• Symbols

   

   

   

  Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

• Seeds

   

   

   

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  Seeds represent for Willy the opportunity to prove the worth of his labor, both as a salesman and a father. His desperate, nocturnal attempt to grow vegetables signifies his shame about barely being able to put food on the table and having nothing to leave his children when he passes. Willy feels that he has worked hard but fears that he will not be able to help his offspring any more than his own abandoning father helped him. The seeds also symbolize Willy's sense of failure with Biff. Despite the American Dream's formula for success, which Willy considers infallible, Willy's efforts to cultivate and nurture Biff went awry. Realizing that his all-American football star has turned into a lazy bum, Willy takes Biff's failure and lack of ambition as a reflection of his abilities as a father.

• Diamonds

   

   

   

  To Willy, diamonds represent tangible wealth and, hence, both validation of one's labor (and life) and the ability to pass material goods on to one's offspring, two things that Willy desperately craves. Correlatively, diamonds, the discovery of which made Ben a fortune, symbolize Willy's failure as a salesman. Despite Willy's belief in the American Dream, a belief unwavering to the extent that he passed up the opportunity to go with Ben to Alaska, the Dream's promise of financial security has eluded Willy. At the end of the play, Ben encourages Willy to enter the “jungle” finally and retrieve this elusive diamond—that is, to kill himself for insurance money in order to make his life meaningful.

• Linda's and The Woman's Stockings

   

   

   

  Willy's strange obsession with the condition of Linda's stockings foreshadows his later flashback to Biff's discovery of him and The Woman in their Boston hotel room. The teenage Biff accuses Willy of giving away Linda's stockings to The Woman. Stockings assume a metaphorical weight as the symbol of betrayal and sexual infidelity. New stockings are important for both Willy's pride in being financially successful and thus able to provide for his family and for Willy's ability to ease his guilt about, and suppress the memory of, his betrayal of Linda and Biff.

• The Rubber Hose

   

   

   

  The rubber hose is a stage prop that reminds the audience of Willy's desperate attempts at suicide. He has apparently attempted to kill himself by inhaling gas, which is, ironically, the very substance essential to one of the most basic elements with which he must equip his home for his family's health and comfort—heat. Literal death by inhaling gas parallels the metaphorical death that Willy feels in his struggle to afford such a basic necessity.

3 more annotations...

