Derek's Final Conversation Assignment

George: Hey Willy, how have you been?

Willy: I have been not too bad, how about yourself?

George: I have been ok; I’ve seen better days however…

Willy: What is troubling you George my friend?

George: Well have you ever had a dream or a goal you set and although it seems capable of achieving you always seem to come up short?

Willy: Yes, George I know exactly what you mean.

George: I just can never get a break Willy; you know with Lennie in all, he was just always getting me into trouble of losing me a job or something.

George: You know I love him but sometimes I just imagined how much easier things might be without me having to always watch out for him.

Willy: You know my boy Biff? He’s just like that; I always feel like he could do better if he just tried a little harder you know? It just seems to me he doesn’t care enough and then I worry for him causing me to lose focus.

Willy: Don’t get me wrong I love the boy; I love both my boys I just don’t understand sometimes…

George: If they only knew how we saw it I feel like so much would change for them. I mean there’s not much I want in life it just seemed so much more difficult with Lennie as sad as it sounds. He’s a great companion but he ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed that’s for damn sure.

Willy: Haha, yea sometimes I think that Biff can be just as bad but what else can you do but except it and try and give them what they need to be successful. Speaking of Lennie how has he been? It’s been a while since I’ve seen that boy.

George: He’s dead Willy; sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.

Willy: O my! I’m so sorry to hear that, if you don’t mind me asking what happened too him?

George: Well rumor has it he shot himself as I wrestled with him for a gun but you’re a good friend and I can trust you, plus I’ve kept it bottled up too long…

Willy: What? What is it George?

George: I killed him Willy, I took his life but it was a greater good I swear.

Willy: I…I don’t understand, what do you mean?
George: Well it started when Lennie and I got a new job on a ranch. As we were getting settled there in our living quarters we met the rancher’s son’s wife. Lennie began to talk about how “purty” she was when she left and I told him that he can not talk to her or anything because she is only trouble for both of us.

Willy: Didn’t you two get ran out of town for Lennie touching a girl?

George: Yes! I was telling him that if we’re are ever going to reach that dream we always had of our own farm with livestock, ranching making our own money and Lennie can have rabbits to raise and everything but we need to keep our jobs and make money to buy the farm and we can’t risk losing them again because of the rancher’s sons wife. Then on day during the horseshoe competition all the men and I were having, Lennie was in the barn with his puppy. After a while I came in only to find that the rancher’s son’s wife was dead and Lennie tried to hide it. I knew he had killed her and it was most likely accidental but either way I knew he was going to get it.

Willy: So why “you” kill him?

George: Well Lennie ran to a spot by the river we distinguished as the safe spot. I knew he was there so I went there while the mob was searching I met him there. He pled his case to me and I understood he felt terrible and knew he had made a mistake but the mob did not care and I knew they would kill him once they got their hands on him. So I did what I thought was the most honorable thing and I told him to turn and look away at the river and as I told him about that dream of the farm and his rabbits he could raise I shot and killed him…

Willy: That is terrible George; I understand why you did it and your right it was the honorable thing to do and it must have been hard but Lennie would have done the same for you and it’s hard losing a friend like that but it’s ok man I’m hear for you.

George: Thanks Willy you’re a good man you know I spent all that time chasing dream and saying it would be so much easier without Lennie but now that he is gone I feel even more lost then before.

Willy: You know after hearing that it makes me think about myself and how I’ve been chasing a dream just like you and ignoring my family and there struggles. I don’t know what I would do if I lost them, George. I love them all and that really put things in perspective for me even though I swear one of these days that boy Biff is going to be the death of me…

Matt Smania final

George: Hello Loman Brothers. How’re you both feeling today?

Biff: Well hello to you George Milton.

Happy: Hello George. It has been a few weeks since our father died but things are looking up.

George: That’s good to hear. How is your family doing financially without your father’s income?

Biff: I’ve been trying to get a job for weeks, but without my high school diploma I can’t get a job like my father wanted.

Happy: I still have my job but I haven’t gotten a raise or promotion in years. Luckily the old man’s insurance was enough to last us for a while. The house is paid off too.

George: Ah, well Biff why don’t you move out west like me and work on the land?

Biff: I would George, but I just steal my way out of every job I have. Plus it was my father’s dream to have me be somebody and be well liked in this city, not do manual-labor. I can’t let him down now.

Happy: Yah me and Biff gotta stay in the city and use the insurance money dad sacrificed himself for.

