trends in politics and society, the tone reflects Hugo's outspoken views on social reform. Symbols: Myriel's silver candlesticks; snakes, insects, and birds Motifs: The plight of orphans; disguises and pseudonyms; resurrection

The Crucible by: Arthur Miller

Summary: Caught dancing in the forest with a black slave named Titbuta. Abbigail Williams, the mastermind, tells them not to admit to anything, and begins to cry wolf, as the teenage girls begin to accuse the women of Salem as witches. Main Characters: John Proctor: A local farmer, who has had an affair with Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams: Reverend Parris's niece. Abigail was once the servant for the Proctor household, but Elizabeth Proctor fired her after she discovered that Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John Proctor. Abigail is smart, wily, a good liar, and vindictive when crossed. Reverend John Hale: A young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Elizabeth Proctor: John Proctor's wife. Reverend Parris: The minister of Salem's church. Themes: Intolerance, hysteria, & reputation Point of View: Play Tone: Serious and tragic Symbols: few examples of symbolism beyond typical witchcraft symbols (rats, toads, and bats), the entire play is meant to be symbolic, with its witch trials standing in for the anti-Communist "witch-hunts" of the 1950s Motifs: empowerment; accusation, confession, legal proceedings in general.

Picture of Dorian Gray by: Oscar Wilde

Summary: Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied and amoral experiences; all the while his portrait ages and records every soul-corrupting sin Main Characters: Dorian Gray: A radiantly handsome, impressionable, and wealthy young gentleman, whose portrait the artist Basil Hallward paints. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian becomes extremely concerned with the transience of his beauty and begins to pursue his own pleasure above all else. He devotes himself to having as many experiences as possible, whether moral or immoral, elegant or sordid. Lord Henry Wotton: A nobleman and a close friend of Basil Hallward. Urbane and witty, Lord Henry is perpetually armed and ready with well-phrased epigrams criticizing the moralism and hypocrisy of Victorian society. Basil Hallward - An artist, and a friend of Lord Henry. Basil becomes obsessed with Dorian after meeting him at a party. He claims that Dorian possesses a beauty so rare that it has helped him realize a new kind of art; through Dorian, he finds "the lines of a fresh school." Dorian also helps Basil realize his artistic potential, as the portrait of Dorian that Basil paints proves to be his masterpiece. Themes: The purpose of art; the supremacy of youth and beauty; the surface nature of society; the negative consequences of influence Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: Gothic (dark, supernatural); sardonic; comedic Symbols: The opium den; James Vane; the yellow book Motifs: The color white; the picture of Dorian Gray; homoerotic male relationships

Equus by: Peter Shaffer

Summary: Equus tells the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses. Main Characters: Martin Dysart Alan Strang Frank Strang Jill Mason Hesther Soloman Dora Strang Nurse Harry Dalton Horseman Nugget Themes: Normalcy includes that which is usual, acceptable, peaceable, and socially-approved by a majority or whole of a population, or by individuals. Point of View: Play, no POV. Tone: Dramatic Symbols: Normalcy Motifs: n/a

Frankenstein by: Mary Shelley

Summary: Frankenstein is about the young student of science Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but sentient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Main Characters: Victor Frankenstein: The doomed protagonist and narrator of the main portion of the story. Studying in Ingolstadt, Victor discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent but grotesque monster, from whom he recoils in horror. The monster: The eight-foot-tall, hideously ugly creation of Victor Frankenstein. Intelligent and sensitive, the monster attempts to integrate himself into human social patterns, but all who see him shun him. His feeling of abandonment compels him to seek revenge against his creator. Themes: Dangerous knowledge; sublime nature; texts; secrecy; monstrosity Point of View: 3rd POV & 1st POV Tone: Gothic, Romantic, emotional, tragic, fatalistic Symbols: Fire and light Motifs: Passive women; abortion

Catcher In The Rye by: J.D. Salinger

Summary: Holden Caulfield, the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye, begins with an authoritative statement that he does not intend the novel to serve as his life story. Currently in psychiatric care, this teenager recalls what happened to him last Christmas. This story forms the basis for his narrative. Main Characters: Holden Caulfield: The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Holden is a sixteen-year-old junior who has just been expelled for academic failure from a school called Pencey Prep. Although he is intelligent and sensitive, Holden narrates in a cynical and jaded voice. He finds the hypocrisy and ugliness of the world around him almost unbearable, and through his cynicism he tries to protect himself from the pain and disappointment of the adult world. Ackley: Holden's next-door neighbor in his dorm at Pencey Prep. Ackley is a pimply, insecure boy with terrible dental hygiene. Stradlater: Holden's roommate at Pencey Prep. Jane Gallagher: A girl with whom Holden spent a lot of time one summer, when their families stayed in neighboring summer houses in Maine. Themes: Alienation as a form of self-protection; the painfulness of growing up; the phoniness of the adult world. Point of View: 1st POV Tone: tone varies between disgust, cynicism, bitterness, and nostalgic longing, all expressed in a colloquial style. Symbols: The "catcher in the rye"; Holden's red hunting hat; the Museum of Natural History; the ducks in the Central Park lagoon. Motifs: Relationships, intimacy, and sexuality; loneliness; lying and deception.

