Comparison Of Patriarchy In Linda Loman And The House Of Bernarda Alba

In an article by Kristina Groover entitled “Reconstructing the Sacred: Latina Feminist Theology in Sandra Cisneros’s Woman Hollering Creek” the author alludes to that notion when she writes, “Cleofilas is endangered by her culture’s relegation of women to a passive, subservient role and its tolerance of male privilege and aggression” (qtd. in Groover). This quote represents the idea that even though there are goals that individuals wish to achieve whether in business or in relationships, that sometimes the motivations can have negative outcomes such as being in a bad marriage or in Mamet’s play stealing, etc. Men in Mamet’s play are ready to do whatever it takes to succeed that they compromise everything from dignity to relationships. In Greenbaum’s article, she writes, “This disregard for maintaining authentic relationships with male peers is also manifested by the way the salesmen manipulate those around them through the use of language as a source of seduction” (Greenbaum). This quotation is important to the discussion of language and the strength that it has in human connections. In Mamet’s play, outwardly vulgar language is used to demonstrate the masculine energy of the business world and how it is not for the faint of heart. While the language is outwardly harsh, Mamet’s use of it provides the reader with a glimpse into something that sets the tone for the

Willy treats his wife Linda like she is just there to support him and that’s it. Willy and Linda’s relationship is one sided because Linda tries to help Willy, but then Willy acts like she isn’t there most of the time. On page 1478, Linda says “Isn’t that Wonderful?”. Then Willy says “Don’t interrupt. What’s wonderful about it? There’s fifty men in the City of New York who’d stake him.” This Quote shows how Linda is trying to be supportive and how that she isn’t interrupting Willy. Just Willy doesn’t really caring about Linda, but his own gain. Willy in this is scene talking how he will get rich through Biff and Happy’s business and not trying himself. Willy and Linda’s is not a good relationship because he disrespects her and Willy has cheated

Throughout many pays and novels, women have had important roles of helping form the main characters, in the way they think, move or change the story. Women have always been subordinate to men all through history, but in plays, novels, short stories, etc, they have been given large enforcing roles, showing the power within women. William Shakespeare and Sophocles use guilt, pride, and influence to demonstrate the importance of the women’s role to support the main characters in both the plays of Macbeth and Antigone.

Along with her motives, Linda attempts to keep any voice of reason away from Willy, showing that her selfish desire of her well-being is more important than his. In a discussion with her boys in Act I, Linda says, "I'm- I'm ashamed to. How can I mention it to him? Every day I go down and take away that little rubber pipe. But, when he comes home, I put it back where it was. How can I insult him like that?"(1184) Linda claims that acknowledging the truth about Willy's possible attempt to kill himself is an insult. But, in order to develop a solution to any preoblem, one must start with the truth. Linda merely wants to accommodate Willy's mental problems rather than get rid of them, causing him to stay in his troubled state of mind. In another conversation in Act II, Linda tries to push Biff away from speaking with his father:

In a patriarchal society, women are expected to conform to social restrictions by demonstrating reverence and obedience to the males in their lives. Shakespeare's tragic play, Romeo and Juliet, explores the effects of patriarchal authority exerted over women and how the patriarchal structure left no escape from it, save death. Through Juliet, Lady Capulet, and the Nurse, Shakespeare establishes a common understanding of this type of society, but illuminates three different reactions to the social oppression by portraying the responses of a passionate lover, an idyllic housewife, and an attendant.

But in the beautiful, ironic complexity of her creation, she is also Willy's and their sons' destroyer. In her love Linda has accepted Willy's Greatness and his dream, but while in her admiration for Willy her love is powerful and moving, in her admiration for his dreams, it is lethal. She encourages Willy's dream, yet she will not let him leave her for the New Continent, the only realm where the dream can be fulfilled. She want to reconcile father and son, but she attempts this in the context of Willy's false values. She cannot allow her sons to achieve that selfhood that involves denial of these values" (Gordon p. 316). Linda is also caught up in Willy's lies and therefore does nothing but help fuel the fire in the inferno of their dreams and ambitions. She lets this whole masquerade continue right in front of her instead of doing something to stop their out of control lies.

