Throughout life, a person may hold ideals that represent a false way of living, but this person does not know any other way to live. This lack of knowledge toward life goals will eventually lead to failures in that person's life. In Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman," the use of motifs, or reoccurring events, such as the silk stockings, Biff's compulsive stealing, and the idea of being well-liked show the Loman family's false standards in life that lead to their failures.
             The silk stockings are a reoccurring factor in the play, representing Willy's act of adultery with another woman where he promised her a silk stocking if she would do sexual favors for him. Every time Willy thinks of or is reminded of silk stockings, he hears the mocking laugh of the women he cheated with. This laugh illustrates the deep guilt that Willy has for committing such an act behind the back of his sweet wife. When his wife, Linda, is mending the stockings he begs her to stop mending them because his guilt rises each time he sees her struggle. " Will you stop mending stockings? At least while I'm in the house. It gets me nervous. I can't tell you. Please." Knowing that his wife is struggling in life to save money by mending the stockings, Willy wishes that she would just buy new ones because he gave the woman free stockings and not didn't give his own wife some. His mistress is an example of his immorality and dishonesty. He cheats on Linda, his adoring and supportive wife, with some secretary, so that he has contact with the buyers in Boston. Willy, feeling guilty about betraying Linda with adultery, gets anxious and upset any time he sees her mending her silk stockings; stockings were the gift he always gave the woman. While Linda had to mend her stockings because they were so expensive, Willy's mistress got two pairs every time she and Willy had their little fling in Boston. This reoccurring event shows that Willy leads a guilt-stric...