Lord Of The Flies by: William Golding

Summary: Lord of the Flies explores the dark side of humanity, the savagery that underlies even the most civilized human beings. William Golding intended this novel as a tragic parody of children's adventure tales, illustrating humankind's intrinsic evil nature. Main Characters: Ralph: The novel's protagonist, the twelve-year-old English boy who is elected leader of the group of boys marooned on the island. Jack: The novel's antagonist, one of the older boys stranded on the island. Jack becomes the leader of the hunters but longs for total power and becomes increasingly wild, barbaric, and cruel as the novel progresses. Simon: A shy, sensitive boy in the group. Simon, in some ways the only naturally "good" character on the island, behaves kindly toward the younger boys and is willing to work for the good of their community. Piggy: Ralph's "lieutenant." A whiny, intellectual boy, Piggy's inventiveness frequently leads to innovation, such as the makeshift sundial that the boys use to tell time. Piggy represents the scientific, rational side of civilization. Themes: Immediate past Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: Dark; violent; pessimistic; tragic; unsparing Symbols: The conch shell; Piggy's glasses; the signal fire; the beast; the Lord of the Flies; Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Roger Motifs: Biblical parallels; natural beauty; the bullying of the weak by the strong; the outward trappings of savagery (face paint, spears, totems, chants).

Lysistrata by: Aristophanes

Summary: Lysistrata is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace — a strategy, however, that inflames the battle between the sexes. Main Characters: Lysistrata: Lysistrata is an Athenian woman who is sick and tired of war and the treatment of women in Athens. Lysistrata gathers the women of Sparta and Athens together to solve these social ills and finds success and power in her quest. Lysistrata is the least feminine of the women from either Athens or Sparta, and her masculinity helps her gain respect among the men. Point of View: play. no POV Tone: humorous

The Great Gatsby by: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Summary: Nick Carroway, the protagonist, has recently moved to NY. He lives on the island of West Egg (which is poorer) across from East Egg (richer) where his pompous friends Tom and Daisy live. They gossip and party a lot, going to Jay Gatsby's parties. Main Characters: Nick Carraway : The narrator, he is a young man from Minnesota who goes to New York City to learn the bond business. He quickly befriends his neighbor Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby : A fabulously wealthy young man living in a mansion in West Egg. He is famous for the lavish parties he throws every Saturday night, but no one knows where he comes from, what he does, or how he made his fortune. Daisy Buchanan: Nick's cousin, and the woman Gatsby loves. Tom Buchanan: Daisy's immensely wealthy husband, once a member of Nick's social club at Yale. Powerfully built and hailing from a socially solid old family, Tom is an arrogant, hypocritical bully. Themes: The decline of the American dream in the 1920s &The hollowness of the upper class Point of View: mix of 1st and 3rd POV Tone: nostalgic and elegiac Symbols or Motifs: The green light on Daisy's dock, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, the valley of ashes, Gatsby's parties, East Egg, West Egg. Motifs: The connection between events and weather, the connection between geographical location and social values, images of time, extravagant parties, the quest for wealth.

Night by: Elie Wiesel

Summary: Night is about Wiesel's experience with his father in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 1944-45, at the height of the Holocaust toward the end of the Second World War. Main Characters: Eliezer: The narrator of Night and the stand-in for the memoir's author, Elie Wiesel. Night traces Eliezer's psychological journey, as the Holocaust robs him of his faith in God and exposes him to the deepest inhumanity of which man is capable. Shlomo: Even though he is the only character other than Eliezer who is present throughout the memoir, Eliezer's father is named only once, at the end of Night. Moshe the Beadle: Eliezer's teacher of Jewish mysticism, Moshe is a poor Jew who lives in Sighet. Themes: Eliezer's struggle to maintain faith in a benevolent God; silence; inhumanity toward other humans; the importance of father-son bonds Point of View: 1st POV Tone: Eliezer's perspective is limited to his own experience, and the tone of Night is therefore intensely personal, subjective, and intimate. Night is not meant to be an all-encompassing discourse on the experience of the Holocaust; instead, it depicts the extraordinarily personal and painful experiences of a single victim. Symbols: Night, fire Motifs: Tradition, religious observance

Animal Farm by: George Orwell

Summary: Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm, summons the animals on the farm together for a meeting, during which he refers to humans as parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song called Beasts of England. When Major dies, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command and consider it a duty to prepare for the Rebellion. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible farmer Mr. Jones from the farm, renaming it "Animal Farm". They adopt Seven Commandments of Animalism, the most important of which is, "All animals are equal." Main Characters: Napoleon: The pig who emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Based on Joseph Stalin, Napoleon uses military force (his nine loyal attack dogs) to intimidate the other animals and consolidate his power. In his supreme craftiness, Napoleon proves more treacherous than his counterpart, Snowball. Snowball: The pig who challenges Napoleon for control of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Based on Leon Trotsky, Snowball is intelligent, passionate, eloquent, and less subtle and devious than his counterpart. Boxer: The cart-horse whose incredible strength, dedication, and loyalty play a key role in the early prosperity of Animal Farm and the later completion of the windmill. Themes: The corruption of socialist ideals in the Soviet Union; the societal tendency toward class stratification; the danger of a naïve working class; the abuse of language as instrumental to the abuse of power Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: For the most part, the tone of the novel is objective, stating external facts and rarely digressing into philosophical meditations. The mixture of this tone with the outrageous trajectory of the plot, however, steeps the story in an ever-mounting irony. Symbols: Animal Farm; the barn; the windmill Motifs: Songs; state ritual

