How Does Willy Loman Present Linda In Death Of A Salesman

Though Linda appears to be just an average 1950's American housewife in Act one of Death of a Salesman, she is actually an important character as she represents reality, as opposed to Willy living in the past, and is the most level-headed character in the whole play.

Throughout act one, both in Willy's dreams and in the present, Linda acts as Willy's sole source of motivation. She is always complementing him, "you're the handsomest man in the world." She encourages him in his work, assuring him that "next week you'll do better." She is also the only person who truly believes in Willy, so much that she sticks up for him against Biff and tells him, "either he's your father and you pay him that respect, or else you're not to come here." This
Her hair greying, as noticed by Biff, who asks her to "dye it again, will ya? I don't want my pal looking old" shows that Linda has accepted what is happening to her (that she is aging), whereas Biff, like Willy, refuses to accept reality, which empathises Linda's role as being the most level-headed character in the whole play.

Linda is also the most realistic character. For example, she is seen mending her stockings because "they're so expensive". In reply, Willy says to her "I won't have you mending stockings in this house!" This shows that Linda is more knowledgeable of their finances than Willy is, and that they cannot afford to buy more, a point which highlights Willy's failure as a salesman.

Linda has a high understanding of the Loman's finances, shown when Willy asks her "what do we owe?" this normally simple question shows that she is not a typical 1950's American housewife. In that period of time, a housewife was expected just to look after the children and do the housework, the shopping, etc. However, Miller decided that it was Linda who dealt with all of the bills and payments whilst Willy was away. Miller might therefore be suggesting that women were, and are, capable of coping with a lot more responsibility than most people (especially men) would have first
She shows this wish when she is talking to Biff and Happy about Willy. She admits to knowing that he has to "borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend that it's his pay."

As well as this, she tells them that she has found that he has attempted suicide on a number of occasions, but failed. One of these attempts was to gas himself. She confesses that she takes away the pipe, but once he comes home, she "puts it back where it was." She fears to confront Willy as she loves him and she doesn't want to admit to herself that he is unhappy as it might be because he is unhappy with her. This suggests that Linda fears that Willy might one day leave her.

Miller uses Linda to show how much faith the American people had in consumer products during the 1950's as they felt that they were living the American Dream. Many people during the 1950's bought consumer goods on credit, paying off their debts over a certain amount of time. Willy and Linda were trying to live the American Dream of wealth and success and so bought goods such as refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, but they are now trapped by them as they are unable to pay back all of the money that they owe. Miller's cynical view of the American Dream is shown here are as unachievable as Linda and Willy being able to pay off their