The Theme of Aspiration and Greed as Depicted in Death of a Salesman

Unfortunately, sometimes ambition gets in the way of true love. It can destroy a relationship, friendship, or family. As women, we have learned to guard our hearts a little more carefully for this exact reason. Whatever a man’s motive is, whether it be success or sex, some men will stop at nothing to get what they want. In the movie, “Maleficent”, Maleficent is a victim to this classic scenario. She falls in love with a boy named Steffan and he turns around and stabs her in the back. Being on opposing sides of a feud as old as time, she chooses to follow her heart and love him regardless, but he chooses his kingdom over her. Torn to pieces, Maleficent swears revenge.

In this scenario, Steffan uses Maleficent as a pawn in his rise to power in his kingdom. He clips her wings and never turns back. He uses the relationship and trust between him and Maleficent to his advantage. For us, it is a similar game. Being in college, males are no longer boys but are not quite men yet. They are still quite immature and usually have one thing on their mind when it comes to girls. If you talk to the average boy in a fraternity, you can pick up on some key characteristics about them after about forty-five seconds of conversation. Sometimes it seems as though that is all any boy is after. It makes you wonder what you can do to attract the right kind of guy. But the “right kind of guy”, of course means one who values and respects you and one who will obey you when you say “no”.

Of course, opposition to a guy’s wishes may make him angry. Many men will tell you they value and respect women but in the back of their minds, they still feel superior. It may be from being raised in a conservative and traditional setting. In a traditional family setting, there is a mother and a father. The man provides for the family and the mother raises the children and does the housework. She lives to make life for the husband easier and completely throws her own ambitions and desires in the garbage. As mentioned in the PBS Documentary “Women Who Make America”, there was an entire magazine in the 1950s about being a good housewife and mother. If the man does not get his way, there will be problems.

The best way to show a guy that you will have no part in his game is being confident and respecting yourself. If you do not give yourself up a guy right away, he may label you as ““frigid,”, “uptight,” “man-hater,” “bitch” and “cocktease.””(499,Oppression), but you should remain confident in yourself and your decisions. Women who push back are used less often and respected.

When a woman values herself, the right men will value her. Of course, there will always be sexists. But what you put off is what you get back. When a man really respects a woman’s opinion and takes her words to heart, he values her. When a man can depend on a woman the same way she can depend on him, he values her. When a man genuinely cares for a woman’s wellbeing, he values her.

Of course, Maleficent could not have predicted what would happen with Steffan. She was confident and happy with herself and with the creatures in her kingdom, but still he betrays her. He clips her wings to take away what makes her a fairy. It was as if he took her crown. And it left her not only heartbroken, but feeling weak and vulnerable. This is something women must be cautious of in the real world. He portrays human nature perfectly- selfish and ambitious. And he stops at nothing to destroy his enemy and rise to power.