All Quiet On The Western Front by: Erich Maria Remarque

Summary: Paul and several of his friends from school joined the army voluntarily after listening to the stirring patriotic speeches of their teacher, Kantorek. But after experiencing ten weeks of brutal training at the hands of the petty, cruel Corporal Himmelstoss and the unimaginable brutality of life on the front, Paul and his friends have realized that the ideals of nationalism and patriotism for which they enlisted are simply empty clichés. They no longer believe that war is glorious or honorable, and they live in constant physical terror. Main Characters: Paul Bäumer: young German soldier fighting in the trenches during World War I. Stanislaus Katczinsky: Paul's best friend in the army. Albert Kropp: One of Paul's closest friends during the war and has an interest in analyzing the causes of the war. Müller: A hardheaded, practical young man. Themes: The horror of war, the effect of war on a soldier, nationalism and political power. Point of View: 1st POV Tone: solemn & depressing Symbols: Kemmerich's boots, which symbolize the cheapness of human life in the war, Motifs: The pressure of patriotic idealism; carnage and gore; animal instinct.

Grapes Of Wrath by: John Steinbeck

Summary: Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, agricultural industry changes and bank foreclosures forcing tenant farmers out of work. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and in part because they are trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other "Okies", they sought jobs, land, dignity, and a future. Main Characters: Tom Joad: The novel's protagonist, and Ma and Pa Joad's favorite son. Tom is good-natured and thoughtful and makes do with what life hands him. Even though he killed a man and has been separated from his family for four years, he does not waste his time with regrets. Ma Joad: The mother of the Joad family. Pa Joad: Ma Joad's husband and Tom's father. Pa Joad is an Oklahoma tenant farmer who has been evicted from his farm. Themes: Man's inhumanity to man; the saving power of family and fellowship; the dignity of wrath; the multiplying effects of altruism and selfishness Point of View: shitf, mainly 3rd POV Tone: Improvised leadership structures Symbols: Rose of Sharon's pregnancy; the death of the Joads' dog Motifs: Improvised leadership structures

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by: Mark Twain

Summary: Set in a Southern antebellum society that had ceased to exist about twenty years before the work was published, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an often scathing satire on entrenched attitudes, particularly racism. Main Characters: Huckleberry Finn: The protagonist and narrator of the novel. Huck is the thirteen-year-old son of the local drunk of St. Petersburg, Missouri, a town on the Mississippi River. Tom Sawyer: Huck's friend, and the protagonist of Tom Sawyer, the novel to which Huckleberry Finn is ostensibly the sequel. Widow Douglas and Miss Watson; Two wealthy sisters who live together in a large house in St. Petersburg and who adopt Huck. Themes: Racism and slavery; intellectual and moral education; the hypocrisy of "civilized" society Point of View: 1st POW Tone: Frequently ironic or mocking, particularly concerning adventure novels and romances; also contemplative, as Huck seeks to decipher the world around him; sometimes boyish and exuberant Symbols: The Mississippi River; floods; shipwrecks; the natural world Motifs: Childhood; lies and cons; superstitions and folk beliefs; parodies of popular romance novels

Hamlet by: William Shakespeare

Summary: Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is instructed to enact on his uncle Claudius. Claudius had murdered his own brother, Hamlet's father King Hamlet, and subsequently seized the throne, marrying his deceased brother's widow, Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Main Characters: Hamlet: The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle's scheming and disgust for his mother's sexuality. Claudius: The King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle, and the play's antagonist. Polonius - The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court, a pompous, conniving old man. Polonius is the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Themes: The impossibility of certainty; the complexity of action; the mystery of death; the nation as a diseased body Point of View: play, no POV Tone: Dark, ironic, melancholy, passionate, contemplative, desperate, violent Symbols: The ghost (the spiritual consequences of death); Yorick's skull (the physical consequences of death) Motifs: Incest and incestuous desire; ears and hearing; death and suicide; darkness and the supernatural; misogyny

Slaughterhouse-Five by: Kurt Vonnegut

Summary: Slaughterhouse-Five is about World War II experiences and journeys through time of a soldier named Billy Pilgrim Main Characters: Billy Pilgrim: A World War II veteran, POW survivor of the firebombing of Dresden, prospering optometrist, husband, and father. Billy Pilgrim is the protagonist of the novel who believes he has "come unstuck in time." He walks through a door at one moment in his life and suddenly finds himself in another time and place. His fragmented experience of time structures the novel as short episodic vignettes and shows how the difficulty of recounting traumatic experiences can require unusual literary techniques. Themes: The destructiveness of war; the illusion of free will; the importance of sight Point of View: 1st & 3rd POV Tone: The narrator's tone is familiar and ironic, and he uncovers touches of dark humor and absurdity that do not diminish the lyrical and emotional power of the material. His portrayal of Billy is intimate but ambivalent, and he occasionally emphasizes the diction of reported speech (prefacing a passage with "He says that" or "Billy says") to draw a distinction between reality and Billy's interpretation of events. Symbols: The bird who says "Poo-tee-weet?"; the colors blue and ivory Motifs: "So it goes"; the presence of the narrator as a character