To some extent she acknowledges Willy's aspirations but, naively, she also accepts them. Consequently, Linda is not part of the solution but rather part of the problem with this dysfunctional family and their inability to face reality. In restraining Willy from his quest for wealth in the Alaska, the 'New Continent', ironically the only realm where the "dream" can be fulfilled, Linda destroys any hope the family has of achieving 'greatness'. Even so, Linda symbolically embodies the play's ultimate value: love. In her innocent love of Willy, Linda accepts her husband's falsehood, his dream, but, in her admiration of his dream, she is lethal. Linda encourages Willy and, in doing so, allows her sons, Biff and Happy, to follow their father's fallacious direction in life.(Griffin, 1996)

The most prominent woman figure in this play is Linda, but the male characters in this play also give us insight into women’s roles and help feed the feminist analyses

Gender stereotypes are not a modern notion and as such expectations and limitations have always existed for both men and women. Fortunately women, who have formerly beared great burdens of discrimination, now have very liberated roles in society as a result of slowly shifting attitudes and values. Shakespeare was integral in challenging the subservient role expected of women in the 16th century. Throughout the play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, women are expressed as powerful characters who behave, speak and live in a way that breaks away from the conformist role of females during the 16th century. Therefore, the submissive stereotype expected of women in Shakespearean time is confronted and defied through

Ultimately, the two main female characters in the play Death of a Salesman were the victims of constantly being silenced and treated as objects instead of human beings, thus allowing the men to succumb to the false ideology of male superiority.

Toward the end of Act 1, Biff is getting ready for his loan interview. Willy ends up giving him advice that isn’t useful. Every time Linda tries to interject to help Biff, Willy tells her to be quiet several times. The guide says “ A good wife will always knows her place.” She is technically being a bad wife because she keeps trying to add to the conversation even though Willy has hushed her. The guide shows women how to not have a voice or their own control and to be told and listen to everything the men say. Willy and Linda’s relationships is a lot like the guide because he is the one in control and never lets her have her own opinion or rights.

Linda speaks these lines to Biff and, not only do they prove that she loves this man an enormous amount, but also that she would sacrifice not seeing her son again just to keep Willy happy. She is wiling to sacrifice her family for the man that she loves, who appears to not treat her as well as a husband could. Linda's last comment shows that she is not treated with a great deal of respect from Willy. Nevertheless, she puts his needs before her own because of the profound love she has for him. Her love for him drives her do whatever is necessary to keep him happy, and binds her to him no matter what the consequence.

While Linda is unquestionably a victim of Willy’s treatment and her end goal is likely the least selfish of any character, she does very little to make any real change in the household due to her fear of confronting Willy. One of the moments when this is most evident is when Linda is telling Biff and Happy about the rubber hose. She admits that she removes the hose, but “when [Willy] comes home, I put it back where it was,” as she is too ashamed to confront him about it. While this is certainly a more extreme example of Linda’s fear of confronting Willy, she turns a blind eye to issues in the family like this rather often, including being overly positive when going over expenses, ignoring Willy’s issue of drastically exaggerating his achievements, and attempting to stop Biff from confronting

In his play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses “the common man as a fit subject for tragedy in the highest sense” (Lawrence, Trudeau and Ross Vol. 1) and failure in the accomplishment of the American. The play tends to recline more in the direction of masculinity where men’s sole role is to get a job and support the family and the woman be seen and ordered which brings out the idea of traditional gender roles at its best. Though this is the case, it is very evident that women played an important role in this play. Although every character in the served and had a main purpose, women served a major role not only as subjects of submission and satisfaction who helped define who the men really were in the 1940’s but also as elements of support and wisdom.

In the society of Venice, the social system called patriarchy is quite ordinary. The feminist literary criticism attempts to analyze patriarchies, where men hold the majority of power, while women are denied access of it. In the sought after play called, The Merchant Of Venice, by William Shakespeare, women are treated unequally to men. Furthermore, women are not allowed to choose their own husbands as well as given a chance to solve legal disputes. As proven in the play, the patriarchal society of Venice over rules women.