Compare And Contrast Fences And Death Of A Salesman

Research has shown that 25% of men cheat on their wives and only 25% of those marriages stay together. Rose Maxson and Linda Loman are a part of the 6.25%. Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and August Wilson’s “Fences'' both depict the struggles and joys that come along with the American dream. They both take place in the 50s and portray the importance of a wife and show the complexities of having that role. Rose and Troy Maxson's marriage is centered around the significance of reluctant acceptance. Whereas Linda and Willy’s marriage is centered around a more delusional acceptance full of empathy and unconditional loyalty.

August Wilson’s “Fences” paints a picture of how Rose’s reliability and purposeful ignorance are essential in a marriage

Every time Troy stubbornly ignores Rose, patronizes Cory or takes Bono’s friendship for granted, Rose sees it but chooses to ignore it. This is similar to Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” where Linda chooses to skip the confrontation and let Willy continue with his suicidal thoughts. But, Rose's purposeful ignorance also protects her from a “succession of abusive men and babies,” during the 1950s there weren't many ways a woman could make a living on her own. So, even though it's unfortunate that Troy cheated on her, her turning a blind eye indirectly protected her from worse. Not only that but, when she is discussing with Troy how he and she are to move on from this, it gets heated. She confronts him for his faults and says, “You did Gabe just like you did Cory. You wouldn’t sign the paper for Cory…but you signed for Gabe. You signed that paper.” (Wilson 75) Even though Rose

When arguing with her sons over the mental state of her husband and their father, Linda defends Willy saying, “And you tell me he has no character? The man who never worked a day but for your benefit? When will he get the medal for that? Is this his reward — to turn around at the age of sixty-three and find his sons, whom he loved better than his life, one a philandering bum... ” (Miller 40) Linda’s role as a wife can be described in two words, delusional and unconditional. Her insistence on keeping her marriage alive caused her to be forced into keeping up Will’s fantasy. Therefore, no matter how much hurt he causes, every time he bullies or dismisses her, she continues to protect their American dream. Her respect for Willy is unbreakable. She constantly defends him to her sons even though she knows who he is outside of their fantasy. Her role as a wife is to stay in line with the American dream, which means she must keep her marriage going, she must keep her family together. This is unlike Rose in August Wilson’s “Fences”, for she isn’t afraid to break Troy’s bubble. She will not put her husband before her kids as Linda does. She takes into account their point of view and truly has their best interests at heart. This isn’t to say that Rose tries breaking up the family, however, her role as a wife is to