The Kite Runner by: Khaled Hosseini

Summary: The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, whose closest friend is Hassan, his father's young Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. Main Characters: Amir: The narrator and the protagonist of the story. Amir is the sensitive and intelligent son of a well-to-do businessman in Kabul, and he grows up with a sense of entitlement. Hassan: Amir's best friend and half-brother as well as a servant of Baba's. Hassan proves himself a loyal friend to Amir repeatedly, defending Amir when he is attacked and always being ready to listen. Baba: Father of Amir and Hassan and a wealthy, well-respected businessman. Baba believes first and foremost in doing what is right and thinking for oneself, and he tries to impart these qualities to Amir. Ali: Acting father to Hassan and a servant of Baba's. Themes: The search for redemption; the love and tension between fathers and sons; the intersection of political events and private lives; the persistence of the past Point of View: 1st POV Tone: The tone is confessional, expressing profound remorse throughout the story Symbols: The cleft lip; kites; the lamb Motifs: Rape; irony; regressing in time

Old Man & The Sea by: Ernest Hemingway

Summary: The Old Man & The Sea is about Santiago, an aging fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Main Characters: Santiago: The old man of the novella's title, Santiago is a Cuban fisherman who has had an extended run of bad luck. Despite his expertise, he has been unable to catch a fish for eighty-four days. The marlin: Santiago hooks the marlin, which we learn at the end of the novella measures eighteen feet, on the first afternoon of his fishing expedition. Manolin: A boy presumably in his adolescence, Manolin is Santiago's apprentice and devoted attendant. Themes: The honor in struggle, defeat, and death; pride as the source of greatness and determination. Point of View: 1st POV Tone: Despite the narrator's journalistic, matter-of-fact tone, his reverence for Santiago and his struggle is apparent. The text affirms its hero to a degree unusual even for Hemingway. Symbols: The marlin; the shovel-nosed sharks. Motifs: The marlin; the shovel-nosed sharks.

The Dwarf by: Pär Lagerkvist

Summary: The dwarf is a profound misanthrope and generally embodies all things evil. He hates almost every person at the court except for the prince (who is the ruler of the city-state, rather king than prince), or rather aspects of him. He loves war, brutality and fixed positions. While almost all other characters of the novel develop during the chain of events, the dwarf does not change. He is still exactly the same character from the first to the last page. He is deeply religious, but his take on Christianity includes the belief in a non-forgiving God. He is impressed with Bernardo's science but soon repelled by its relentless search for truth. Main Characters: The dwarf, and Prince Themes: Man vs Evil Point of View: 1st POV Tone: Dramatic Symbols: he Dwarf has been interpreted in several ways, but is generally believed to be Lagerkvist's attempt at creating a genuinely evil character illustrating the evil sides of man. Motifs: The dwarf could be the embodiment of the dark sides of the prince himself, and not a real, separate person.

Fences by: August Wilson

Summary: The focus of Wilson's attention in Fences is Troy, a 53-year-old head of household who struggles with providing for his family. The location is never specified but seems to be Pittsburgh as there are several references to some of its notable institutions. Troy was a great baseball player in his younger years, having spent time practicing in prison for an accidental murder he had committed during a robbery. Because the color barrier had not yet been broken in Major League Baseball, Troy was unable to make good money or to save for the future. (However, one line of the book does cast some doubt as to whether it was Troy's age, not his skin color that kept him from becoming a professional baseball player). He now lives a menial, though respectable life of trash collecting—remarkably crossing the race barrier and becoming a driver instead of just a barrel lifter. He lives with his wife, Rose, his son Cory (who still lives in the house at the play's opening), and Troy's younger brother Gabriel, an ex-soldier whose war injury to his head has caused him noticeable psychological damage. Lyons is Troy's son from a previous marriage, and lives outside the home. Bono is Troy's best friend. Troy had taken Gabriel's money that he'd been entitled to for his injury, and bought the house he currently lives in. A short time before the play's opening, Gabriel has rented a room elsewhere, but still in the neighborhood. Main Characters: Troy Maxson: The protagonist of Fences, a fifty-three year-old, African American man who works for the sanitation department, lifting garbage into trucks. Troy is also a former baseball star in the Negro Leagues. Cory Maxson : The teenage son of Troy and Rose Maxson. A senior in high school, Cory gets good grades and college recruiters are coming to see him play football. Rose Maxson: Troy's wife and mother of his second child, Cory. Rose is a forty-three year-old African American housewife who volunteers at her church regularly and loves her family. Themes: Coming of age within the cycle of damaged black manhood; interpreting and inheriting history; the choice between pragmatism and illusions as survival mechanisms Point of View: play, no POV Tone: Loosely autobiographical; emphasizes links between the aftermaths of slavery as well as legalized discrimination and African American lives during the 1950's Symbols: Trains; fences; the devil Motifs: Death and baseball; seeds and growth; blues

