Death of a Salesman 4/5

     So, I've been thinking recently. A dangerous pass time, I know. And I thought to myself that one of the characters that probably isn't covered much in anyone's little blog posts, is the waiter that waits on the Lomans at the restaurant. I feel like he's a pretty important guy. He shows the audience how other people react to the insanity and the effect that the main characters have on their surroundings.
     Stanley is probably the nicest guy in the whole play. He's an honest guy, trying to make an honest living at a crap-shoot job. He greets the brothers with smiles and warm words. He's patient when they make a complete scene in the middle of a quiet restaurant. He picks up the pieces of Willy's broken mind when the brother's have run out of patience and out of the scene all together. Stanley reminds me of the fish that get caught in tornadoes sometimes. He was just swimming along, minding his own business, when all of a sudden he gets swept up by this unstoppable force, this thing so much larger than him or any of the others swept with him. A while later, he may fall back down. A temporary part of a larger body.
     It's a little refreshing, I think, to have someone, some third party, involved in the story. He gives you a different perspective on the whole matter. Instead of choosing sides between brothers or parents, Stanley gives a more clear vision of the entire situation. He'd be like the reliable narrator, if it weren't already told in dramatic format. That's another thing I've noticed, though. The way the plot is told gives off a bias, obviously. Generally I had always thought that being said in third person meant that the plot's points were unbiased, but
Death of a Salesman has changed my mind on the matter. Everything is biased. No matter how you tell it.
     Despite that, Stanley is still a refreshing change of pace. Everything is biased, yes, but to certain degrees. Stanley provides a different level and quality of bias.
     So, I guess, in short, I appreciate the author's new perspective on the situation via Stanley. But mostly, I feel bad for the poor sap. He probably has enough issues of his own, but he still winds up getting to serve the town crazy-pants. Poor guy, right?