Discuss the significance of "the woman" in the play Death of a Salesman.

"The woman" is a woman in Boston who Willy had an affair with when he was a travelling salesman and his sons were in high school. Read more on "the woman" . 

In the play, Willy's infidelity is revealed through flashbacks, and his guilt is symbolized by stockings: Linda works hard to mend her stockings because Willy can't afford to buy her new ones, but he once bought a pair of new...

"The woman" is a woman in Boston who Willy had an affair with when he was a travelling salesman and his sons were in high school. Read more on "the woman" . 

In the play, Willy's infidelity is revealed through flashbacks, and his guilt is symbolized by stockings: Linda works hard to mend her stockings because Willy can't afford to buy her new ones, but he once bought a pair of new stockings for his mistress.

Later in the play, it is revealed (through flashbacks) that Willy's son Biff discovered his affair. That's what made Biff lose faith in his father and forget his dreams and ambitions. So since Willy's depression is caused by his son's failures as well as his own, the audience could blame his affair with "the woman" for all his problems.

Why did Willy have an affair, then? Willy always considered popularity to be the hallmark of success. Throughout the play he insists that he is "well-liked." The attention of another woman made him feel well-liked, and therefore successful.

However, it also led to his feelings of extreme guilt, partly because he cheated on his wife who has always loved and supported him, and partly because his affair caused his son's downfall.

It could be said that "the woman" represents poor choices or bad decisions. If Willy had been able to resist the temptation to have an affair with an adoring young woman, perhaps Biff would have retained his admiration for his father and gone on to succeed in college and his career, and perhaps Willy would not have felt so ashamed of himself and been a better salesman, or been able to keep up with the changing times and get on with his life after getting fired.