Anthem by: Ayn Rand

Summary: The narrator is a young man by the name of Equality 7-2521. Apparently long ago something called the Great Rebirth happened. After that, all of humankind started to think of itself as one "great WE." In fact, Equality 7-2521 can only speak of himself as "We," and doesn't seem to know the word "I." The Great Rebirth also meant a reversion to the dark ages. The latest in hi-tech for Equality 7-2521's society is the candle (of which Equality 7-2521 is very proud). In Equality 7-2521's world, everyone is told that the only reason for an individual to live is to serve his "fellow brothers." Everyone is equal to everyone else, which means that each person has to be the same as everyone else. Society is rigidly controlled to ensure that nobody has the opportunity to stand out as an individual, or even think of himself as one. Main Characters: Equality 7-2521: A street sweeper, the protagonist of the novella. Equality 7-2521, who later renames himself Prometheus, believes in individualism and rejects the collectivist society around him. The Golden One: A beautiful peasant with whom Equality 7-2521 falls madly in love. The Golden One demonstrates her subservience to Equality 7-2521 by allowing him to change her name from Liberty 5-3000 to the Golden One, and later, Gaea. Themes: The primacy of the individual; the value of martyrdom; the impotence of the collective; original creation as a component of identity Point of View: 1st person Tone: Equality 7-2521 records his thoughts and actions in a straightforward manner, with no trace of irony. Symbols: Light; the forest; manuscripts Motifs: Fear; naming; shapelessness

Things Fall Apart by: Chinua Achebe

Summary: The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo ("Ibo" in the novel) leader and local wrestling champion in the fictional Nigerian village of Umuofia. The work is split into three parts, the first describing his family and personal history, the customs and society of the Igbo, and the second and third sections introduce the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on the Igbos community. Main Characters: Okonkwo: An influential clan leader in Umuofia. Since early childhood, Okonkwo's embarrassment about his lazy, squandering, and effeminate father, Unoka, has driven him to succeed. Nwoye: Okonkwo's oldest son, whom Okonkwo believes is weak and lazy. Ezinma: The only child of Okonkwo's second wife, Ekwefi. Themes: The struggle between tradition and change; varying interpre-tations of masculinity; language as a sign of cultural difference Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: Ironic, tragic, satirical, fablelike Symbols: The novel is highly symbolic, and it asks to be read in symbolic terms. Two of the main symbols are the locusts and fire. The locusts symbolize the white colonists descending upon the Africans, seeming to augur good but actually portending troublesome encounters. Fire epitomizes Okonkwo's nature—he is fierce and destructive. A third symbol, the drums, represents the physical connection of the community of clansmen in Umuofia, and acts as a metaphorical heartbeat that beats in unison, uniting all the village members. Motifs: Chi, animal imagery

The Sun Also Rises by: Ernest Hemingway

Summary: The novel is about a group of American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights. Main Characters: Jake Barnes: The narrator and protagonist of the novel. Jake is an American veteran of World War I working as a journalist in Paris, where he and his friends engage in an endless round of drinking and parties. Lady Brett Ashley: A beautiful British socialite who drinks heavily. Robert Cohn: A wealthy American writer living in Paris. Though he is an expatriate like many of his acquaintances, Cohn stands apart because he had no direct experience of World War I and because he is Jewish. Themes: The aimlessness of the Lost Generation; male insecurity; the destructiveness of sex Point of View: 1st POV Tone: Somber, detached, ironic, nostalgic Symbols: Bullfighting Motifs: The failure of communication; excessive drinking; false friendships

Brave New World by: Aldous Huxley

Summary: The novel is set in A.F. 632, approximately seven centuries after the twentieth century. A.F. stands for the year of Ford, named for the great industrialist Henry Ford who refined mass production techniques for automobiles. World Controllers rule the world and ensure the stability of society through the creation of a five-tiered caste system. Alphas and Betas are at the top of the system and act as the scientists, politicians, and other top minds, while Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons are at the bottom and represent the world's industrial working class. A drug called soma ensures that no one ever feels pain or remains unhappy, and members of every caste receive rations of the drug. Pre- and post-natal conditioning further ensures social stability. Main Characters: John: The son of the Director and Linda, John is the only major character to have grown up outside of the World State. Bernard Marx: An Alpha male who fails to fit in because of his inferior physical stature. He holds unorthodox beliefs about sexual relationships, sports, and community events. Helmholtz Watson: An Alpha lecturer at the College of Emotional Engineering, Helmholtz is a prime example of his caste, but feels that his work is empty and meaningless and would like to use his writing abilities for something more meaningful. Lenina Crowne: A vaccination worker at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. She is an object of desire for a number of major and minor characters, including Bernard Marx and John. Themes: The use of technology to control society, the incompatibility of happiness and truth, the dangers of an all-powerful state Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: Satirical, ironic, silly, tragic, juvenile, pedantic Symbols: The drug soma is a symbol of the use of instant gratification to control the World State's populace. It is also a symbol of the powerful influence of science and technology on society. Motifs: Alienation, sex, Shakespeare

1984 by: George Orwell

Summary: The novel is set in Airstrip One (formerly known as Great Britain), a province of the superstate Oceania in a world of perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance and public manipulation, dictated by a political system euphemistically named English Socialism under the control of a privileged Inner Party elite, that persecutes individualism and independent thinking as "thought crimes". The tyranny is epitomized by Big Brother, the quasi-divine Party leader who enjoys an intense cult of personality but who may not even exist. The Party "seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power." The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party, who works for the Ministry of Truth (or Minitrue), which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism. His job is to rewrite past newspaper articles, so that the historical record always supports the party line. Smith is a diligent and skillful worker but he secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion against Big Brother. Main Characters: Winston Smith: A minor member of the ruling Party in near-future London, Winston Smith is a thin, frail, contemplative, intellectual, and fatalistic thirty-nine-year-old. Winston hates the totalitarian control and enforced repression that are characteristic of his government. He harbors revolutionary dreams. Julia: Winston's lover, a beautiful dark-haired girl working in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. Julia enjoys sex, and claims to have had affairs with many Party members. O'Brien: A mysterious, powerful, and sophisticated member of the Inner Party whom Winston believes is also a member of the Brotherhood, the legendary group of anti-Party rebels. Themes: The psychological, technological, physical, and social dangers of totalitarianism and political authority; the importance of language in shaping human thought Point of View: 1st POV Tone: Dark, frustrated, pessimistic Symbols: The glass paperweight (Winston's desire to connect with the past); the red-armed prole woman (the hope that the proles will ultimately rise up against the Party); the picture of St. Clement's Church (the past); the telescreens and the posters of Big Brother (the Party's constant surveillance of its subjects); the phrase "the place where there is no darkness" (Winston's tendency to mask his fatalism with false hope, as the place where there is no darkness turns out to be not a paradise but a prison cell) Motifs: Urban decay (London is falling apart under the Party's leadership); the idea of doublethink (the ability to hold two contradictory ideas in one's mind at the same time and believe them both to be true)