• Miller uses symbolism to expand on the conflicts within the Loman family. Happy and Biff, Willy’s two sons, represent two sides of Willy’s ever-conflicting personality. Happy, who often receives his consolation of unsuccessfulness through women, represents Willy’s more materialistic side. Biff, who is more capable of genuine humanity, represents the kinder and more realistic Willy; he favors Biff over Happy (CLC Vol. 10, 343). Although this may seem more of a good thing, it also plays a big part in fueling the conflict between the two. Because Willy favors Biff, he wants more than anything for Biff to succeed in life, and pushes him to do so. In the beginning, Biff agrees with Willy that successfulness is everything. The University of Virginia emblem on his shoes symbolizes his high ambitions; that is, his ambitions before he and Willy drifted apart. One of the most significant scenes in the play is when Willy has a flashback of the hotel scene where Biff catches his &quot;faithful&quot; dad with another woman – this is what causes their father-son relationship to falter. After this point in the play, Biff no longer tries to be &quot;successful&quot; like his father.
• A symbol that also relates to Willy’s infidelity is the stockings. Because he gives the stocking that are meant for Linda to his mistress, they become a symbol of his infidelity. Every time Willy sees Linda humbly mending her old, torn stockings, he feels guilty for what he’s done; therefore, the stockings are also a sign of his guilt and her humbleness.
• Another way in which Miller uses symbolism is to show conflicts or problems with the society. To begin with, the setting of Death of a Salesman is a symbol that is society-related. Willy feels that the apartment buildings that surround their house are blocking out the sunlight and country atmosphere that the Lomans used to enjoy; this symbolizes Willy’s feeling of being choked by the society in which they live (Downer, 35). He denies the idea that his life is processed for him, that he is the product of society; in contradiction, critics of the novel state, &quot;Willy Loman is [only] as solid as the society in which he tries to sell himself
• One of the largest symbols relating to family worries is the mortgage on their house. In the requiem, Linda says, &quot;…I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody home (Miller, 139).&quot; The house symbolizes Willy and Linda’s 35-year struggle to own their own home and how ironic it is because as soon as the mortgage Willy worked so hard for is finally paid off, no one is left to live in their beloved house. Miller skillfully uses these symbols to help the reader understand in depth the conflicts within the Loman family
• A similar symbol is the hammock. The hammock that once swings in their back yard represents the earlier carefree society of when Willy and Linda first bought their house.
• Another symbol reflecting society is the fountain pen that Biff attempts to steal. That pen comes to represent everything Biff rejects about their society – not only stealing, but also the business world in general because of all of its corruptness.
• The emphasis placed on these social forces is what leads to the downfall of Willy, and the tragedy of the play (Steinberg, 295). As the reader sees, numerous symbols in the play enhance the meaning of the work in relation to the society surrounding the Lomans.
• In addition to symbolism relating to family life and the society, Miller uses symbolism to expand on issues concerning each of the characters. Not only do numerous symbols exist in the play that relate to each of the characters, but the characters themselves often represent something as well.
• To start off, Linda Loman stood for many things, but mostly as Willy’s supporter and &quot;security symbol.&quot; While the reader sees Willy slowly losing control of his life, Linda stands as his loving housewife who is always there to clean and cook for him, and to love him unconditionally; in other words, some sort of stability. Although she is the strongest supporter of Willy’s dreams, one of the critics claims that she is the one who prods Willy to his doom by loving him, but not knowing him well enough to help him
• hough he may seem insignificant, Howard Wagner also plays a somewhat important role: he provides the technical means of the deterioration of Willy when he lays Willy off from his job (Dusenbury, 317). The scene in Howard’s office where Willy asks for a different job, and Howard refuses, finalizes Willy’s uselessness in the society. As mentioned before, Happy and Biff represent two sides of Willy’s personality.
• Another significant character is Ben, Willy’s dead brother who he often talks to in his illusions. Ben is Willy’s hero in that Ben is his ideal of economic and personal success; Willy always regrets not taking up Ben’s offer to come with him to Alaska and become rich. On the other hand, Ben also represents false standards of conduct. His character leads Willy away from realistic ideals (Dusenbury, 317). Another significant scene in the play is the garden scene where Willy is &quot;talking&quot; with Ben. Here, they are contemplating whether Willy should commit suicide or not. Willy believes that the insurance money his family will receive from his death will provide for Biff’s &quot;magnificent future.&quot; This scene with Ben obviously signifies Willy’s unstable mentality (Rollyson, 1341.) Critics say that Willy’s need for Ben sometimes conflict with his need for Linda because Linda symbolizes something stable and certain, while Ben represents something unrealistic
• Lastly, Willy stands as the most significant character in Death of a Salesman. Miller uses various symbols in the play to expand on Willy’s role. One of the first symbols readers encounter is the flute music. The music shows the transitions from past to present (and vice versa) in Willy’s mind. Furthermore, the music also represents an unknown musical father; Willy can’t quite remember him, but he wants and is in need of his guidance
• Next, the car stands as a symbol. At first, it is Willy’s transportation for work as a traveling salesman; however, it comes to be Willy’s mode of killing himself later on in the story.
• A similar symbol is the tubing that Linda and Biff find in the basement. Early on in the story,
  
