Other characters

Linda Gardner

Linda is Chris’ wife and Christopher’s mother in the film The Pursuit of Happyness directed by Gabriele Muccino. She works at a launderette. While Chris is struggling to meet his sales quota, she also works double shifts to support the family. 

Linda appears tired and hopeless because she is always overworked. She is worried about the unpaid bills and the overdue rent. She no longer trusts Chris when he tells her his plans for the future. For her, “every day’s got some damn story” (00:23:42-00:23:43), which amounts to nothing. This suggests that repeated disappointments and failures have made Linda stop believing that things could become better. She belittles Chris when he confides in her that he wants to be a stockbroker: “Not an astronaut?” (00:11:19-00:11:20). This shows that she doubts his abilities and intelligence, and it also showcases her lack of faith that things might improve.

Linda appears disenchanted and disappointed with Chris because of his lack of success. When Chris calls her out because she wants to leave, she tells him “You’re the one that dragged us down, do you hear me? (...) I am not happy anymore. I’m just not happy!” (00:35:10-00:35:17). This shows that she blames him for their poverty, as well as for her unhappiness. 

While Chris tries to find ways to improve their lives by thinking outside the box, Linda appears quite conservative. She is content to work hard and try to maintain the status quo. When faced with financial difficulties, she increases her workload by working double shifts, instead of considering looking for a better paid job. She appears to be afraid of change, worried that change might lead to a worsening of their situation, instead of an improvement. This is why she advises Chri...