"En man är inte en fågel" : Könsroller och hegemonisk maskulinitet i En handelsresandes död

This essay examines traditional gender roles in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949). Using gender theory, including hegemonic masculinity and masculinity as a homosocial enactment, the essay explores how the play critiques traditional gender roles and essentialist ideas on gender. This takes place in an American post-war setting in which women are subordinate to men, but also men being subordinate to and marginalized by other men. The analysis focuses on the characters of Willy Loman and Biff Loman, as well as their relationships with other characters, and the difficulties they face in relation to post-war expectations of masculinity. The analysis reveals that Willy exhibits traits traditionally associated with women,and how gender roles are reversed in his relationships with female characters. The analysis also shows that Willy tries to conform to the hegemonic ideals of masculinity, but fails, which makes him a complicit man. As for Biff, the analysis shows that he rejects the prevailing masculinity ideals. Moreover, he contradicts and challenges traditional gender roles by questioning the prevailing norms within the Loman household. In conclusion, Death of a Salesman critiques essentialism and undermines traditional gender roles.