Miller has created symbols in Death of a Salesman to say what Willy thinks but cannot say and to show many different aspects of success or failure in characters lives. Miller uses signs as something, which is help for the audience and can point them in the write direction. Death of a salesman is partly expressionistic, meaning that the central ideas are conveyed through symbols, symbols which involve the peaceful suburbs versus the city are, the flute as Willy’s father was a musician and the playing of the flute reminds Willy of the peace that there was before the outline of the towering apartment buildings closed in on his house. Other symbols include the stockings that Linda is mending while; unknown to her, Willy is giving new stockings to another woman who he is having an affair with without Linda knowing and the teenage Biff accuses Willy of giving away Linda’s stockings to the women. The hose in Death of a Salesman directly relates to the theme of death, the hose is a line attached to the gas main in Willy’s house, which allows him to breathe the gas in to commit suicide. The hose also represents grief and deception. When Linda finds the hose she is afraid of its intended purpose. The tape recorder could show the change in Willy’s life through the advancement of technology, and signifies the point at which Willy’s career ends. Howard, who is much younger than Willy, finds more interest in the recorder than Willy himself and without any doubt fires Willy. But Willy can also be to blame for him losing his job as Howard had just got the tape recorder signifying change, and Willy cannot accept change and prefers the past, and when Willy is left in Howard’s office he messes with the tape recorder and cannot turn it off which shows that Willy has not adapted to the future. The seeds that Willy plants are signs of Willy leaving some form of support behind for his family, and they can also represent Willy wanting Biff to grow into a strong, successful man, but this will never happen, in comparison with the seeds as Willy plants them at night when there is no sunlight and only cold, the hose, tape recorder and the seeds, are all symbolic of Willy’s dreams which have gone wrong, and his incapability to live in the present.
Diamonds for Willy represent tangible wealth, the ability to pass things on to a child or person in the family, which Willy greatly desires. The discovery of diamonds that made Ben a fortune, symbolize Willy’s failure as a salesman. Despite Willy’s belief in the American Dream, which kept Willy in America when he was invited to go with Ben to Alaska, which Willy’s becomes regretful about, and the American dream of financial security has escaped Willy, and at the end of the play Ben asks Willy to enter the jungle to retrieve his diamond which is a comparison to Willy committing suicide and getting the insurance money. The house which Willy and Linda own symbolises their long struggle to own a home and pay off its mortgage, and as soon as the mortgage finally gets paid off there is only Linda left to live in the house.
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 "security symbol." While the play shows 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 for him. Though 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 .The scene in Howard’s office where Willy asks for a different job, and Howard refuses, finalizes Willy’s uselessness in the society. Happy and Biff are although significant characters in the script are not as symbols in the play, simply represent two sides of Willy’s personality throughout the script. Ben, Willy’s dead brother who he often talks to in his illusions, is Willy’s hero in that Ben is his ideal of financial 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 leads Willy away from realistic ideals. A significant scene in the play is the garden scene where Willy is "talking" 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 "magnificent future." This scene with Ben obviously signifies Willy’s unstable mentality. Willy’s mistress, Miss Frances, directly represents his infidelity. He loves Linda, but is overcome by loneliness and feels the need to be "loved."
Arthur Miller brilliantly uses symbolism in Death of a Salesman to enhance the story of the Loman’s in relation to their family life, the society in which they live, and to themselves as separate characters.