  Willy uses the tube as a way to try to kill himself, though he never completes the job with it.
• Willy’s mistress, Miss Frances, directly represents his infidelity. He loves Linda, but is overcome by loneliness and feels the need to be &quot;loved.&quot; There are also many significant ideas in the book. One of these is Willy’s obsession with being &quot;well-liked.&quot; Everything he does in his life is centered on his idea that success comes from being well-liked (Clurman, 308); in reality, few Americans’ follow Willy’s theory of &quot;success&quot
• Another idea Willy has is that of Biff’s spitefulness. His guilty feelings cause him to believe that Biff purposely fails in life just to spite Willy for what he’s done (Dusenbury, 317). One of the most prominent lines in the play is Willy’s &quot;isn’t that remarkable,&quot; for various reasons. First, it is related to one of the most important scenes, where Biff confronts Willy. This scene is substantial in that Biff aids Willy in finally realizing that he is just another common man when he says, &quot;Pop! I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you (Miller, 132)!&quot; Willy also realizes in this scene that Biff loves him, and when he realizes this, he utters, &quot;Isn’t that – isn’t that remarkable (Miller, 133)?&quot; Another time when the line comes into play is when Willy sadly realizes that Charlie, who previously seemed detestable, is his only real friend.
• Although these symbols relating to Willy are of great significance, Willy himself probably stands as the most significant symbol in Death of a Salesman. One of the first comments critics have is on Willy Loman as a simple character versus a complex character. To begin with, Willy is a walking contradiction. On one hand, he is described as fat and unattractive, while on the other hand, he is &quot;persuasive and pleases people.&quot; At times, he calls Biff a bum, while at others, he describes Biff as having greatness. Moreover, Willy calls his car &quot;the finest of its kind&quot; then later refers to it as &quot;a piece of junk (Rollyson, 1340).&quot; Willy Loman also has all of the modern conveniences that make him a product of society, but he does not want to be just another social component. Thus, no one is really sure whether he is simple or complex. Another argument critics make is whether or not Willy is a tragic hero. Most people agree that Willy is not a tragic hero, although his story is a tragedy. Arthur Miller once stated that Willy &quot;is (just) a man who dies for want of some positive, viable human value (Drama Criticism, 313).&quot; He is a common man who becomes the victim of a tragically harsh society (Steinberg, 296). And last but not least, Willy is more of &quot;a little man sentenced to discover his smallness rather than a big man undone by greatness.&quot; In other words, he is too passive of a character to play a tragic hero.
• As the reader can see, Arthur Miller brilliantly uses symbolism in Death of a Salesman to enhance the story of the Lomans in relation to their family life, the society in which they live, and to themselves as
  
  separate characters. Without a doubt, Willy Loman exists as the most significant character and symbol, not by playing the tragic hero, but by being nothing more than a common man with a tragic story – now isn’t that remarkable?
  

16 more annotations...

• Death of a Salesman: Symbols
  
  Many symbols are incorporated into the play "Death of a Sales man" and they in
  turn relate to both character and theme. The hose, tape recorder and the seeds
  are some of these symbols.
  
  The hose in Miller's drama directly relates to the theme of d eath. The hose is
  a line attached to the gas main in Willy's house which allows him to snif f the
  gas. This action can be seen as Willy's suicide wish, and escape from the
  realities of life. As seen in the loss of his job and his failure to succeed.
  The hose also represents grief and deception. For when Linda, Willy's wife,
  finds the hose, she is distraught over its in tended purpose. The deceptive
  nature of the hose is apparent when Willy is confronted about it by Biff his son
  and Willy denies its existence.
• A similar denial is also evident when Willy is
  confronted with the tape recorder in Howard's office.
  
  The tape recorder signifies the change in Willy's life throug h the advancement
  of technology. It also represents the end of Willy's career. This is brought
  about when Howard, Willy's boss and godson, shows the tape recorder to Willy and
  appe ars to be more interested in the sound and technology of the machine
  instead of Willy, who i s fighting for his job. Howard no longer need s Willy's
  services and without concern fires him. This , to Willy, was like, "eating the
  orange and throwing away the peel". However, Willy is partly to blame, as he
  does not accept change and wants to remain in the pas t. This is foreshadowed in
  the scene where Willy is left alone with the tape recorder and is unable to shut
  it off. Willy believes in using his old techniques and style to succeed.
  Nevertheless, in his job, it is not what you know, but it is who you know. Willy
  is not up to date with the business nor technology.
• Yet, Willy still has hope,
  and wishes to leave some fo rm of support behind for his family as illustrated
  in his planting of the seeds.
  