Fahrenheit 451 by: Ray Bradbury

Summary: The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found.[4] The title refers to the temperature that Bradbury understood to be the auto ignition point of paper. Main Characters: Guy Montag: A third-generation fireman who suddenly realizes the emptiness of his life and starts to search for meaning in the books he is supposed to be burning. Mildred Montag: Montag's brittle, sickly looking wife. She is obsessed with watching television and refuses to engage in frank conversation with her husband about their marriage or her feelings. Clarisse McClellan: A beautiful seventeen-year-old who introduces Montag to the world's potential for beauty and meaning with her gentle innocence and curiosity. Themes: Censorship, knowledge versus ignorance Point of View: 1st POV Tone: Foreboding and menacing, disoriented, poetic, bitterly satirical Symbols: Fire, blood, the Electric-Eyed Snake, the hearth, the salamander, the phoenix, the sieve and the sand, Denham's Dentifrice, the dandelion, mirrors Motifs: Paradoxes, animals and nature, religion, television and radio

Julius Caesar by: William Shakespeare

Summary: The play opens with the commoners of Rome celebrating Caesar's triumphant return from defeating Pompey's sons at the battle of Munda. Two tribunes, Flavius and Marrullus, discover the commoners celebrating, insult them for their change in loyalty from Pompey to Caesar, and break up the crowd. They also plan on removing all decorations from Caesar's statues and ending any other festivities. In the next scene, during Caesar's parade on the feast of Lupercal, a soothsayer warns Caesar to "Beware the ides of March", a warning he disregards. The action then turns to the discussion between Brutus and Cassius. In this conversation, Cassius attempts to influence Brutus' opinions into believing Caesar should be killed, preparing to have Brutus join his conspiracy to kill Caesar. They then hear from Casca that Mark Antony has offered Caesar the crown of Rome three times, and that each time Caesar refused it, fainting after the last refusal. Later, in act two, Brutus joins the conspiracy, although after much moral debate, eventually deciding that Caesar, although his friend and never having done anything against the people of Rome, should be killed to prevent him from doing anything against the people of Rome if he were ever to be crowned. He compares Caesar to "A serpents egg/ which hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,/ and kill him in the shell.", and decides to join Cassius in killing Caesar. Main Characters: Brutus: A supporter of the republic who believes strongly in a government guided by the votes of senators. While Brutus loves Caesar as a friend, he opposes the ascension of any single man to the position of dictator, and he fears that Caesar aspires to such power. Julius Caesar: A great Roman general and senator, recently returned to Rome in triumph after a successful military campaign. Themes: Fate versus free will; public self versus private self; misinterpretation and misreading of signs and events; commitment to ideals versus adaptability and compromise; the relationship between rhetoric and power; allegiance and rivalry among men Point of View: The play sustains no single point of view; however, the audience acquires the most insight into Brutus's mind over the course of the action Tone: Serious, proud, virtuous, enraged, vengeful, idealistic, anguished Symbols: The women in the play, Portia and Calpurnia, symbolize the neglected private lives of their respective husbands, Brutus and Caesar. The men dismiss their wives as hindrances to their public duty, ignoring their responsibilities to their own mortal bodies and their private obligations as friends, husbands, and feeling men. Motifs: Omens and portents, letters

Beowulf by: unknown

Summary: The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hroðgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot has been under attack by a monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland (Götaland in modern Sweden) and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is fatally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants bury him in a tumulus, a burial mound, in Geatland. Main Characters: Beowulf - The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf's boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler. Themes: The importance of establishing identity; tensions between the heroic code and other value systems; the difference between a good warrior and a good king Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: The poet is generally enthusiastic about Beowulf's feats, but he often surrounds the events he narrates with a sense of doom. Symbols: The golden torque; the banquet Motifs: Monsters; the oral tradition; the mead-hall

The Odyssey by: Homer

Summary: The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman myths) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War.[3] In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres (Greek: Μνηστῆρες) or Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage. Main Characters: Odysseus: The protagonist of the Odyssey. Odysseus fought among the other Greek heroes at Troy and now struggles to return to his kingdom in Ithaca. Telemachus: Odysseus's son. An infant when Odysseus left for Troy, Telemachus is about twenty at the beginning of the story. Penelope Wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus. Penelope spends her days in the palace pining for the husband who left for Troy twenty years earlier and never returned. Themes: The power of cunning over strength; the pitfalls of temptation; the tension between goals and obstacles; the misery of separation; maturation as a journey Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: The power of cunning over strength; the pitfalls of temptation; the tension between goals and obstacles; the misery of separation; maturation as a journey Symbols: Food; the wedding bed; the great bow; symbols of temptation (Circe, the lotus, the Sirens' song, the cattle of the Sun) Motifs: Disguises; storytelling; seductresses

