Two Bees or not two bees

Two bees or not two bees

Today, I went to yet another performance of Butterfly's Day at Desert Stages to see my sister perform. And even though I have seen this play multiple times already, this time the song "two bees or not two bees" had a different meaning. In the play, a butterfly only has one day to live to find her true meaning. This song is played at the beginning when the bees are helping the butterfly decide how she will live her last day alive. The butterfly, throughout the play, was so worried about preventing her death, finding meaning in her life, and living to make a difference. While this play is obviously fictional, it made me wonder... why is it that we as humans are so intrigued by death and what death means?

In Hamlet, the mystery behind death is a major theme that is discussed. In addition to the "to be or not to be" soliloquy, there are many other instances in which we see Hamlet's wonder and obsession surrounding death. In the scene where the gravediggers prepare for Ophelia's burial, Hamlet wonders about the skulls that were excavated and who these people were during their lives. Hamlet talks to the gravedigger and is taken aback when he learns that one of the skulls was Yorick's. It appears that Hamlet is so interested in the skulls/death in general because it relates to the idea about the afterlife. Death brings a physical disappearance from the earth and from life, but where does the soul go? Hamlet's encounter with Yorick's skull impacted him because he saw the physical remains of a person he remembered as a child. Likewise, humans seem to be intrigued by things that they cannot understand. In an age where problems have solutions, where questions have answers, death is one of those concepts that is not really discussed and is hard to comprehend.

Although Hamlet and The Butterfly's Day are drastically different plays with drastically difference audiences, they both shed light on the confusing and uncomfortable concepts behind death and what it means to live. In the butterfly's case, her true meaning was found in helping her long-lost human friend who was trapped in dream land. In Hamlet's case, he tries figure out if the ghost has reliable information, if it is right to seek revenge on the man who took the throne and his wife, and what love means with Ophelia, etc..

Willy: more than just a bad salesman

In the last few days of discussion, the subject of how we, as readers, feel about Willy has repeatedly come up. On the surface, it is easy to judge this seemingly scattered, confused, and otherwise emotional man. His mood swings and reactions to various situations are sometimes annoying because “he just does not get it.” For example, after Willy was fired from his job, he continued to tell his boss that he will just take the old job back. His constant begging and lack of understanding about his being fired was frustrating to the readers: Why didn’t he get that he was not getting that job back? Likewise, his emotional roller coasters clearly affected his familial relationships. His children were raised in an environment where stealing was justified and no clear direction was given. As a result, Happy and Biff can be seen jumping from job to job, idea to idea in hope to figure out what they truly want. His wife, although composed and happy on the outside, struggled after knowing her husband was trying to kill himself. While chipper and supportive throughout the play, she showed in her closing remarks that she was upset over Willy. Her being carried off stage by her son sobbing, “we are free,” suggests that all she wanted was for her husband to be happy and alive.

However, despite these flaws and annoyances surrounding Willy, he stands for much more important ideals that relate to humanity. If we step back, we can see Willy as representing the so many people that strive toward their dreams, despite setbacks. Even though he was not a great salesman, he continued to pursue what he really wanted: to be successful ( which in his case, means being a great salesman, demonstrating that success is relative: but that is another blog topic). In addition, it was disheartening to see Willy struggle when he was losing his job. His bargaining and willingness to make less money showed that he really wanted to continue to be a salesman. While he was no longer beneficial to the company, it was sad to see Willy lose the thing that meant most to him in his life. This situation demonstrates that, as readers, it is often hard to remain completely objective. Business is business; however, loyalty and emotions often come intertwined in these situations. As a result, Willy deserves some pity and sympathy: he was fired from his job and the thing that meant most to him, what is he suppose to do now? No one deserves the agony and pain that Willy went through.

Overall, Willy represents more than just a scattered, annoying salesman. He represents the emotional and real sides that are present in humanity.

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