Introduction
For the sake of this project, I chose to analyze the following literary and nonliterary works:
- “The Death of Ivan Ilych” by Leo Tolstoy (Novel)
- Death of a Salesman, directed by Laszlo Benedek (Film)
- “Piano Man,” written and performed by Billy Joel (Music)
All three of these works relate to the ways in which we live our lives, and the necessity to be able to view our lives much more abstractly and open-mindedly – the works feature characters who are either served well or could be served well by their capacity for critical thought and self-reflection.
Objective Analysis
Ivan Ilych
In the 1886 novel The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy, the main character is a middle-aged judge residing in 19th century Russia. Being very wealthy and upper class, he has a substantially privileged life, although he and his wife are not on good terms. In the novel, after injuring himself installing curtains in his fancy new apartment, he begins feeling sick, and before long it becomes clear that he is dying of an unidentified illness that is rapidly spreading. With this surprising new data, Ivan Ilych begins to look at his own goals in life, and whether he has fulfilled his potential. Tolstoy utilizes a great deal of detail and realism in his works to ground the events of the book, making them feel more real and affecting. By not identifying the illness, Tolstoy shows that these details are irrelevant, leaving the reader to focus on the spiritual component of the book.
Death of a Salesman
The film Death of a Salesman, adapted from the play by Arthur Miller, tells the tale of Willy Loman, a salesman who is middle-aged and struggles with the failures that he has in his life. He is on uncertain terms with his son, and has a much higher perception of his importance than he actually has. This leads him to clash with his family and others as he struggles for relevance. The director uses a fluid sense of time to create a flowing sense of narrative, past and present events coinciding with each other to give us details, bit by bit, of Willy’s tormented life.
The Piano Man
Billy Joel’s 1973 song “Piano Man” is one of the most well-known pop songs of its time. The song is a piano and harmonica-based tale about a piano lounge singer and the various people that go in and out of that lounge. Over the course of the song, we hear stories of heartbreak, success and alcoholism, as Joel provides clear, tenor vocals to support the repetitive, yet energetic instrumentation.
The song uses incredible use of repetition and irony, as each verse goes the same way every time to emphasize the dreary dullness of these characters’ lives, and they speak highly of their accomplishments when it is clear that they have not accomplished anything. The song works mostly around a piano solo that has its origins in jazz improvisation; syncopated piano playing gets the song started, delayed beats offering a burst of music at the start before the song slides into its harmonica-and-piano melody.
Subjective Analysis
Ivan Ilych
The mood of the book is quite solemn and grounded; Tolstoy wants the reader to take this work seriously. Tolstoy describes Ivan as "neither as cold and formal as his elder brother nor as wild as the younger, but was a happy mean between them - an intelligent, polished, lively and agreeable man" (Tolstoy, p. 794). The book deals with the themes of life and death, regret and self-knowledge. Between his wife and his shallow, consumerist life, Ivan does not understand how sad he is; however, he understands he is unhappy, but does not comprehend why. After all, he thinks he is doing everything right. Ivan, as his horror increases at the idea of death, has a hard time understanding his imminent demise. He says to himself, "I have been here. Now I am going there. Where?No, I won't have it!" (Tolstoy). Man's quest for meaning in this book requires someone learning, far too late, that living for petty reasons and caring not for others does not make you really happy, or eliminate regret at the time of your death. The only thing that might do that is to be yourself, and to not submit to what others believe your life should be.
Death of a Salesman
The mood of Death of a Salesman is quite cheery at times, reflecting Willy’s obliviously boastful attitude. However, once the film gets to the core of Willy’s tragedy and depression, the mood becomes more dour and serious, as evidenced through naturalistic lighting and Expressionistic shots. Willy Loman is a very tragic character undermined by his own misplaced notion of the American dream. He thinks that in order to succeed, you merely have to present yourself well; there is no skill or initiative needed for (or found in) Willy. This leads him to strike out at his sons, who are failing as he has, and this puts them further away from him. Willy and Biff grow apart more, as Biff despises Willy for pushing such high expectations on him, and Willy loathes Biff for not succeeding where he did not. This all leads to the theme of the emptiness of the American Dream, which just ruins people after setting up high expectations.
The Piano Man
“Piano Man” is in no way an innovative song, but it depends on familiar, steady musical elements to maintain its pace. Joel’s voice is a soft lilt, just going into vibrato when it is time to seem intense; the instrumentation is a good combination of clear piano and syncopated harmonica, and straightforward drums that follow the rhythm. The song is supposed to make you think of the sorts of lackadaisical lounge singing and playing, using it to bring up the type of mood that attracts by the characters he sings about. To that end, utilizes these oft-heard musical elements to tell its tale of a well-traveled place and the people in it. The theme of the work is the universality of everyone’s stories; everyone has a different tale, but they all involve a sad, tragic misfortune befalling them. By singing about them, Joel’s Piano Man is a cold, cool observer who does not examine himself and prefers to look at others instead.
Relationships and Similarities
These three works share remarkable similarities and differences, all leading into the theme of self-knowledge and the emptiness of success. Ivan Ilych is a successful, rich man who nonetheless cannot save himself from death, and realizing he has an empty life. Willy Loman lusts after that kind of success but never gets it, and he also dies full of regrets without the kind of self-understanding Ivan reaches by the end. The Piano Man looks around at all the people who are similarly failing in their lives, but he does not look in at himself at any point, which sets itself apart from the other two works. Looking at the relationship between these works helped me understand the theme much better, as I was able to see interrelations in the anxieties and hopes of the characters; Joel’s repetitive playing put me in the mindset of the empty lives that Ivan and Willy both lived as well.
Reflection/Conclusion
In conclusion, The Death of Ivan Ilych, Death of a Salesman and “Piano Man” all tackle the idea of understanding and looking inside oneself, and measuring your expectations against your accomplishments. This analysis has helped me greatly in my own understanding of humanity, as it cemented the need for self-reflection and individuality (not chasing what others believe you should have). This theme relates deeply to me as a professional in the humanities, as my work is all about self-reflection and introspection; learning the consequences of failing to do that is very important to me. I believe humanities is incredibly important for professionals in all fields of study, not just mine; it is vital for us to understand ourselves before we can do any work for others, and as such, works exploring that aspect of humanity are important to examine. Most importantly, learning the difference between being materially prosperous and happy (as Ivan does and Willy fails to do) is an important part of one’s life, thus making these works essential to that understanding.
References
Benedek, L (dir.). (1951). Death of a salesman. Perf. Fredric March. Columbia Pictures.
Joel, B. (1973). “Piano Man.” Piano Man (album). Columbia Records.
Sporre, D. J. (2009). Perceiving the arts: An introduction to the humanities. 9th ed. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Tolstoy, L. (1886). The Death of Ivan Ilych.