Metamorphis by: Franz Kafka

Summary: The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. The cause of Samsa's transformation is never revealed, and Kafka himself never gave an explanation. The rest of Kafka's novella deals with Gregor's attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repulsed by the horrible, verminous creature Gregor has become. Main Characters: Jupiter: The king of the gods. Jupiter is the son of Saturn, the husband and sister of Juno, and the brother of Neptune and Dis. Juno: The queen of the gods. Juno is the daughter of Saturn and the wife and sister of Jupiter. Apollo: The god of the sun. Apollo is Jupiter's son. A great archer, he is oftentimes hotheaded and lustful. Venus: The goddess of love. Venus is the daughter of Jupiter and Dione and the mother of Cupid and Aeneas. Themes: The pervasiveness of metamorphoses; the power of art; the sadness of love Point of View: play, no POV Tone: Dramatic Symbols: Storytelling; punishment; reward Motifs: Storytelling; punishment; reward

Raisin In The Sun by: Lorraine Hansberry

Summary: The story is based upon a black family's experiences in the Washington Park Subdivision of Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. Main Characters: Walter Lee Younger: The protagonist of the play. Walter is a dreamer. He wants to be rich and devises plans to acquire wealth with his friends, particularly Willy Harris. Beneatha Younger ("Bennie"): Mama's daughter and Walter's sister. Beneatha is an intellectual. Twenty years old, she attends college and is better educated than the rest of the Younger family. Lena Younger ("Mama"): Walter and Beneatha's mother. The matriarch of the family, Mama is religious, moral, and maternal. Ruth Younger: Walter's wife and Travis's mother. Ruth takes care of the Youngers' small apartment. Her marriage to Walter has problems, but she hopes to rekindle their love. Themes: The value and purpose of dreams, the need to fight racial discrimination, the importance of family Point of View: Play, no POV Tone: Realistic Symbols: "Eat your eggs," Mama's plant, Beneatha's hair Motifs: Racial identity, the home

To Kill A Mockingbird by: Harper Lee

Summary: The story takes place during three years (1933-35) of the Great Depression in the fictional "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama, the seat of Maycomb County. It focuses on six-year-old Jean Louise Finch (Scout), who lives with her older brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer. Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt each summer. The three children are terrified of, and fascinated by, their neighbor, the reclusive Arthur "Boo" Radley. The adults of Maycomb are hesitant to talk about Boo, and, for many years few have seen him. The children feed one another's imagination with rumors about his appearance and reasons for remaining hidden, and they fantasize about how to get him out of his house. After two summers of friendship with Dill, Scout and Jem find that someone leaves them small gifts in a tree outside the Radley place. Several times the mysterious Boo makes gestures of affection to the children, but, to their disappointment, he never appears in person. Judge Taylor appoints Atticus to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell. Although many of Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the best of his ability. Other children taunt Jem and Scout for Atticus's actions, calling him a "******-lover". Scout is tempted to stand up for her father's honor by fighting, even though he has told her not to. Atticus faces a group of men intent on lynching Tom. This danger is averted when Scout, Jem, and Dill shame the mob into dispersing by forcing them to view the situation from Atticus' and Tom's points of view. Atticus does not want Jem and Scout to be present at Tom Robinson's trial. No seat is available on the main floor, so by invitation of Rev. Sykes, Jem, Scout, and Dill watch from the colored balcony. Atticus establishes that the accusers—Mayella and her father, Bob Ewell, the town drunk—are lying. It also becomes clear that the friendless Mayella made sexual advances toward Tom, and that her father caught her and beat her. Despite significant evidence of Tom's innocence, the jury convicts him. Jem's faith in justice becomes badly shaken, as is Atticus', when the hapless Tom is shot and killed while trying to escape from prison. Despite Tom's conviction, Bob Ewell is humiliated by the events of the trial, Atticus explaining that he "destroyed [Ewell's] last shred of credibility at that trial."[11] Ewell vows revenge, spitting in Atticus' face, trying to break into the judge's house, and menacing Tom Robinson's widow. Finally, he attacks the defenseless Jem and Scout while they walk home on a dark night after the school Halloween pageant. One of Jem's arms is broken in the struggle, but amid the confusion someone comes to the children's rescue. The mysterious man carries Jem home, where Scout realizes that he is Boo Radley. Sheriff Tate arrives and discovers that Bob Ewell has died during the fight. The sheriff argues with Atticus about the prudence and ethics of charging Jem (whom Atticus believes to be responsible) or Boo (whom Tate believes to be responsible). Atticus eventually accepts the sheriff's story that Ewell simply fell on his own knife. Boo asks Scout to walk him home, and after she says goodbye to him at his front door he disappears again. While standing on the Radley porch, Scout imagines life from Boo's perspective, and regrets that they had never repaid him for the gifts he had given them. Main Characters: Jean Louise "Scout" Finch: The narrator and protagonist of the story. Scout lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb. She is intelligent and, by the standards of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout has a combative streak and a basic faith in the goodness of the people in her community. Atticus Finch: Scout and Jem's father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch: Scout's brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story. Themes: The coexistence of good and evil; the importance of moral education; social class Point of View: 1st POV Tone: Childlike, humorous, nostalgic, innocent; as the novel progresses, increasingly dark, foreboding, and critical of society Symbols: Mockingbirds; Boo Radley Motifs: Gothic details; small-town life