  Willy feels that he must leave something behind something for Biff. In Willy's
  imaginary world he wants Biff to be magnificent and he symbolically plants seeds
  in his garden. In spite of such an action he is doomed to fail. Willy sta rts
  planting the seeds at night, but at night there is no sun shining and this seems
  very od d as seeds require light to grow. What else is strange is the fact that
  Willy's house is boxed in between large apartment buildings and is covered by
  the shadows cast by them. It is evident that no light will fall on Willy's
  garden. Willy's attempt to plant and grow seeds is futile, but he persist in his
  attempt to seek reconciliation and forgiveness. Thus the hose, tape record er
  and the seeds are all symbolic of Willy's dreams gone sour, and his inability to
  live in the present. His death is inevitable and is mirrored by his life.

1 more annotation...

• Metaphor  Analysis   
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  Seeds/Garden: Miller uses these   motifs throughout his play to symbolize Willy's need and desire for success.  They also represent   the legacy that Willy never leaves with his family.  Though Willy attempts to plant his garden   near the end of the play, this is too little too late.  His life has already been a failure and   he has left nothing remarkable by which to be remembered. 

    The Jungle: The jungle, or woods, represents the chaotic yet rewarding nature of life.    Ben tells Willy, "the jungle is dark but full of diamonds." So like Ben, Willy hopes to strike it rich   in the business world of New England.  Yet Willy never finds the diamonds (success/happiness),   and he leaves life without fortune or fame.  In many ways, the jungle also represents the twentieth   century free market economy (and the American Dream ideal) that Miller often criticized.  

  Biff's stealing: This symbolizes   the inherent impossibility of Willy's strategy for success.  Willy doesn't believe in working one's   way up the ladder of success; he thinks that since he's a Loman he should be automatically granted managerial   status.  Thus Biff, following the example of his father, hopes to "steal" his way to the top instead   of working for it. 

    Stockings: These represent Willy's adultery as well as the "phoniness" of Willy's existence.    Though Willy says he's doing all he can for his family, he actually gives Linda's stockings to his prostitute. 

  Tennis: Bernard's reference   to tennis ironically proves his success and the Lomans' failure, since Oliver is suppose to give   Biff and Happy a big deal in the sporting goods business.  Though Bernard's future doesn't revolve   around sports, he has access to tennis rackets while the Lomans (who's lives do revolve around this   sporting goods idea) don't have this access.

• SYMBOLS
            One aspect of the drama which makes the story universal and timeless, almost mythic, is the reoccurrence of various symbols or motifs which deepen our understanding of abstract ideas and concepts in the play. Here are some:

   

                      garden/seeds – The idea of planting a garden is a major motif and carries significance on a number of levels. Throughout the play, Willy mentions the idea of planting a garden –  at one point saying, “The grass don’t grow anymore, you can’t raise a carrot in the back yard.” His need to put something into the ground is his attempt to combat the feelings of impermanence and being hemmed in by large grey buildings. His desperate, nocturnal attempt to grow vegetables also signifies his shame about barely being able to put food on the table and having nothing to leave his sons when he dies. The garden represents his desire to leave something behind, but his inability to make the garden happen mirrors his failure to raise his sons effectively.

   

   

   

                      diamonds – represent tangible wealth and validation of one’s life, as well as the ability to pass material goods to one’s offspring. The discovery of diamonds by Willy’s brother Ben made him a fortune, which highlighted Willy’s failure as a salesman. At the end of the play, Ben (in Willy’s imagination) encourages Willy’s to enter the “jungle” finally and retrieve this elusive diamond – that is, to kill himself for the insurance money as a way of giving his life meaning.
• American West/Alaska/African Jungle – These regions represent potential or realized success to Willy and to Biff. Willy’s father found success in Alaska and his brother Ben became rich in Africa. These locations are in contrast to Willy’s urban neighborhood which has trapped him. The American West symbolizes Biff’s true self – he realizes he has been content only when working out in the open. He has tried to escape from Willy’s delusions and the striving for commercial success.

