The Objectification Of Women In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

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Arthur Miller’s work, Death of a Salesman, presents the objectification of women through using and emotional, or verbal, abuse, while still making them essential for life to run smoothly, in order to deeply show the female social group as a source of strength, hope, and truth.
Throughout the play, women are treated like objects; they are used for the man’s benefit, starting from Happy and making it all the way back to Willy. Miller showcased the sexist and misogynist views in the society of the time. He expanded on this idea of objectification of women specifically through the character Happy. This is first seen in a dialogue between Happy and his older brother, Biff. “I get that any time I want… I just keep knockin’ them over and it doesn’t …show more content…

This is an example of toxic masculinity finding its way into the lives of men and hurting those who are involved in their lives. Although Willy may love Linda, the way he treats and talks to her can be seen as verbal, possibly even emotional abuse. According to the Oxford dictionary, emotional abuse is a form of abuse, characterized by a person subjecting, or exposing, another person to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Within their relationship, Willy talks to Linda in a constant condescending tone. “Stop interrupting!” “Will you stop!” “I was talking, wasn’t I?” In simple conversations, he sees her as unimportant and insignificant. He makes her appear as though she does not belong in family conversations because she is a woman. When she did try to participate, her own husband would angrily yell at her and push her thoughts aside. Outside of their marriage, Willy has an affair. This affair shows how little he actually cares about Linda’s feelings, and it gives yet another example of the misogynist views woven into the

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