Death of a Salesman Gender Roles Quotes

Most often jovial, she has developed an iron repression of her exceptions to Willy’s behavior – she more than loves him, she admires him, as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament to utter and follow to their end.

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. The stage directions introduce Linda as a cheerful supportive wife who only sees the good side of husband Willy Loman’s moody personality. Deeply loving and loyal, she goes along with Willy’s fantasies and puts up with his cruel behavior so as not to hurt him. Despite Willy’s faults, she represses her own thoughts and personality to provide unconditional love and admiration for him. By refusing to criticize him and his unrealistic dreams, she may be seen to be the enabler of Willy’s self-deception and salesman’s fantasies.

WILLY: Why do you get American when I like Swiss?
LINDA: I just thought you’d like a change – .
WILLY: I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese. Why am I always being contradicted?
LINDA (with a covering laugh): I thought it would be a surprise.
WILLY: Why don’t you open a window in here, for God’s sake?
LINDA (with infinite patience): They’re all open, dear.

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. This exchange shows how Willy likes routine and hates change. It also demonstrates how Linda goes out of her way to make her husband happy, but he on the other hand doesn’t treat her well. When she changes his cheese and offers him American whipped instead of Swiss, she is shouted at by an uncompromising Willy.

HAPPY (with a deep sentiment): Funny, Biff, y’know? Us sleeping in here again? The old beds. (He pats his bed affectionately.) All the talk that went across those two beds, huh? Our whole lives.
BIFF: Yeah. Lotta dreams and plans.
HAPPY (with a deep and masculine laugh): About five hundred women would like to know what was said in this room. (They share a soft laugh.)

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. In this exchange of male banter, Happy and Biff have a moment of nostalgia while visiting the home of their parents where they grew up. The strong family bond between the brothers is apparent as they remember the good times of their youth. Recalling the many women they were with, it is clear that Happy is a womanizer. Also that the brothers had big dreams of success that they did not fulfill. The only thing they appear to have achieved is bedding lots of women!

BIFF: Remember that big Betsy something – what the hell was her name – over on Bushwick Avenue?
HAPPY (combing his hair): With the collie dog!
BIFF: That’s the one. I got you in there, remember?
HAPPY: Yeah, that was my first time – I think. Boy, there was a pig. (They laugh, almost crudely.) You taught me everything I know about women. Don’t forget that.
BIFF. I bet you forgot how bashful you used to be. Especially with girls.

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. The Loman brothers’ very unflattering view of women is on display in this banter during a visit to their parents’ home. Happy is particularly cruel and disrespectful when talking about his first sexual experience. He shows himself to be a misogynistic character as he demeaningly characterizes and body shames the female concerned "big Betsy" as a "pig." Both he and Biff share a crude laugh as they reminisce about the encounter.

Sometimes I want to just rip my clothes off in the middle of the store and outbox that goddam merchandise manager. I mean I can outbox, outrun, and outlift anybody in that store, and I have to take orders from those common, petty sons-of-bitches till I can’t stand it any more.

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. Having chosen like his father to work in the business world, an ambitious Happy appears frustrated and unable to compete there on his own terms. He wants to get to the top, but is resentful of authority and doesn’t like taking orders. He talks demeaningly about his work colleagues and feels himself superior to his bosses and co-workers. Trapped in the rat race of American capitalism, Happy feels the need to assert his masculine identity and dominance. This speech to his brother Biff shows that he has inherited his father’s narcissism and tendency to exaggerate his own abilities.

I don’t know what gets into me, maybe I just have an overdeveloped sense of competition or something, but I went and ruined her, and furthermore I can’t get rid of her. And he’s the third executive I’ve done that to. Isn’t that a crummy characteristic? And to top it all, I go to their weddings!

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. Happy, speaking to Biff, shows how selfish he is and how little respect he has for women. Confessing to sleeping with his boss’s fiance, he admits that he has done this to two other executives. To cap it all he appears proud of his conquests, boasting that he has even attended the weddings! Happy is only interested in his own gratification and has no sense of the hurt this causes to others.

