A Feminist View on Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

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The play Death of a Salesman clearly shows the demeaning view of women in society in the 1950’s. In his play, Arthur Miller shows that he conformed to the societal norms through his portrayal of the character Linda and other female characters so insignificant they were given no other distinction then “the woman” and “girl”. Feminism is the belief in women’s rights and the movement to secure the rights and opportunities for women equal to those of men. Through the character of Linda, Miller is constantly trying to put woman within a box. In the entire play, Linda never leaves the house. She is subject to a repetitive cycle of taking care of Willy, laundry, protecting peace within the house, cooking, cleaning, and even putting Willy’s clothes on him. Despite the fact Linda holds the family together, she often even overlooked by the reader because she seems to lack any substance, appearing stoic and boring. She seems to merely be a typical housewife and mother without any backbone—a role woman have been forced into for centuries and only recently have been able to break free of. Linda is overlooked and forsaken; the entire play itself centered on Willy and what Willy desires. Linda is merely a tool used in order to enhance Willy’s own personal happiness, and she doesn’t seem to care at all. She lives her life through Willy, even saying to her son “Biff dear, if you don’t have any feeling for him, then you can’t have any feeling for me”, as though they are the same person. Even when Linda is angry, she lacks any passion in her voice, calling Biff “dear”. Willy’s affair and the usage of stockings also exemplify how poorly Willy thinks of his wife. Willy selfishly cheats on his wife and buys this other woman new stockings. This may seem inconsequential, but during that time period stockings were made of an expensive material and rather than buying new pairs women

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