Saccharine is defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as,” a: of, relating to, or resembling that of sugar b: yielding or containing sugar c: overly or sickishly sweet d: ingratiatingly or affectedly agreeable or friendly e: overly sentimental.” This word is used by Linda and Willy in the Second Act of “Death of a Salesman”. Willy is leaving to go see Howard, his boss, to talk to him about getting a promotion. She hands him his handkerchief after he has forgotten and says, “And your saccharine?” and he replies, “Yeah my saccharine.” The definitions provided from the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary were all very similar to Linda’s character. This word clearly defines the role Linda plays in this family. She is the sweet, caring, affectedly agreeable, and over sentimental for her family. Author Miller tries to show us readers that Linda cares too about her sons living the American Dream. She was a loving wife that let her husband and sons take advantage of her. This line was significant because it not only shows the love she had for Willy but also the way he didn’t realize how much she cared for him. This line gives us the imagery of her asking for some sugar or a kiss but is that the only thing she is asking for? Previous to this line she was telling Willy about how Happy and Biff wanted to meet him for dinner that night. That makes me want to assume that Author Miller wanted more than just a kiss out of this statement. Did he want us readers to feel the emotion that Linda had for her sons to save their father? At the time she says this in the play you do not assume that she will stand up to Biff as she does in the end of Act three. This statement clearly gave some falling action to the resolution of the climax of the play. During the resolution of the play, Linda’s character through this word is shown to be no more as she repeats “I can’t cry, I can’t cry” When you decipher Linda’s character to a greater level you will find that there was more to her than just a mother and wife. Who do you think Author Miller intentionally wanted to be the main character?
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