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Cruelty In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

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Cruelty can make characters in a story feel more real to a reader when their lives, or even themselves, aren’t perfect. Willy being cruel to Linda in Death of a Salesman is a crucial motivation for the play because she is the one thing he has control over in his life, and because of influences from society at the time. The motivation behind Willy being cruel to his wife could stem from the society at the time. In the 1940s, spousal relationships were focused on the nuclear family with the husband bringing in most, if not all, of the income and the wife staying at home to take care of any children the two of them might have. This idea of the husband being in charge could show that Willy is trying to keep with the social norms. Also, with him losing his job, he wouldn’t be able to provide for himself and Linda without asking for handouts from someone. One form of Willy’s cruelty towards …show more content…

BIFF: Don’t yell at her, Pop, will ya?
WILLY: [Angrily.] I was talking, wasn’t I?
BIFF: I don’t like you yelling at her all the time, and I’m tellin’ you, that’s all.
WILLY: What’re you, takin’ over this house?
LINDA: Willy—
WILLY: [Turning on her.] Don’t take his side all the time, goddammit!
Him being cruel to her could show his attempt to keep his status over her and his attempt to keep her in line, because it is the only way he can show dominance over her. Willy’s harmful actions are significant to the story because they are the motivation behind a large portion of Biff’s concern and dislike of his father. Willy cheating on his wife is a massive plot twist in the story and finding out about it is part of the climax.
WILLY: She’s nothing to me, Biff. I was lonely, I was terribly lonely.
BIFF: You—you gave her Mama’s stockings! [His tears break through and he rises to go] It is known that Willy has been being rude to his wife for a while and he doesn’t stop until he is dead. He might not be doing anything intentionally, but he still does

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I always heard yelling and screaming from their house, and it was often an argument between all four members of their family. The constant arguing always led me to believe that Willy yelled at his family because of his experiences as a child, and it worried me about how it would affect Linda and the children. Furthermore, my preconceived notions especially intensified when Biff would disappear for months at a time. However, there was one loud argument that, oddly enough, made me realize that all the yelling and arguing were done out of love. During the altercation, Biff was trying to tell Willy the truth about the nature of situations he (Biff) found himself in over the last decade of his life.

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Linda is so wrapped up and making sure that he is happy that she thinks he can do no wrong. Willy’s affair is not seen as a wrongdoing, but it is seen as an get away for him. It is a portrayed as a dream or hallucination to the audience. In that way it gives off a feeling of sympathy for him, because of his illness.

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Willy seemed to be getting senile in his old age. Biff’s brother, Happy seems to think Biff is the reason Willy is going crazy. Happy says it’s because he’s “not settled, that [he’s] still kind of up in the air” (21). Biff gets defensive saying there has to be other things depressing him, when

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Miller 1202, Act 1. In this scene, Biff decides to stay and help his family out. Willy is planning Biff’s future, and he is super excited for him. When Linda tries to add to the conversation, Willy yells at her and shuts her down. Linda does not complain about it.

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In my opinion, the person who suffers the most from Willy's delusions is his wife Linda. It might look as if Linda does not seem to complaint but she is the true victim of trying to help her husband mentally. If anything, she defends Willy and even goes as far as challenging her own two sons to be better and more polite to him. According to Linda, Willy is just "lost, confused, and wants to give his sons a great life.

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We learn that Willy is a salesman, who is has only had minor success. Willy blames this on the fact that he is not well liked. In the beginning of the play Willy has had a car accident and his wife Linda wants him to ask his boss if he can work only in New York instead of having to travel. When we see Willy in a flashback he appears to be happy and affectionate with his sons, who seem to return the affection.

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Throughout the play, Willy Loman has a bad temper. One can see this when he is talking to his wife WILLY [sitting down at the kitchen table]: Huh! Why did she have to wax the floors herself? Every time she waxes the floors she keels over.

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Because Willy no longer has a job, he is unable to support his family the way that he is supposed to, which negatively affects his relationship with his wife Linda, and their two

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Willy is seen talking to himself frequently which causes his family to think he is a lunatic. In Act 1 when Happy and Biff are talking to one another in their old bedroom Happy mentions Willy talking to himself more frequently. Happy says, “He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you about Dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s — happening to him.

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In Death of a Salesman, Linda is Willy’s loyal and loving wife, who always unconditionally supports Willy’s unrealistic American Dream and defends Willy against the criticisms of their sons. She criticizes that Biff should not wander from place to place any more because she and Willy are getting older and will leave this world one day. Biff replies to Linda’s statements, but he doesn’t mention Willy at all. Biff’s behavior makes Linda upset and angry; Linda tells Biff that he either respects his father or leaves home. When Linda tells Biff that Willy often mumbles to himself, Biff is ashamed of Willy’s irrational behavior.

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This helped lead Willy to his own downfall because he was always lacking and felt unwanted and

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Linda has a major impact on the main character, willy, she lives for him and will never defy him, even when it is apparent that Willy is not in the right mind. Linda often feeds Willy’s delusions about himself; when Willy started to admit that he was at fault and that he almost hit a kid, linda countered with, “ Maybe it’s your glasses. You never went for your new glasses.” (Miller Act One). She often makes excuses for Willy and by doing that she is helping Willy, and herself, stay static.

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In the play, it shows Willy is soft and insecure not just a crazy man. Biff, Willy’s son had caught his father cheating on his mother and that made him feel angry at his father. Willy did not know how his son felt; Willy says [directly to Biff] “what’re you doing? What’re you doing?” Biff says [crying, broken] “will you let me go, for Christ’s sake?

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Now, Willy’s immoral character has been established the reader immediately can see a connection between Willy and the way Linda is treated daily. For example, the family is in an emotionally charged situation when Biff is going to ask Oliver for a loan; Linda has barely established herself in the conversation when Linda says, “He loved you”, immediately Willy says, “Will you stop!”. Linda stays strong during this and tries to interject a couple of more times during this scene to no avail. Linda never takes a dominant role in the conversation. With Willy’s actions when she did speak the reader could conclude the conversation could have escalated to verbal attacks or a physical altercation with Willy.

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Biff, a consequence of Willy, attempts to bring Willy out of his fantasies and his see the realities of his life, but in the end fails to. The two are different in their ideas, demeanors and personas, yet have some akin characteristics.     Willy and Biff’s physical traits are different. At what point, Willy tells his wife Linda, “I’m fat. I’m very foolish to look at, Linda.”

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