Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, women play a crucial role in Willy's life and in the lives of the other characters. While the roles themselves have not changed since the play was written, society's opinion of these roles has changed greatly. When it was written, Miller's representation of Linda was seen as a portrait of the ideal American wife. She was a nurturing wife and mother, loyal to her family, and almost overly supportive of her pitiful husband Willy. Even though Willy treated his wife wrong at times, Linda ended up staying with him through out everything he went through.

Willy is a rather insecure guy. He tries to make himself feel better by lying to himself and his family. In his world of delusion, Willy is a hugely successful salesman. He disguises his profound anxiety and self-doubt with extreme arrogance. Periodically unable to maintain this image of strength, Willy despairs and pleads with successful people around him for guidance and support. I believe he was basically ignoring the existence of his wife and family. He of course lied to her when having his mistress, but poor Linda refused to see past his lies. Linda is Willy's doting wife. She refuses to see through her husband's lies. This is a woman on a mission: protect Willy's emotions and dreams. Part of her nature is the result of naïveté; Linda doesn't know the full picture here, from Willy's finances, to his job, to his mistress. This is the reason partly why Linda defends her husband's behavior even when he has lashed out at her. Linda's utter and blind devotion to her husband makes it hard for her to understand why he killed himself - and why no one showed up to his funeral. Her ironic statement "we're free" just reminds us that Linda dealt with so much when being with her husband.

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