Women in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

Women in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

The part of Stella and Linda are both archetypal female figures in

that they follow the typical fictional role of the submissive wife and

mother. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stella DuBois (renamed Mrs.

Stanley Kowalski) supports and forgives her husband, defending him

against any criticism. Likewise, in Death of a Salesman, Linda - the

only female character with any import - is a meek, timid figure around

her husband. This weakness is underscored by the sentence structure

and diction that each character uses when in conflict with their

husband. As both Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller are men, it can

be seen that their female characters tend to be what men would desire

in women, without giving a too-accurate portrayal of an actual person.

Stella and Linda are both symbols of the deferential wife and mother,

not convincing portraits of women.

Stella and Linda are both thought of only in relation to the other

characters. They exist to support their husbands and defend them from

other characters. Both Stella and Linda attempt to blind themselves to

their husbands' flaws, and apologize to other characters for their

husbands' actions. When Stanley gets drunk, smashes the radio and

window, and hits Stella, Stella must apologize to Blanche for

Stanley's behavior: "He's half-drunk!"; "He didn't know what he was

doing... He was as good as a lamb when I came back and he's really

very, very ashamed of himself." All that Stella can do is make excuses

for his behavior, not blaming him for anything: "People have got to

tolerate each others' habits, I guess." It is in this scene (4) that

the audience truly sees Stella...

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...laces, especially in scene 3: "All of you

- please go home! If any one of you have one spark of decency in

you-"; "You lay your hands on me and I'll-". This is realistic for

some women who are submissive to their husbands, more so than perhaps

the characters' actions, but the portrayal of the women characters as

weak and wavering spouses is not realistic when it is the only female

element.

There are no strong female characters in either A Streetcar Named

Desire of Death of a Salesman. Stella and Linda are dutiful wives,

inferior to their husbands, who forgive and support them in spite of

abuse. This is shown by their change in sentence structure and

diction. Perhaps some males desire unconditional support and surrender

from their wives, but to portray all females as weak women at the

every beck and call of their husbands is unrealistic and inaccurate.