Lindas and the womans stockings as a motiv of play death of a salesman

Death of a Salesman Order No. 600592 Introduction ‘ Death of a Salesman’ by Arthur Miller is a scintillating story based on the chief protagonist Willy Loman, who had been a successful salesman long ago, but now chases an American dream and believes whole heartedly that it would come true someday. This interesting story revolves around the Loman family with each of them facing their own problems. Willy Loman’s character is infused with superficial qualities with regard to attraction and blind faith in realizing the American dream for him and his family. The story is interspersed with strong Motifs, Themes and Symbols which is what draws its audiences and compels them to take a closer look at its interesting characters. In this essay we would be analyzing the motifs used in the story with special focus on the motif of the woman’s ‘ stockings’.
The first time the motif of the stockings appears in the play is when the characters are younger. Willy complains to Linda that he would be unable to pay the bills since people do not like him and he is bad at his job. It is at this juncture that he day dreams about his mistress who laughingly flirts with him and thanks him for the stockings he gave her. The image of the stocking portrays his infidelity and his deceit towards Linda because it is her stockings that he takes and gives it to his mistress.
The image of the stockings appears again when Willy’s elder son Biff discovers his father with his mistress in their hotel room in Boston. The significance and meaning the stockings take on here is one of deceit and ingenuity. Biff accuses his father of giving the woman Linda’s stockings and hates him for it. The stockings in this context describes Willy’s ingenuity because he let’s his family down by going after a woman of cheap repute.
As the story progresses, the stockings are shown to hold the significant meaning of Willy’s guilt. Willy becomes obsessed with Linda’s stockings and when he sees her mending some stockings he shouts at her and asks her to throw them out. The image of the stockings in this part of the story describes Willy’s remorse brought on by his infidelity. He is unable to bear the sight of the stockings because it reminded him of his infidelity towards his wife.
The image of the stockings is used by the author as a metaphorical device to describe sexual infidelity and betrayal which are strong symbols in the story. The image of new stockings is very importantly used to depict Willy’s pride of being able to financially support his family and also to show his guilt in betraying both Biff and Linda. Willy always drifts from the past to the present and from dreams to reality. Though he is always under the impression that he is doing a lot of good within his family, in reality his behavior and character are responsible for the Loman’s misfortunes in life. A good example of him letting down his family is his adultery and deceit and the stockings stand as a testimony to his infidelity. In fact, he sets a very bad example for the members in his family and this image is reflected in his giving his prostitute Linda’s stockings, even though he knows that Linda is one of the important members in his own family.
Arthur Miller skillfully portrays Willy’s infidelity by making use of the stockings as a motif. Willy’s act of giving Linda’s stockings to a member who is not associated with his close family, earns him disrespect and scorn. His family members, especially Biff confronts him for letting them down so much and he feels a lot of guilt each time he sees her mending the stockings. Though Arthur Miller’s story of ‘ The Death of a Salesman’ appears to be simple on the surface, yet it has very deep meaning which encourages his audiences to reflect on the actions of the different family members and understand the right and wrong of things through human feelings and emotions. My previous image of stockings was that it was an accessory used by women to enhance the beauty of their feet, but after reading Arthur Miller’s story, it made me realize that an accessory such as simple stockings could hold so much meaning and significance when used in different situations.
References
Death of a Salesman – Metaphor Analysis
www. novelguide. com/deathofasalesman/metaphoranalysis. html
Death of a Salesman
www. sparknotes. com/lit/salesman/summary. html