Death Knock by Woody Allen

Allen endows Death with qualities we may possibly not associate with him, actually qualities that make him all too human and familiar. Death is often a bit of the bumbler, tripping his way into the bedroom and almost killing himself. Allen enhances the irony of this case by making death "nauseous," and obtaining him worried he will get "gangrene" inside the cut he received on his knee climbing from the room (2). Death can also be unassuming and humorous himself in ways that make him a very unthreatening portrayal of death.

Death is as humorous as Nat. When Nat tells him it can't be his time simply because he just merged using a new business and that Death isn't what he expected, Death replies, "What'd you expect-Rock Hudson" (Allen 3)? Death also seems to get limited power to carry out his assignment, mainly because he willingly enters into Nat's wager to play a game of gin rummy. If Nat wins, he wins another 24 hours of life. If he loses, he will go with Death immediately. Allen also uses cultural icons to aid personify death and make him much less threatening and familiar. This version of Death enjoys his "Fresca" and is offered some "M&M's," extremely bother Nat has not thought ahead to provide something a bit nicer for unexpected drop-ins (Allen 3). By making death so familiar and humorous, Allen creates him appear a smaller amount fearsome and some thing we can technique inside a a lot lighter moo

 

Allen's use of a one-day wager if Nat wins is significant. His use from the allegory with the card game reinforces his principal theme within the use of this particular time wager. The theme looks to be that simply because we all must die, even one more day of life is worthwhile if we can get it. As literary critic Paul Jorion (2007) says, "Life amounts in each illustration to a similar losing battle exactly where what the highest skill obtains is practically nothing more than time...suggesting that time is not so bad a commodity after all" (p. 1). That is why Allen characterizes Death as he does, so we understand we must get a lot more out with the time we do have to live by enjoying life additional fully by taking death a smaller amount seriously. Commins (1987) argues that Allen's works are typically centered on questions about "death" (p. 2). In his portrayal of Death in this play, Allen seems to suggest that some form of escape during the inevitable is possible.

In conclusion, in numerous cultures death and life are viewed as opposing forces rather than a variety of aspects of human existence. In Woody Allen's Death Knocks, the playwright offers a perspective of death.

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