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Enabling someone is helping them do something that isn’t healthy. Sometimes, enablers don’t even know they’re doing it, but instead of helping, they are hurting. Enabling can be something as simple as rewarding someone for bad behaviors. The person thinks it’s okay, and keeps doing this behavior. In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, Linda Loman is this classic enabler. She indirectly causes the dysfunction in the family, because she supports the bad decisions Willy and her boys make, instead of doing the right thing and not supporting them. Linda’s enabling is obvious when she helps Willy with suicidal thoughts. Willy tries to suck carbon monoxide through a tube, and instead of telling him to stop, Linda just lets him do it. She enables him because although she is not outright letting him do it, she is allowing him to continue to hurt himself and his family. For example, Linda states, “’Every day I go down and take away that little rubber pipe. But when he comes home, I put it back where it was. How can I insult him that way?’” (Miller 60). Linda is scared of insulting Willy rather than protecting him, which clearly shows that she enables him to be this terrible, sad person. Critic Gavin Cologne-Brooks adds to the proof of Linda’s enabling by saying, “Family and …show more content…
She indirectly causes the dysfunction in the family because Biff and Happy see their father as someone that should be successful, but he only has dreams that he’ll never reach, and Linda just helps him along. Miller is trying to tell us that we should not enable people to be someone they’re not, and that we should tell them like it is. If we don’t, then dysfunction will happen. So, if you ever see someone enabling someone else, try to stop it. They might be trying to be nice but they’re just hurting the person they’re enabling, because everyone should be living in
Linda Loman is the enabler of the Loman family, and also uses self- deception to escape her life mentally. Linda never spoke up to Willy, and did nothing but feed his unrealistic dreams. Linda lived a life of “what ifs” with Willy. They both did the bare minimum in every aspect of their life, which is why
Foremost, Willy has a problem with his inability to grasp reality. As he grows older his mind is starting to slip. For example, when he talks to the woman and his brother Ben. Throughout the story, Willy dreams of talking to the woman, because the woman is a person that he was dating in when he went to Boston. He was cheating behind his wife’s back. Willy basically uses her as a scapegoat when he’s hallucinating about her. He blames all of his problems on the woman. For instance Willy says, “ Cause you do… There’s so much I want to make for.” (38) This is the evidence right here. Also he dreams about his brother Ben. Willy wishes could be more like his brother who has just passed away a couple of months previously to the story. He also wishes he didn’t have to work and could be rich like Ben. He respects Ben for not really working and making a lot of money. Another example of Willy’s hallucinations are when he says,“ How are you all?” (45) This occurs when Willy is talking with Charley and he starts thinking about Ben. Willy’s inability to grasp reality never changed throughout the story.
The Millers appear to be permissive parents; therefore, the Millers seem to support Kevin in his behavior and his maladaptive ways of coping. Permissive parents are high on warm; subsequently, they are low in setting demands, rules, and guidelines. Kevin is obliviously gifted and talented, and
The relationship between a husband and wife is one that is sacred and requires support. Linda Loman faces a tough task as the spouse to Willy Loman. The relationship is one-sided and in many situations, Willy Loman ignores her when she speaks. With this in mind, Linda Loman disregards the negative aspects about her husband and instead glorifies them, converting the negative aspects to positive. This constant struggle to appease her husband chains her role as a wife and also inhibits her freedom in the spousal relationship. Without a
Willy Loman is not the only victim of his tragic flaw. The rest of the Loman family is also affected by Willy's problem. Willy's wife, Linda, is the only one who supports and understands Willy's tragic flaw completely. Linda supports every far-fetched claim her husband makes. She is even described as having “infinite patience” whenever she is conversing with Willy (Miller 99). Willy's two sons, Biff and Happy, are also affected by his flaw. Happy, when in the company of two ladies, claims that Willy is not even his father, and “just a guy” (Miller 91). Later in the play, Biff decides that he does not want to be in his father's life anymore. Biff's problems are simply too much for Willy to handle with his current state of being, even though Willy needs Biff in his life. After both internal and external conflict, Biff reveals to Willy that Willy had been lied to for a number of years, and that the life he lives is essentially a lie (Miller 104).
