10.3.2
The Feminist Reading
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The Male Relationships
Death of a Salesman is set in a male-dominated world and the primary focus of the play is the relationship between father and son.
Male conflict
- Death of a Salesman is set in a male-dominated world: the central conflict in the play is between father and son, while other male rivalries (between Willy and Charley, Happy and his work colleagues) provide further tension.
Masculine stereotypes
- The masculine stereotypes acted out by the characters in the play can ultimately be seen as being destructive.
- A competitive edge lies just under the surface of every male relationship in the play, exemplified by Ben’s assault on Biff with the accompanying lesson, “Never fight fair with a stranger, boy.”
Ben
- Ben’s success is held up as a golden example by Willy but both of his sons are eventually damaged by the need to get one over the next man.
Biff and Happy
- Biff’s petty thefts eventually lead to prison while Happy is presented as being compelled to embark on a series of sexual conquests with the partners of his colleagues, particularly his superiors, in order to give himself a short-lived feeling of achievement or self-worth.
True feelings
- But underneath the outward shows of bravado, the male characters in the play confess, in private moments, to feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.
- In such moments, Biff sees himself as “like a boy”, unable to make a lasting impression on the adult world, while Willy admits to feeling “kind of temporary” about himself, unable to live up to his idealised images of his father and brother.
Female Stereotypes
The female characters in the play also play stereotypical gender roles.
Stereotypes
- The Woman is an obvious example of the dangerous seductress who leads Willy astray while Linda is the dedicated home-maker.
- Indeed, Miller’s play has often been criticised for relying on such stereotypes in its representations of women.
Maternal roles
- The women in the play are there to provide support and reassurance to the men, playing an almost maternal role as nurse or nurturer.
Examples
- From the beginning of the play we see Linda willing to make excuses for Willy (“Maybe it’s your glasses”) in order to spare his feelings and protect his ego.
- The Woman uses baby-talk to help soothe Willy (“Why so sad? You are the saddest, self-centredest soul I ever did see-saw.”)
- It should be noted how much the male characters in the play depend on such comforts.
Reliance
- Willy tells Linda that she is his “foundation and support”, the imagery connoting Linda’s hidden strength in keeping the Loman household standing.
Linda
- But many commentators still see her as too passive a character, always deferring to Willy’s feelings.
- For example, Linda prefers to make a daily routine of taking away the rubber pipe Willy has hidden behind the gas heater rather than confronting her husband and forcing him to air his suicidal thoughts out in the open.
Male Exploitation of Women
Women are continually exploited by Loman men in the play.
Womanising
- Women are used by the men in the play.
- Perhaps the most obvious example is Happy’s compulsive womanising.
- Unable to win the approval of his parents, and frustrated by his lack of advancement at work, Happy treats women like pawns in a game, using his sexual conquests as a means of getting one over his rivals and providing him with some (temporary) self-esteem.
Linda
- Biff, for whom the memory of Willy’s affair with The Woman in Boston is clearly still raw, tells Linda that “Willy always wiped the floor with you. Never had an ounce of respect for you.”
Language
- This male exploitation of women is at times reflected in the language used by the male characters in the play.
- Happy, especially, dehumanises or objectifies women, reminiscing to Biff that “Boy, there was a pig!” when discussing his “first time”.
- Later, while waiting in the restaurant in Act Two, Happy tells the waiter, “Strudel’s comin’”, reducing Miss Forsythe to a consumable sweet.
Wordplay
- The flirtatious wordplay between Happy and Miss Forsythe then contains some barely hidden innuendo with Happy asking her, “You don’t happen to sell, do you?”, a less than subtle suggestion that she may be a call-girl.
- Again, the implication is the same: that women are a commodity that can be bought and consumed by men.
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
11Recap: Main Quotes
11.1Characters Quotes
11.2Quotes by Act
11.2.1Act One: Key Events 1-3 Quotes11.2.2Act One: Key Events 4-6 Quotes11.2.3Act One: Key Events 7-9 Quotes11.2.4Act One: Key Events 10-12 Quotes11.2.5Act One: Stage Direction Quotes11.2.6Act One: The Woman Quotes11.2.7Act Two: Key Events 1-2 Quotes11.2.8Act Two: Key Events 3-4 Quotes11.2.9Act Two: Key Events 5-6 Quotes11.2.10Act Two: Key Events 7-8 Quotes11.2.11Act Two: Key Events 9-10 Quotes11.2.12Act Two: Howard's Office Quotes11.2.13Act Two: The Requiem Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
11Recap: Main Quotes
11.1Characters Quotes
11.2Quotes by Act
11.2.1Act One: Key Events 1-3 Quotes11.2.2Act One: Key Events 4-6 Quotes11.2.3Act One: Key Events 7-9 Quotes11.2.4Act One: Key Events 10-12 Quotes11.2.5Act One: Stage Direction Quotes11.2.6Act One: The Woman Quotes11.2.7Act Two: Key Events 1-2 Quotes11.2.8Act Two: Key Events 3-4 Quotes11.2.9Act Two: Key Events 5-6 Quotes11.2.10Act Two: Key Events 7-8 Quotes11.2.11Act Two: Key Events 9-10 Quotes11.2.12Act Two: Howard's Office Quotes11.2.13Act Two: The Requiem Quotes
Practice questions on The Feminist Reading
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- 1What is the central conflict in _Death of a Salesman_?Multiple choice
- 2Who sees Ben's success as a golden example?Multiple choice
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- 5
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