Willy and Linda S Relationship Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman: The Relationship Between Linda and Willy

The marriage between Linda and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is typical of the early 20th century in many respects. The wife does not work and the husband acts as the provider for the family, despite the fact that the Loman family is struggling. Linda tries to economize by darning her stockings but she is forced to accept Willy as he is, no matter how imperfect. She often makes excuses for him, including when his sons question his authority. Although Linda is a kind woman, she is also very much an emotional enabler of Willy's many faults.

Throughout Willy's life, Linda acted as his cheerleader, no matter how much money he made. She often validated his sense of being persecuted by the world, even when this perspective was suspect: "Few men are idolized by their children the way you are" she says to Willy in one of the play's many flashback scenes (Miller 25). In Linda's view, husband and wife are one: "He's the dearest man in the world to me, and I won't have anyone making him feel unwanted and low and blue ... I know he's not easy to get along with -- nobody knows that better than me -- but..." (Miller 38-39). Linda knows that her husband is not perfect but she takes the idea of her wifely duty with utmost seriousness and is always there to defend Willy: "a small man can be just as exhausted as a great man. He works for a company thirty-six years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away" (Miller 39). Linda's view of her husband's career success is far more glowing than his young boss Howard's, who denies that Willy ever averaged the "hundred and seventy dollars a week in 1928," as Willy alleges (Miller 58).

Regardless, Linda's image of Willy is that of a man who tried hard to be a good provider for the family and is now down on his luck, even though there is a great deal of evidence in the play that Willy was a poor husband and father. Even Linda admits that when Biff was in high school, the girls were scared of him and she was worried about the fact that he was failing. Even when Willy is obviously wrong or incompetent, she is his staunchest defender. The fact that the family finally owns their home and are free and clear is cold comfort to her because of Willy's death at the end of the play.

Willy uses Linda as a sounding board repeatedly through the play, often complaining about how the system is unjust to him. He conceals a great deal from her, including his depression. When Linda finds evidence of Willy's suicidal thoughts, such as the fact he has a hose rigged up that he could use to asphyxiate himself with gas, she moves it every night but then moves it back for fear of the fact that he might notice it. This underlines the fundamental lack of communication in the relationship. Linda idealizes Willy but Willy is unable to honestly share his problems with Linda because he is so desperate to bolster his self-image. Just as he lies to himself and his children he also tells lies to his wife, the woman who should be his closest confident.