In
literature, the female characters are often pushed into two roles—the Mary Sue and
the seductress. The women in Death of a
Salesman fall into the stereotypical roles of women in literature. Willy
Loman’s wife Linda is the Mary Sue, the perfect motherly figure, dutifully
caring for everyone around her. Meanwhile the other main female character,
known only as the Woman, falls into the role of seductress, the playful one who
cares only about sex and herself.
Linda
Loman plays into the unhealthy idealization of women in literature. She is
seemingly perfect. She is the one who takes on all of the communication and pushes
for understanding in the family. She is the one who tries to mend Willy and
Biff’s strained relationship, pleading with Willy to be easier on his son,
saying, “You know how he [Biff] admires you. I think if he finds himself, then
you’ll both be happier and not fight anymore” (25). She is always looking for
harmony. Throughout the play, she can’t really be accused of any wrongdoing.
This perfection is impossible for real women, flawed women, to reach. Linda’s
lack of flaws just shows the stereotypical ‘ideal’ woman that never occurs in
real life.
The
Woman, on the other hand, represents the other stereotype of women in
literature—Linda is what women ‘should’ be, and the Woman is what they ‘should
not’ be. The Woman falls into the role of uncaring seductress. When Willy is
trying to hide his relationship from his son, he obviously wants the Woman to
leave, but she resists and makes excuses to stay when she’s clearly not wanted,
saying, “But I’ve got to get dressed, Willy…Where’s my stockings? You promised
me stockings, Willy!” (113-114). Where Linda can be accused of no wrong, the
Woman can be accused of no right. She doesn’t care that Willy doesn’t want
anyone to know about their relationship, and she only leaves when she gets what
she wants. The Woman’s selfish actions portray women as self-centered and
lustful.
Linda
and the Woman show women as the two extremes they are not—either the perfect
being or the utterly depraved one, with no in between. Women in the real world,
however, are not perfect, nor do they have only bad qualities. The women in Death of a Salesman are unrealistic and
only show the stereotypes of women, not the truth—that they are complicated,
flawed people who also have good qualities and intentions.
