The theme of walls and buildings in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" is important to the play. Going through walls represents going back to the past to re-enact the situations that are vital to the story telling of the main characters of the play. Walls play an important part in separating the past from the present, and in some cases, the real past from the imagined past. Willy Lohman created an alternate reality for himself because of his inability to achieve his goals and fulfill his dreams. Buildings represent Willy being closed in, as well as his loss of freedom.
             To indicate that the play is taking place in the present, the actors follow the boundaries of the walls. "Whenever the action is in the present the actors observe the imaginary wall-lines, entering the house only through its door at the left" (Miller 1825). When the scene is taking place in the past, the characters break the boundaries of the walls-- "But in the scenes of the past these boundaries are broken, and characters enter or leave a room by stepping 'through' a wall onto the forestage" (1825).
             Walking through walls represents Willy's lack of boundaries and lets him release himself of the physical world and forget his troubles. His lack of boundaries lets him remember things the way he wants to remember them, exemplified when he remembers Ben as being rich and someone to look up to. Willy's description of Ben is that, "He is utterly certain of his destiny, and there is an aura of far places about him." Willy is trapped by his need for acceptance and success. He goes back to the past to escape his own expectations.
             The theme of buildings is largely represented by Willy's own house. Willy has a lot of himself invested in the house. Biff says, "You know something, Charley, there's more of him in that front step than in all the sales he's ever made"...