A major part of the reader's animosity towards Willy stems from his responsibility for the ruin of his sons. Willy's affair ends up being the reason that Biff ends up a high-school failure and a football has-been. This blunder both disheartens and destroys his eldest son. It becomes the reason Biff refuses to go to summer school; it becomes the reason that Biff leaves home. Yet, this is all a result of Willy's need to be likeable. He cheats on his doting wife simply because it makes him feel special, because it gives him proof that women other that Linda are interested in him, because it makes him feel well liked. A woman "picked [him]"; a woman laughs when he makes jokes about keeping pores open; a woman pays him some attention (38).
He seems to believe that the best way to be the “man” in the relationship is to be the dominant one and to put her down all the time. “I won’t have you mending stockings in the house! Now throw them out!” Willy feels guilty about Linda mending stockings when he bought the woman he’s having an affair with a new pair. He transfers this guilt into being horrible to her, which isn’t very fair. He seems to believe that this is a way to assert his masculinity, and it could possibly resonate from the way that his father treated women before he left. This is similar to Othello; when Othello believes that Desdemona is having an affair he slaps her in front of everyone, thinking that it is a way to assert his masculinity to the public. Willy also refers to Linda as “kid” a lot, which could be a playful nickname but it also could be a way of him putting her down and making her seem immature. It is an excuse to dismiss her. It also suggests that he thinks he is more mature than Linda, whereas the audience know this not to be the case as Willy is losing it a little and can act incredibly childishly. In treating Linda like this, it also drives Willy and Biff further apart than ever. He doesn’t approve of the way Linda is treated, especially since he knows how much she puts up with from her husband. In being so uncertain of his masculinity Willy can be horrible, which makes him unlikeable and drives him apart from
One negative influence in Willy's life is the inability of his friends to confront him about his problems. It is Willy's wife that causes him the most harm. In her vain attempt to protect Willy, she actually allows his eventual death. The first sign of her negligence comes in one of Willy's flashbacks. Willy brags, "I did five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston"(35). But as Linda begins calculating his commission, the value rapidly diminishes to "roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip"(35). Linda sees what is going on but does not confront him. A very similar situation occurs later in their life when she finds out that Willy is no longer on salary, but borrows money every week from Charley. Again she will not confront him. By not confronting Willy in either of these instances, Linda allows him to sink further into his false reality. But Linda makes an even worse mistake that allows for Willy's suicide. She acknowledges his suicidal tendencies when she says, "He's been trying to kill himself"(58). She tells the boys that she has found the rubber hose in the basement, but she still will not confront Willy. Another character who is unable to be straight with Willy is Willy's boss Howard Wagner. Howard allows Willy to keep his job, but does not pay him. If he had just fired him right out it would of forced Willy to find a new job. By stringing him along, Howard allows Willy to maintain his fantasy world unchallenged. These are examples of the most negative influences in Willy's life simply because they have the ability to help but choose not to.
Willy refuses to recognize that he does have true abilities, as in the field of construction. He appears at times to have hope for the future, “on the way home tonight, I’d like to buy some seeds” (1243). Nonetheless, there is a pinning undercurrent of fear for Willy, as Linda discovers, “…sure enough, on the bottom of the water heater there’s a new little nipple on the gas pipe” (1237). Although the illusions that Willy puts forth are real to him, they are, nevertheless, simply that: Illusions. Deep down he knows things are not as they should be, with his family, his job and his life.