   

  women’s stockings – Willy has a strange obsession with the condition of Linda’s stockings which foreshadows the scene of Biff’s discovery of  him with The Woman. The teenage Biff accuses Willy of giving her Linda’s stockings. Thus the stockings are a metaphor for betrayal and sexual infidelity. New stockings are important for Willy’s pride in having financial success and being able to provide for the family and for his ability to suppress both guilt and the memory of his betrayal.

   

   

   

                      rubber hose – this is the stage prop which reminds the audience of Willy’s attempts at suicide. He has tried to kill himself by inhaling gas, which is, ironically, the very substance essential to providing heat for his family. Literal death by inhaling gas parallels the metaphorical death that Willy feels in his struggle to afford a basic necessity.

• Symbols
• Alaska, Africa, American West

  Death of a Salesman takes place primarily within the confined landscape of the Lomans’ home. This narrow, and increasingly narrowing setting is contrasted with the vastness of the American West, Alaska, and Africa. If the Lomans’ home symbolizes restriction, both physical and mental, distant locations symbolize escape, freedom, and the possibility of something better. While Willy insists New York is a land of opportunity and abundant success, his idolization of his brother Ben’s adventures and forays into faraway lands shows that he is really not so convinced. Furthermore, Biff, Happy, and Ben repeatedly suggest that the Lomans are better suited to physical, hands-on kinds of work, an assertion supported by their failure as salesmen. Willy’s obsession with distant lands further proves that he might prefer a very different livelihood than the one he has.
• Seeds

  The seeds that Willy insists on buying and planting are an important symbol in the play. Willy is frequently troubled by feelings of confusion and inadequacy. He’s uncertain about how to raise his sons and worries that, like his own father, he will be unable to provide for them. When Willy says, "Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground" we have a feeling he’s really talking about his sons and their future. Willy is additionally preoccupied with being well known and leaving a legacy when he dies. All of these feelings come to a head in Willy’s seed planting. Through planting seeds, Willy wants grow something that will thrive, provide for others and remain after his own death. The MOST interesting part is that he chooses planting to make up for being a failed salesman – he’s actually better suited to working with his hands, to agriculture, to labor, just like his son Biff.
• Stockings

  Stockings appear in a number of contexts in Death of a Salesman. Willy gives stockings to the woman he has an affair with, and repeatedly yells at Linda for mending her stockings in front of him (they seem to be a reminder of his affair and how he’s not providing for his family). Biff’s anger at his father’s affair gets similarly channeled into the stockings; ostensibly, they are the reason for his anger.
• Tennis Racket

  The tennis racket Willy observes when he chats with Bernard in Charley’s office is a symbol of Bernard’s success and Biff’s failure. While athletic Biff and Happy hoped to make a fortune selling sports equipment, it is Bernard, who in high school stood on the sidelines while Biff played sports, that now owns the tennis racket.
• Diamonds and the Jungle

  The diamonds that made Ben rich are a symbol of concrete wealth in Death of a Salesman. Unlike sales in which Willy has nothing tangible to show for his work, the diamonds represent pure, unadulterated material achievement. The diamonds are also seen as a "get-rich-quick" scheme that is the solution to all troubles. When Willy is considering killing himself, he hears Ben telling him that, "the jungle is dark but full of diamonds." The jungle here is a risk (physically and, more interestingly, morally), which has the potential to yield wealth. In deciding to commit suicide, Willy perceives himself going into the dark jungle to get diamonds for his son.

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• SYMBOLISM / IMAGERY

  • Willy symbolizes the common man 
  • Biff's football game = a symbol of success for the future to Willy 
  • Ben represents all that Willy wishes the boys to be, yet his actions in the past are not firmly established. He is, for Willy, a symbol of all that is "good in the land of opportunity" 
  • The garden is symbolic of Willy needing to leave something behind for people to remember him by.