Symbolism in Arthur Miller

             Symbolism in Arthur Miller "Death of a Salesman"
             In Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman", there are three significant symbols used to expand on Willy Loman's failure to accept reality. One important symbol incorporated in the play is the stockings. A second symbol incorporated in the play is the rubber pipe. The final and crucial symbol incorporated in the play is the garden/seeds. Miller uses these symbols to show that Willy is living a failing life and he is not willing to accept reality.
             The stockings are a symbol of Willy's guilty conscious and his inability to accept the results of his action. Willy has had an affair and he gives his mistress boxes of stockings. An example of his generosity toward the other women is in act one when "The Women" says "You just kill me, Willy. You kill me. And thanks for the stockings. I love a lot of stockings. Well, good night."(1810). Every time Willy sees Linda mending her old, torn stockings, he feels guilty for what he has done. Examples of his guilty conscious are in act one and in act two of the play. In the act one we see signs of his guilt when Willy says, "I won't have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them out" (1810). In act two Willy goes on to say "Will you stop mending stockings? At least while I'm in the house. It gets me nervous. I can't tell you. Please." (1827). We see strong signs of Willy feeling guilty and his inability to tell his wife why he does not want her mending stockings.
             The rubber pipe in Miller's play symbolizes death. The rubber pipe was rigged so that it could be attached to the gas heater, which would allow Willy to sniff gas. This was one of Willy's ways of attempting to commit suicide in order to escape from reality. Willy did not intend on any one finding the pipe, but his wife Linda discovered the pipe. Linda did not say an
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