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In Arthur Miller s Death of a Salesman, though appearing only briefly, the woman who Willy Loman has an affair with plays a crucial role in the events that take place throughout the play. She first appears in a flashback more than three-fourths the way through the work, and yet plays the part of a turning point in Willy s life. However, in the few pages in which she appears, the woman ties together many loose ends of the play. From the beginning of the play, the strain on the relationship between Willy Loman and his eldest son, Biff, is painfully obvious. At first, the reader believes this is just one of those dysfunctional families; Biff is just one of those children who refuse to get along with their parents. Whereas his mother, Linda, and younger brother, Happy, spit out little white lies to console Willy, Biff is more than brutally honest.
As the story progresses though, it becomes obvious that Biff is not being honest to just his father, he s the only one being honest with himself. In the Loman s house, the American Dream was drilled into the children s heads. Willy has taught his family that it is possible for their family to move up into a higher social echelon, that in years to come they would no longer be the lowly working class. The reader is left wondering why Biff doesn t share this same dream- from Willy s flashbacks, Biff was a good child. Though he performed poorly in school, being a football star made his father proud. So what has happened between the end of high school and now that has made Biff so disillusioned?
The answer comes nearly at the end of the book, during one of Willy s many flashbacks. The setting is suddenly a hotel room in Boston, where Willy is with a woman in just a slip. After failing math, and being unable to graduate, Biff runs to his father for support and help. It is shown that Biff used to be confident in his father. However, when the woman is discovered and the affair is obvious, it destroys Biff s idol. Willy was always encouraging, Biff was carried on a high pedestal, now that Biff s image of his father is destroyed, his pedestal is shattered, too.
Suddenly, much more of the play makes sense. It us understood why Biff is often harsh and unattached to his father, while the other family members seem to fawn over Willy. Moreover, the image of the stockings ties the story together. When the woman demands new silk stockings before she leaves, the reader s mind automatically reverts back to when Linda was mending her own pair. It shows Willy s disregard for this woman who loves him blindly. The reader now understands why Willy gets so agitated when he sees Linda sewing her stockings, it reminds him of his own evils.
It reminds him of the woman, and it reminds him of the way he let his son down. In the final pages of the play, Willy comes to terms with the fact that he is the one that has let his family down. He now feels the only way to correct this wrong is to somehow provide for his family, especially Biff. Since he has been fired and refuses to accept the job from Charley, he chooses instead to kill himself, and have his family collect insurance. The woman s line, You know you ruined me, now stands out. In actuality, she has ruined him; she has caused his death.
The final few pages hold nothing but pity for Willy Loman. His life has been a long and hard one, and yet he made it nowhere. He died in vain, believing he would be worth more in death than in life to his family. Had it not been for the flashback of the affair, it would not be obvious how Willy ruined his own life. The woman, though an extremely minor part in the play, had a huge role in Willy s life, and ultimately a huge role in his death.
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Research essay sample on Willy Loman Huge Role