George: Oh Your father must have had big dreams for you boys. Me and my friend Lennie had some dreams not to long ago.

Happy: How did that work out for your George?

George: Well we was doing good. You see, we wanted to save up our money and buy some land just for ourselves. We went to a ranch and met an old man interested in our idea, wantin’ to stay with us if he gave us most of the money we’d need.

Biff: Well did your American dream come true.

George: No my friend Lennie got into some trouble and I had to cut ties with him. I thought me and him were gunna get there together.

Happy: Oh so did sharing that dream with him help you?

George: Yeah I’d say that we kept each other focused on the dream. I think that without Lennie I would’ve given up on that dream very long ago. Why do ya ask?

Biff: Well my father had dreams for us but he pushed us the wrong way.

Happy: My dad pushed Biff to become a football star but never emphasized grades.

Biff: Then I failed math and never graduated. I had scholarships ready but I failed.

George: Well what kind of dreams did you have when u were playing football.

Biff: Well I was feeling good, but when I realized what my dad was doing behind my mothers back I stopped believing in him and his dreams for me.

Happy: Me and biff don't believe in dreams now, we just work with what we have. Do you still believe in the American dream.

George:Even though mine has not completed, Lennie taught me that the dream cannot be found. He taught me that the dream cannot be reached but it gives you a destination. At the same time tho you only set that dream is for the road to the destination.

Biff: So you're saying that its more important to have the dream than it is to reach it?

George: Yah. well I have to go to the next farm.

Happy: Ok George thanks for the advice. Good bye.

Biff: Bye George

Zach Travis

Montag: Willy! What are you doing? This is crazy!
Piggy: he’s right it’s not worth it come back here!
Willy: I can’t it’s just too much! I can’t take any more of this!
Piggy: well just come back and we can talk this out.
Montag: he’s right Willy, whatever is bothering you I’m sure we can fix this just come away from the edge and we can work this out.
Willy: you don’t understand, neither of you! You don’t get it!
Montag: get what!
Willy: what its like to put so much effort and love into your family and get nothing in return!
Piggy: we don’t get it?!
Montag: all of us have had family troubles but we learn to live with it we find ways to deal! And they don’t include hanging over the edge of a building! Now get down.
Willy: I cant do it anymore! I wake up in the morning and nothing! Not a good morning from my boys or even a good night I love you dad!
Montag: will you still have a wife who loves and cares about you!
Piggy: yeah
Montag: me on the other hand… my wife cares more about her television shows than she does me! It’s like living with a stranger half the time.
Willy: I guess your right… but I’ve made too many mistakes with wife
Piggy: what did you do?
Willy: I was never really there for her. Always away at work, making her mend her stocking rather than just buy her new ones.
Montag: willy that doesn’t sound that horrible im sure she loves you and knows everything you’ve done was for her and the boys
Willy: that’s not all….
Piggy : what else…?
Willy: well a while ago on a trip to boston, back while the boys were in still in school I had an affair…
Montag: willy how long did this last?
Willy: a couple months she was a secretary for a buyer… I was lonely
Piggy: does linda know? Or any of the boys?
Willy: no linda and happy don’t know, biff does he came up to surprise me one weekend and she was there.
Montag: that’s horrible but linda doesn’t have to know and you can continue living happly you don’t have to do this.
Willy: it’s the only way to escape it all! I had a happy loving family but that’s gone now! And there is no way to get it back
Piggy: don’t talk to me about loosing your family! I had a family we were happy! Then that was taken from me! But you know what? You learn to roll with the punches, no its not easy at first but life goes on! This is no reason to be staring down the side of a twenty story building
Willy: but I have no chance of finding more family im too old that time has passed! Its too late
Montag: its never too late! I lost mildred to her tv family but I found another place to call home! And when that got bad I found another place its not hard you just need to be willing to look!
Willy: im not like you Montag! I cant just jump from people to people and call them my family! There needs to be something more than that for me.
Piggy: willy its not easy! But it can happen! You shouldn’t just give up, keep looking and you can find family. I did! I was stranded on an island! With very little chance of survival and instead of possibly dying alone I reached out and found people to call my family!
Montag: Willy stop being crazy and just get off the ledge. We can talk about this
Piggy: hes right willy just come back over here we can get help you can sit down and talk to linda and the boys it will all work out just don’t do anything stupid.
Willy: none of that matters anymore! Its too late to fix it…
Montag: Willy! Don’t! Piggy!, grab him!
Willy: tell linda I love her