Since I have been visiting your sister’s family for a while now, I do believe that I must inform you of the state in which this family is in. I have some concerns in regards to the well being of the four members living under this tension-filled roof. I am watching a horrible train wreck that is just about to occur right before my baby blue eyes! Linda seems to be a very giving woman. She resembles you, my mother, very much. The difference comes in years; she looks much older than you. It is not clear however, if she looks this way because of her ripe age or if the many stresses surrounding the family have altered her looks in such a way. I can see very keenly that your sister is in a struggle at this point in time. I know and understand that she loves her husband unconditionally. However, she is over-defensive when it comes to what is said about him. It has been like walking on egg shells when asking very general questions about my uncle. Mrs. Loman never seems to take a break from reassuring herself and anyone who will listen that her husband is a fine man-the finest. This behavior is not healthy on any level in my personal opinion. I cannot grasp the fact that I arrive here as a guest, with few wise years behind me, and can see that this lifestyle of keeping the truth locked up is very wrong; yet Linda cannot admit to seeing it for herself. I am certain that she does see what is so very wrong, yet refuses to acknowledge it in any way. She tries exceedingly hard to put on many masks; disguising the problem that she has. During the first five days of my stay here at the Loman’s, Mr. Loman was nowhere to be seen. I asked about him and Linda said he was a fine salesman who is out on the road doing what salesmen do best. Throughout those first five days, even though the man was nowhere in sight, every word that poured out of your sister’s mouth seemed to be a tribute to Willy. Mrs. Loman boasted about Mr. Loman as if he was able to hear her from miles away on the road.
Crucial Role of Women in Death of a Salesman In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, women play a crucial role in Willy’s life and in the lives of the other characters. While the roles themselves have not changed since the play was written, society’s opinion of these roles has changed greatly. When it was written, Miller’s representation of Linda was seen as a portrait of the ideal American wife. She was a nurturing wife and mother, loyal to her family, and almost overly supportive of her pitiful husband Willy. The other women in the play, however, were seen as “working women,” or women who care about money as opposed to emotional support.
Willy lived everyday of his life trying to become successful, well-off salesman. His self-image that he portrayed to others was a lie and he was even able to deceive himself with it. He traveled around the country selling his merchandise and maybe when he was younger, he was able to sell a lot and everyone like him, but Willy was still stuck with this image in his head and it was the image he let everyone else know about. In truth, Willy was a senile salesman who was no longer able to work doing what he's done for a lifetime. When he reaches the point where he can no longer handle working, he doesn't realize it, he puts his life in danger as well a others just because he's pig-headed and doesn't understand that he has to give up on his dream. He complains about a lot of things that occur in everyday life, and usually he's the cause of the problems. When he has to pay for the repair bills on the fridge, he bitches a lot and bad mouths Charley for buying the one he should of bought. The car having to be repaired is only because he crashes it because he doesn't pay attention and/or is trying to commit suicide. Willy should have settled with what he had and made the best of things. He shouldn't have tied to compete with everyone and just made the best decision for him using intelligence and practicality. Many of Willy's problems were self-inflicted, the reason they were self-inflicted was because he wanted to live the American dream. If he had changed his standards or just have been content with his life, his life problems would have been limited in amount and proportion.
An example of this is that Brick throughout the play isolates himself not only from Margaret but from others as well. But Margaret is most noticeable. This is caused by his drinking problem. Margaret tries so hard to get close to him but the lack of respect causes the lack of communication between the two. "I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. You keep forgetting the conditions on which I agreed to stay living with you". This is said by Brick to Margaret after she asked him to sign the gift she bought for Big Daddy's birthday. Another example of this is through lack of communication. Brick no longer wants to under stand Margaret or be understood by her. This is causing the problems for the two and there marriage and Margaret is scared that they will lose the plantation that the might get from Big Daddy's will. Finally Margaret just does not want to let Brick go she loves him, she says "Oh Brick! How long does it have t' go on? This punishment? Haven't I done time enough, haven't I served my term, can't I apply for a-pardon?". She is fed up of pouring her love out to Brick and him not doing anything back. In conclusion Brick is isolating himself from Margaret which is causing their...
...causes Willy to attempt to take his own life. Linda tells about Willy’s attempt, “Last month… Oh boys, it’s so hard to say a thing like this! He’s just a big stupid man to you, but I tell you there’s more good in him than in many other people. I was looking for a fuse. The lights blew out, and I went down the cellar. And behind the fuse box-it happened to fall out-was a length of rubber pipe-just short” (59; Act 1).
Willy’s lack of self-worth translates into the deep state of depression that eventually causes him to attempt to take his own life. His wife, Linda has become aware of this, even warning her own children. She discusses with her sons about Willy’s attempted suicide, showing them a rubber hose she found behind the fuse box in the basement; she believes it was used by Mr. Loman in an effort to try and asphyxiate himself. Also, there is evidence that Willy’s car accidents are inevitably not “accidents” at