The Presence of the Past: the past as a matter of debate

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Mind Map on The Presence of the Past: the past as a matter of debate, created by Natasha Fix on 09/04/2017.
Natasha  Fix
Mind Map by Natasha Fix, updated more than 1 year ago
Natasha  Fix
Created by Natasha Fix about 7 years ago
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The Presence of the Past: the past as a matter of debate
  1. Death of a Salesman
    1. past is present in the memories of the characters
      1. Willy's past continually invades his present -> collision of past and present
        1. past influences Willy's behavior the same way as his current interactions with other characters
          1. he retreats to his memory to confront the truth that lies there and in part to escape the consequences of the past exposed by the linear present
          2. Long Day's Journey Into Night
            1. each character controlled by his memories of the family's history
              1. example: Both sons and Mary hold grudges towards Tyrone for refusing to pay for a quality doctor for Mary
              2. Mary cannot let go of the dream of being a professional pianist or nun
                1. family is decaying because it is trapped by suspicions and problems resulting from mistakes made long ago which can neither be forgiven nor ignored
                  1. "the past is the present" (Mary, Act II)
                    1. Title: the day is not unique --> repetitive
                      1. cyclic structure: each confrontation leads to a relevation about the past and to another confrontation
                        1. sole activity of characters: dealing with the past and its present repercussions
                          1. all problems of past cannot be forgotten
                            1. past as a burden: fixed the present and future, letting go impossible
                              1. past as a refuge
                            2. Our Town
                              1. Emily returns to Grover's Corners to relive her 12th birthday: impossibility of recovering the past -> Emily is a product of her relationships and cannot go back
                                1. importance of a moment in developing the pattern of a lifetime and the intrinsic worth
                                  1. future significance of the events she relives -> dramatic irony
                                    1. bombarded of details that she had forgotten
                                    2. often: focus on present moment
                                      1. repetition of details and circularity of daily activities: expose the past while depicting the present
                                        1. memory as blessing and curse
                                        2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
                                          1. several characters retell the past -> several versions of the story
                                            1. memory as a creative process -> truth never captured
                                              1. first 15 pages: Maggie's one-sided conversation exposes the path and elicits our sympathy for Maggie -> Maggie recognizes: Brick uses memory to preserve an unchanging past -> influence on present is destructive
                                                1. end: lie about baby -> survival not adhering to personal vision as it is frozen in memory -> it should interact with present and adjust to its demands
                                                2. Painting churches
                                                  1. Fanny and Gardener (parents) in decline from their artistically productive years and daughter is moving up -> self-centered
                                                    1. Mags want to erase her past -> hated her childhood (send away from the table, because playing with food & parents destroyed her first "art work")
                                                      1. end: re-acceptance
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