Death of a Salesman & Perception

 The director of the film, "Death of the Salesman" interpreted the play differently than I had. Or perhaps he dramatized it to hold attention better and thus make the film a greater success. 

The main surprise was the role of the main character. In the movie he was much more angry, loud and demanding than what I envisioned him to be when reading. On several occasions he would yell unnecessarily. For example, with the meeting with his boss I envisioned him nervous and begging for a salary. In the movie, he started out this way but gradually grew more and more aggressive where at one point the boss seemed scared to be in the same room. On several instances, he would snap at his wife whereas in the written version I interpreted his lines with a controlled firmness behind them. 

These varying interpretations made me think about how everybody's perception of reality differs. Even though we might objectively see the same object or scene, our interpretation will be different based on our personal beliefs, values and past experiences. For example, I might see a scenario where in a man seems to be holding a woman from behind and think 'oh that's cute, he's hugging her.' At the same time, someone who has had an experience with human trafficking might think, 'oh no, she might be getting kidnapped, I have to go help her.' It's an interesting idea that our perceptions are different than other people's. It can explain many disagreements we have with others in our personal lives where a little bit of communication might resolve an issue.