Letter from Linda's Neice to Her Mother

Dear Mother,

Hello mother, by now you must be worried sick. Or you would be if you knew your extended family. That is not to say that this family is horrid by any means, but worrisome non-the less. Perhaps the lack of positivity lays dormant due to the in accessibility of sunlight to the Loman household. Aunty Linda's home, the humble abode that it is, would be delightfully awe inspiring if it were situated out in the country; having said that, the house is not very well struck by sunlight mostly due to the overreaching high rises that neighbor the estate in every direction. Although the light may not be enough to tend to the depressive garden there is still a sort of warm family like essence that resides within the family unit. Like a ghost from the past.

Mother I try to bring an air of positivity into the family with my presence but, It doesn't seem to reciprocate in my all to distant relatives. Do not take my observation of negativity as a direct label to the Loman family, for they display rays of assurance every day. There is still love in this family; that, I can enforce. The boys, or shall I say, the men of the family all show outright affection for Aunty Linda. It's good to see respect for the women of the family, who is also the caregiver for the family. I mean that's the way it 'otta be wouldn't you say? There's always been a sense of independency in our household because I began to take care of myself at a younger age but oh my, are the men in this family ever dependent on Aunty Linda. Take Uncle Willy for example, Aunty cooks, pampers and tends to his every need without an utter of complaint. She is growing old with Uncle Willy; perhaps more impressively than her distant partner but never the less, she is aging. You can tell that she feels a need to be a sort of mother figure for her withering husband. Why is this mother? Will that happen to me? I truly would rather so many other possible scenarios, as opposed to taking care of a wrinkled old man. Not to be blunt, but it is a bit of a hassle to take care of two aging individuals, it can't be easy. In the end though, I praise her for her persistence in terms of caring for her family.

Aunty seems so attached to Uncle but I just don't feel the affection from his side of the relationship. There are times where I see glimpses of connection but like I said, they are only glimpses into that bond between the two. Most of the time Uncle almost neglects Aunty, not in a very rude way per say but when accessing the situation from outside the box; it appears to be quite a hurtful display, if you ask me. I do not hold this against Uncle, don't get me wrong. He is a lovely man, a man the looks as if he too was once as built as the offspring his genes fashioned. A man that is so hopelessly captivated by the promise of the American dream, I honestly respect the man mother. As surprising as this may sound to you, it surely surprised me; Aunty and Uncle Willy are just about finishing up their mortgage payments. That just goes to show that my uncle is a very hard working individual who was at one point capable of maintaining a family of his own; but mother, I must tell you I am worried for the poor man's health now a days. He seems withdrawn, like partially disconnected with the present. Any thoughts on why this may be? It's come to my attention on several occasions that he is mumbling to himself, perhaps about the past, I don't know. My speculation is that he is in a way living within his memories, a

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