Linda Loman

While Biff was in Boston, his discoveries manipulated the course of his life. Willy’s affair damaged the trust Biff had for him. Boys look up to their father. Once Biff saw The Woman, he no longer knew how to act. He had the intention of getting help to pass math. Willy’s affair shattered it all. Bernard explains to Willy that once Biff returned from Boston, things weren’t the same. “…I knew he’d given up his life. What happened in Boston, Willy?”

In Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses his leading female characters to express the subservient gender roles of the 1950’s. We see these women fall victim to the roles society sets for them multiple times throughout the plays. Arthur Miller uses his characters to accentuate his views on 1950’s social structure. In Death of a Salesman Linda Loman, Willy’s wife, wasn't aware her husband was having an affair.

In the text Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, an examination of the characters Linda and the women conveys the main idea on the different positions and roles of women in the play. The topic is worth investigation because Arthur Miller uses themes and common symbols to vividly show the similarities and differences of Linda and the women. Specifically, the comparative analysis of the characters, Linda, the prostitutes, and the woman reveals various aspects on how Miller portrays women in society in which emphasizes the power men have of women. As a result, Arthur Miller employs a limited scope between the women he divides the women into two categories: Linda and the others.

Depicting how most men were programmed to think in that geographical area and period. Most importantly, highlighting what little options women had, and why they had to act the way they did. Consequently, “Death of a Salesman” also conveys the notion that women are the most disrespected individuals that are expected to give support and respect, similarly to “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, but in an analogous way. In “Death of a Salesman” Linda, wife of protagonist Willy, is illustrated as always supporting and obeying him. Even when disrespected by him, she still gives him the utmost respect.

Willy’s failure as a father and husband not, that he had a secret love for the woman and not

Instead of admitting his fault, Willy yells at Biff to the point where Biff tells Willy to forget about talking to his teacher and walks out. There is one moment where Willy does think about taking the blame. “... was it my fault? Y’see? It keeps going around in my mind, maybe I did something to him...”

Sexual objectification is the act of treating a person as an instrument of sexual pleasure. Miller elucidates this by using milieu of the time period. This sexual objectification of women is mainly used by Willy with his mistress and also with the philandering Happy when he talks about women. This ideology that women are only good for the pleasure of men something that has been prevalent for centuries, stemming from the stereotype that women are objects and/or possessions for a man to exploit. Willy shows no respect to either his wife or his mistress. On his way back to Brooklyn, Willy tells his mistress to “keep [her] pores open” (1.39). This degrading statement gives insight on how Willy views women. He does not view women as people who have identities of their own, but objects that he can use for his own pleasure. Not only does this statement give insight on Willy’s views on women, but also how the mistress views herself. Her response to this statement was “Oh, Willy (1.39)”, and starts to burst out laughing. This depicts how in this time men treated women with no respect, and there were no repercussions. Linda never stood up to Willy in Brooklyn, and neither did his mistress in New England. Willy’s insolence towards women definitely rubbed off onto Happy. Happy, a philanderer, had an “If I want it, then I will get it” attitude towards women. This attitude is demonstrated when he states that, “...I don’t want the girl, and still I take it and- I love it” (1.25). This statement is the epitome of sexual objectification towards women. Happy doesn’t view women as people, but instead just as things that he can “take”.

He is blaming his coffee for his poor driving when it may be something deeper than that. Willy is ruining his relationship with his wife, Linda. His denial that he may need to take a break from work has rubbed off on Linda. “ maybe it's your glasses. You never went for new glasses.”

In the first few pages of “Death of a Salesman,” we are introduced to Willy Loman and his wife Linda. Willy is an older man and has made his career in sales, while Linda stays at home and takes care of things there. At first thought, Linda is a caring mother and devoted wife who is always there to encourage and support the men in her life. Occasionally you will notice bouts of narcissism and deceit in the way she talks to both her husband and two boys. When reading the second time, and taking a little longer to do so, I have found that Linda is very materialistic and more often than not displays skewed feelings towards her family. The personality of the woman from Willy’s past that now seems to have a significant place in his delusions blends seamlessly with that of Linda Loman. Although neither are aware of the other, the two ladies

The story ‘Death of a Salesman’ written by Miller focuses on a man doing all he can to allow him and his family to live the American dream. Throughout the story it is shown how the Loman’s struggle with finding happiness and also with becoming successful. Throughout their entire lives many problems come their way resulting in a devastating death caused by foolishness and the drive to be successful. Ever since he and his wife, Linda, met she has been living a sad and miserable life, because she has been trying support his unachievable goals. Also by him being naïve put his children’s lives in jeopardy and also made them lose sight of who they really were. Miller uses the Loman family to show how feeling the need to appear a certain way to the public and trying to live a life that is not really yours can turn into an American nightmare.

This is what Willy has been trying to emulate his entire life. Willy's need to feel well-liked is so strong that he often makes up lies about his popularity and success. At times, Willy even believes these lies himself. At one point in the play, Willy tells his family of how well-liked he is in all of his towns and how vital he is to New England. Later, however, he tells Linda that no one remembers him and that the people laugh at him behind his back. As this demonstrates, Willy's need to feel well-liked also causes him to become intensely paranoid. When his son, Biff, for example, is trying to explain why he cannot become successful, Willy believes that Biff is just trying to spite him. Unfortunately, Willy never realizes that his values are flawed. As Biff points out at the end of the play, "he had the wrong dreams."

Is the play about Willy or Biff? The play is about Willy because through the whole play it focuses on Willy going through a mental breakdown not knowing what is real or not by going back and forth between the past and the present which ultimately gets worse throughout the play but for example one of the scenes in the play when Willy and Charley are playing cards Willy starts having illusion that his brother Ben is there “…I’m getting awfully tired, Ben. Good keep playing…did you call me Ben…for a second there you remind me of my brother Ben.” (983). And in this scene and others throughout the play Willy reminiscing the past of all the wrong decisions that he made but the one that he regrets the most is not going with his brother Ben in Alaska

Willy’s attitude shifts suddenly, stating things like “Isn’t that remarkable, he likes me!” (840). This occurs immediately after he calls Biff a “vengeful, spiteful mutt.” This sudden swing in emotion is very common for Willy, and occurs frequently throughout the play. For example, in the beginning of the play, Willy was talking about how he was driving home and “opened the windshield” (806) to his car.

In his play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses “the common man as a fit subject for tragedy in the highest sense” (Lawrence, Trudeau and Ross Vol. 1) and failure in the accomplishment of the American. The play tends to recline more in the direction of masculinity where men’s sole role is to get a job and support the family and the woman be seen and ordered which brings out the idea of traditional gender roles at its best. Though this is the case, it is very evident that women played an important role in this play. Although every character in the served and had a main purpose, women served a major role not only as subjects of submission and satisfaction who helped define who the men really were in the 1940’s but also as elements of support and wisdom.

But this affair has long been over when the events of the play occur.  When Willy tells Linda, "I'm vital in New England"  (14), he should be speaking in the past tense.  In the present, he is sexually and professionally emasculated.  In compensation, Willy exerts control by compulsively concluding personal encounters.  Thus, in Act One, he sends Linda upstairs ahead of him.  Faced with Ben's spectre, he drives Charley away by disrupting the card game.  And much of his anger with Biff may result from Biff's refusal to allow Willy to dictate the pattern of their conversation.  Typically, Biff defends his mother against Willy's anger, forcing him to walk away, "beaten down, guilt-ridden"  (65).