Manhood and Misogyny in “Death of a Salesman”

An important aspect of milling machines goal of a Salesman is the figure outs denouement which is commonly accepted as existence the moment that Loman commits suicide, and in doing so, hopes to provide his son, Biff, with insurance money for a fresh start (Phelps 239).This ending is commonly construed to represent a pyric victory on Lomans behalf because it implies that he has in the end acted out of love for his family.However, as H.C. Phelps points out in his very astute article Millers Death of a Salesman (1995) the emotional climax of the forge is not at the moment of Lomans actual death, alone earlier when Loman makes his final, irrevocable decision after the play has reached its undoubted emotional climax, Biffs dramatic declaration to his father (Phelps 239) which is basically a confession of his self-perceived worthlessness.The plays emotional climax, viewed in one way, seems to offer closure which hints at possible happiness, even in suicide, even in death moreove r jibe to Phelps explication, the true resonance of Lomans suicide and death is not heroic but only tragic and ironic.In Death of a Salesman, the theme of happiness or completeness of life is central to the plays dramatic relate. The play explores how the lives of a man and his sons be connected through contemporary ideas of man and family. In the play, many aspects of masculinity are presented in a way that promotes irony.Part of the identification with manhood which exists for the manly characters in the play is steeped in misogyny or in the objectification of women. This misogyny is important to the general theme of family and manhood in the play because it shows, through irony, that the diminishment of womens experience and labor by men contributed to the atomisation of the family.Part of this fragmentation includes the degradation or de-evolution of male- attach and particularly the bonding between a father and his sons. As Phelps points out in his brief but penetratingl y able essay, the perceived closure of the plays end is really improve perceived as ironic and as a natural extension of the plays essentially fragmented and misogynistic presentation of American social realities.A good example of this fragmentation is the character of Linda who is presented in the play as being both subservient to her husband, Willy, and held in low esteem by her receive sons.While the overt dramatic impact of this arrangement of characters might seem to suggest only the cold detachment of the modern male or the inability of the modern male to overcome antifeminism against women, a careful reading of play reveals that this disconnect between the male characters of the play and the character of Linda is symbolic of the incompleteness of modern male experience.In fact, the main ace of distress for the Loman family comes not from poverty or emotional barriers, but merely from Lomans absence from his domestic sphere. This absence is symbolic of the western, primari ly American, male experience.When Linda implores Willy to Talk to them again. theres no reason why you cant work in New York (Miller) she is imploring that Willy take more of an interest in his familial than professional life. This familial perception of male-responsibility is a crucial aspect of Lomans suicide because it is primarily due to their insistence on Biffs love for his father, not to any explicit comment by his son, that Willy decides to take his own life (Phelps 239).However, as Phelps points out, Linda and Happy are repeatedly shown to be among the most deluded, obtuse, and mendacious characters in the play (Phelps 239) so their assurances to Willie that Biff loved him are, for the alert reader, according to Phelps, mere lies which are rooted in misogyny and fragmentation of relationships.Later in the play, Willys involvement with the Woman shows clearly that the misogynistic aspects of masculinity as represented by Miller extend not only to the domestic and familial sp heres, but to the erotic and sexual spheres. When The Woman asks Willy Whynt you have another drink, honey, and stop being so diddley self-centered? (Miller) Lomans reply is Im so lonely (Miller) and the deeper meaning of his answer lies in the fact that his very misogynistic attitude has cut him off from feminine love or even feminine erotic reply.Because Loman is unable to relate to his wifes enquire for his patriarchal presence in his own home and also unable to relate to The womans need for erotic stimulation and celebration, Loman is in fact cut off from the primary energy-sources of true manhood fatherhood, husbandry, and Eros. The impediment to Lomans happiness is not actually poverty but misplaced male-identity and misogyny.Lomans discord with femininity is reflected also in the behavior of his sons who recklessly abuse women and conduct themselves as womanizers. Similarly, when Biff and Happy talk about Betsy they they cite to her as a pig and a pig suggests pigskin, t he material that footballs were traditionally made of, and compares their relationship with Betsy to sport (Ardolino).Because the misogyny of Lomans sons is manifested primarily through their sexual response and sexual behaviors, the thematic impact of their relationships with women as represented in the play seems to suggest that the corruption of Eros is the first casualty of misogyny and that the deterioration of the family and at last of manhood and the self follow quickly thereafter.The corruption of Eros is a symbol and symptom of the degeneration of family values which has taken place under the predominantly materialistic society which is represented in Death of a Salesman however, the sexual function is merely a preliminary casualty of the malaise and soul swage which Miller perceives in the society which he is endeavoring to dramatize in the play.Closely associated with erotic love is love itself, and even this emotion is so tainted by mendacity, by corruption, and by a trophy within the social microcosm of the play, that the absence of true love is what actually drives the plays climax not reconciliation or closure, but tragic despondency and loneliness. Biffs final words to his father are Ill go in the morning.Put himput him to bed (Miller) and as Phelps points out, these words are a tepid and ambiguous feel of concern (Phelps 239) adn reveal, not love, but the absence of love which is, in fact,the true motivation for Lomans suicide.The key aspect of the lack-of-love interpretation is to realize that it is a misogynistically determined core a symptom of a male-ordered social-universe which has sacrificed essential elements of human survival, like love, to the more expedient materialistic concerns of the moment.In conclusion, while the interplay between men and women in Death of a Salesman seems at surface level stylized almost to the point of cliche, penetrating and revealing themes emerge from a careful reading of the gender-based themes of t he play.Primary among these is the idea of corruption of male authority and male energy by the disconnect from erotic love and finally a misogynistic bearing toward women in general. To put it in simplistic terms, the play is trying to show that turning away from the nurturing energy and experience of what is usually called feminine in American society has corrupted American societys sense of manhood and allowed the disintegration of the family to follow.The key to retrieving the balance of family lies not in riches or material success but in finding harmony between the manful and feminine natures which are the focal energies of all families.Phelps article, while eschewing lengthy examinations of gender-based, or socially based explications, does manage to uncover, according purely to the characterizations of the play itself, a perseveration of expression which inverts the commonly associated emotional resonance of the plays close and offers and incisive and very ably expressed in terpretation of the plays climax which seems to me much more faithful to the boilersuit tone of the play as Miller intended it to be experienced.Works CitedMiller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Penguin Books, 1976.Ardolino, Frank. Like Father, like Sons Millers Negative Use of Sports Imagery in Death of aSalesman. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 25.1-2 (2004) 32+.Phelps, H. C. Millers Death of a Salesman. Explicator 53.4 (1995) 239-240.Rosefeldt, Paul. The Absent Father in Modern Drama. New York Peter Lang, 1996.