Manufacturers offer me a hundred-dollar bill now and then to throw an order their way. You know how honest I am, but it’s like this girl, see. I hate myself for it. Because I don’t want the girl, and still, I take it and – I love it!

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. As Happy chats to brother Biff in their old bedroom in their parents’ house, he brags about taking bribes from manufacturers. Even though it could be a career ending move for him, he is proud of his opportunistic and immoral behavior. A womanizer, he likens his selfish ways in the workplace to taking advantage of available women for his sexual gratification.

Just wanna be careful with those girls, Biff, that’s all. Don’t make any promises. No promises of any kind. Because a girl, y’know, they always believe what you tell ’em, and you’re very young, Biff, you’re too young to be talking seriously to girls.

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. Willy shows himself to be a poor role model to his sons, with this kind of terrible advice he offers them about how to treat women. He is essentially telling Biff that women are not to be trusted and he shouldn’t make any promises to them. Foreshadowed here are now shabbily the Loman men treat women. Linda observes that her teenage Biff is "too rough with the girls," Happy grows up to be a womanizer who has sex with the fiances of his managers, and Willy is unfaithful to Linda.

LINDA: He’s too rough with the girls, Willy. All the mothers are afraid of him!
WILLY: I’ll whip him!
BERNARD: He’s driving the car without a license!
(The Woman’s laugh is heard.)
WILLY: Shut up!

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. We catch a glimpse of the bad side to Biff’s character from Linda. After reminding Willy that Biff stole the coach’s football, she reveals that the other mothers fear him because he is "too rough" with their daughters. Bernard adds his two cents worth by saying that Biff is driving without a license. As the laughter of The Woman is heard (in a confused Willy’s mind only), Willy responds to hearing the unpleasant truth about his favorite son by screaming at them all to shut up!

LINDA: Isn’t that wonderful?
WILLY: Don’t interrupt. What’s wonderful about it? There’s fifty men in the City of New York who’d stake him.

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. Willy shows great disrespect to his wife when the family are discussing Biff and Happy going into business together. When Linda tries to say something, he doesn’t allow her have a voice and shoots her down. Moments later when Linda against tries to enter the conversation, Willy tells his wife to "Stop interrupting."

WILLY (unable to resist): And if anything falls off the desk while you’re talking to him – like a package or something – don’t you pick it up. They have office boys for that.
LINDA: I’ll make a big breakfast…
WILLY: Will you let me finish? (To Biff.) Tell him you were in the business in the West. Not farm work.

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 1. Willy teaches his sons that they are superior to everybody else, something he believes will make them successful but in fact makes them unsuccessful. He urges Biff in his meeting with Oliver not to behave like his servant by picking up anything that falls off his desk. Showing his failure as a father, he suggests that Biff lie about being a farm worker and instead say that he has been in business in the West. He also disrespects his wife Linda by rudely interrupting her when she tries to speak,

THE WOMAN (enters, laughing; she lisps this): Can I come in? There’s something in the bathtub, Willy, and it’s moving! (Willy looks at Biff, who is staring open-mouthed and horrified at The Woman.)
WILLY: Ah – you better go back to your room. They must be finished painting by now. They’re painting her room so I let her take a shower here. Go back, go back…(He pushes her.)
THE WOMAN: (resisting) But I’ve got to get dressed, Willy, I can’t – .
WILLY: Get out of here! Go back…(suddenly striving for the ordinary) This is Miss Francis, Biff, she’s a buyer. They’re painting her room. Go back Miss Francis, go back…
THE WOMAN: But my clothes, I can’t go out naked in the hall!
WILLY (pushing her offstage): Get outa here! Go back, go back!

– Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, Act 2. High school student Biff takes a train to Boston and surprises his father while he is shacked up in a hotel room with another woman. Willy predictably goes straight into lying mode. He pretends that The Woman is a buyer who has had to temporarily leave her room because it is being painted. He then displays another example of his inappropriate treatment of women when he pushes her offstage.
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