In our last lesson we were looking at the end of Death of a Salesman to try and answer the question "To what extent does the end of Death of a Salesman uphold traditions of dramatic tradegy?". In particular we looked into whether the characters have a sort of self realisation in which they gain a new sense of self which they didn't necessarily have before. I will look into the character of Linda and explore whether she achieves this new sense of self.
Does Linda Achieve A New Sense Of Self?
To a great extent I think that that the character of Linda does not achieve a new sense of self at all. She continues to behave towards Willy in the same way that she has throughout the play and she doesn't seem to having any form of realisation. Willy may be stuck in his fantasy of the past, but Linda is stuck in her fantasy of believing that the way she and Willy are living is practical.
For example there doesn't seem to be any change in Linda, as shown by the fact that she still only has eyes for Willy and his happiness, she even seems prepared to brush off her own son if it will calm Willy down. For example when Biff says "I'm going and I not writing anymore" Linda doesn't even look at him as she is following Willy into the kitchen. She then gives a heartless reply of "I think that's the best way dear. Cause there's no use dragging it out". This shows her unwavering devotion to Willy's needs is still strong, stronger than her devotion to her children. So this shows that Linda does not gain a new sense of self as she still stands by Willy no matter what, and only thinks of him and his happiness. This is similar to earlier in the play when she doesn't remove the piping that Willy may attempt suicide with souly because she does not want to damage his pride.
Linda also never realises that she is only serving to spur Willy's madness on. She always encourages him in his fantasies, right until the very end. For example when Willy comes in from "planting" outside in the middle of the night she says "Did you plant dear?"-so she isn't actually helping him, if anything she's making him worse and if she had realised what this did to Willy, she may have actually been able to help him. Linda also continues to hide the truth from Willy, for example when Biff pulls out the piping to try and address the situation Linda shouts "Biff!" and tries to pull the pipe away. So she helps Willy to not see the truth, as she has done consistently throughout the play. Whereas Biff, who I believe does experience a self-realisation, sees that this is not the right thing to do anymore and he accepts reality, "I'm just not smart enough". So Linda hides the truth from Willy and doesn't realise that her actions aren't helping. It's ironic as she seems to be more concerned with Willy being happy, rather than facing the truth and being distressed, when in reality his fantasy happiness leads to his death.
To a very small extent you could say that Linda doesn't experince a self realisation at the end of the play, but she already has done when she broke down to Happy and Biff about Willy attempting suicide. As she admits she can't cope etc. However this doesn't change her behaviour or attitude towards Willy in anyway as she doesn't see that he needs real help and that they can't go on living the way they are, with Linda desperately trying to keep Willy happy whilst he mistreats her.
How Does Linda's Lack Of A New Sense Of Self Add To The Tradegy Of The Play?
I think it adds to the tradegy and irony of the play greatly as all Linda ever did was look after Willy, despite the fact that he didn't return these feelings all the time. So it's tragic that Linda didn't ever realise that her approach wasn't helping Willy and that she should have stood up for herself and taken some control in the family rather than letting Willy and his illness rule her life.
So Linda's lack of self realisation adds to the tradegy of the play as she is so devoted to her husband but, despite her best efforts, she was never able to save him as she was more concerned with his happiness rather than the negative effects this was having on everyone around him, including himself and her. Willy's imagined happiness is also what ultimately leads to his commiting suicide as he is forced to come crashing back to reality by Biff, and his fragile mind just can't handle it. So Linda should have addressed the problem earlier and not let Willy become totally engrossed in his fantasy, to the point where reality becomes too much for him. It is also tragic that Linda sacrifices her own happiness and even her relationships with her children in order to cater to Willy's needs. Therfore it is the tragic irony of Linda's intentions and the outcome these lead to (which could have changed had she also faced reality) that adds to the tradegy of the play.