Of Mice & Men by: John Steinbeck

Summary: Two migrant field workers in California on their plantation during the Great Depression—George Milton, an intelligent but uneducated man, and Lennie Small, a man of large stature and great strength but limited mental abilities—are on their way to another part of California in Soledad. They hope to one day attain their shared dream of settling down on their own piece of land. Main Characters: Lennie: A large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Due to his mild mental disability, Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and traveling companion, for guidance and protection. George: A small, wiry, quick-witted man who travels with, and cares for, Lennie. Candy: An aging ranch handyman, Candy lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch. Themes: The predatory nature of human existence; the importance of fraternity and idealized relationships between men; the impossibility of the American Dream; the destructive imbalance of social power structures in American society Point of View: 3rd POV Tone: Sentimental, tragic, doomed, fatalistic, rustic, moralistic, comic Symbols: The clearing in the woods; Lennie and George's farm; mice; Candy's dog; the heron that plucks water snakes from the stream; Curley's boots; Lennie's puppy Motifs: The corrupting power of female sexuality; strength and weakness; loneliness and companionship

Death Of A Salesman by: Arthur Miller

Summary: Willy Loman returns home exhausted after a cancelled business trip. Worried over Willy's state of mind and recent car accident, his wife Linda suggests that he ask his boss Howard Wagner to allow him to work in his home city so he will not have to travel. Willy complains to Linda that their son, Biff, has yet to make good on his life. Despite Biff's promising showing as an athlete in high school, he flunked senior-year math and never went to college. Biff and his brother Happy, who is temporarily staying with Willy and Linda after Biff's unexpected return from the West, reminisce about their childhood together. They discuss their father's mental degeneration, which they have witnessed in the form of his constant indecisiveness and recurrent instances of talking to himself when he thinks he is alone. Willy walks in, angry that the two boys have never amounted to anything. In an effort to pacify their father, Biff and Happy tell their father that Biff plans to make a business proposition the next day. The next day, Willy goes to ask his boss, Howard, for a job in town while Biff goes to make a business proposition, but both fail. Willy gets angry and ends up getting fired when the boss tells him he needs a rest and can no longer represent the company. Biff waits hours to see a former employer who does not remember him and turns him down. Biff impulsively steals a fountain pen. Willy then goes to the office of his neighbor Charley, where he runs into Charley's son Bernard (now a successful lawyer); Bernard tells him that Biff originally wanted to do well in summer school, but something happened in Boston when Biff went to visit his father that changed his mind. Happy, Biff, and Willy meet for dinner at a restaurant, but Willy refuses to hear bad news from Biff. Happy tries to get Biff to lie to their father. Biff tries to tell him what happened as Willy gets angry and slips into a flashback of what happened in Boston the day Biff came to see him. Willy had been having an affair with a receptionist on one of his sales trips when Biff unexpectedly arrived at Willy's hotel room. A shocked Biff angrily confronted his father, calling him a liar and a fraud. From that moment, Biff's views of his father changed and set Biff adrift. Biff leaves the restaurant in frustration, followed by Happy and two girls that Happy has picked up. They leave a confused and upset Willy behind in the restaurant. When they later return home, their mother angrily confronts them for abandoning their father while Willy remains outside, talking to himself. Biff tries unsuccessfully to reconcile with Willy, but the discussion quickly escalates into another argument. Biff conveys plainly to his father that he is not meant for anything great, insisting that both of them are simply ordinary men meant to lead ordinary lives. The feud reaches an apparent climax with Biff hugging Willy and crying as he tries to get Willy to let go of the unrealistic expectations. Willy still clings to high expectations for him and cannot accept him for who he really is. He still cannot confront his son about his own moral lapses and indiscretions and weeps while he prepares to go to bed, exhausted. Willy, "astonished," says, "Biff - he likes me." Linda comforts him and tells him, "He loves you, Willy." Rather than listen to what Biff actually says, Willy appears to believe his son has forgiven him and thinks Biff will now pursue a career as a businessman. Willy kills himself, apparently intentionally by crashing his car so that Biff can use the life insurance money to start his business. The ambiguities at the funeral of mixed and unaddressed emotions persist. At the funeral Biff retains his belief that he does not want to become a businessman like his father. Happy, on the other hand, chooses to follow in his father's footsteps. Main Characters: Willy Loman: An insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman. Willy believes wholeheartedly in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, but he never achieves it. Biff Loman: Willy's thirty-four-year-old elder son. Biff led a charmed life in high school as a football star with scholarship prospects, good male friends, and fawning female admirers. Linda Loman: Willy's loyal, loving wife. Linda suffers through Willy's grandiose dreams and self-delusions. Themes: The American Dream; abandonment; betrayal Point of View: play, no POV Tone: The tone of Miller's stage directions and dialogue ranges from sincere to parodying, but, in general, the treatment is tender, though at times brutally honest, toward Willy's plight Symbols: Seeds; diamonds; Linda's and The Woman's stockings; the rubber hose Motifs: The American Dream; abandonment; betrayal