Willy Loman - the Symbol of Failure

Willy Loman: The Symbol of Failure

Symbols are used periodically in literature, movies, religious teaching and they are used to serve as a representation of something other than what they appear to be. They are used to represent events, places, people, groups and ideas. In sensational performances, symbols help boost and transmit the dramatic content. In novels the use of symbols are what make the story feel real to the reader. Symbols are a whole message within a word that must be analyzed and interpreted to discover. In Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller uses symbolism to portray how Willy's blind faith in the American dream turns into an obsession for prosperity which ultimately destroys Willy. This is presented through the symbolism of seeds, rubber hose and diamonds.

The seeds in Death of a salesman represent a chance for Willy to validate the fact that he was successful in his life to everyone around him and it also represents Willy's failure to raise Biff into a successful and well liked businessman. Willy puts in a lot of effort to provide for his family from the very beginning. At the beginning of act two Willy says "Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground."'Willy tries to plant seeds in the garden because he feels as if he has been unable to provide anything for his children and that he has nothing to leave his children when he passes away. He tries to plant seeds to cover up his failed career and his shattered aspiration. Willy realizes that he has no solid proof of his life's work. While planting the seeds and speaking with Ben Willy says "A man can't go out the way he came in, Ben, a man has got to add up to something."(99)His obsession with visible material evidence of success contradicts Willy's own line of work which obligates one to sell his own image. Willy feels that he will turn out just like his own father and will leave his children abandoned and alone. Although the seeds that he is trying to grow will have no tangible result as well it is his last hope to do something for his family and to prove to everyone that he was a successful man. Willy's efforts to raise Biff into a successful and well liked businessman went all wrong. Willy says, "Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground". Through this sentence Willy is metaphorically referring to his sons but more specifically Biff. Willy wants to leave a legacy when he dies but with his sons being unsuccessful he believes nothing will remain. The sons he has refined with his own values and morals have grown up to disappoint him, none of his financial hopes have produced fruit, and he is desperate to have some touchable result of his lifetime of work. By planting the seeds Willy wants to grow something that will grow, provide for others and will remain even after he dies. Willy starts gardening in order to cover up the fact that he is a failed salesman. Willy is better at working with his hands and is good at physical labour just like Biff but Willy is has chosen a career that he is not good at. He is unable to sell thus making him a failure in his career and his life. By planting vegetable seeds, he is seeking to begin afresh. But as Linda reminds him, the surrounding buildings don't provide enough light for a garden and it is night. Willy's attempt to plant the vegetable seeds at night further emphasizes the ineffectiveness of his efforts. By planting the seeds Willy subconsciously accepts that the occupation he had chosen for himself was not a good choice and that he is better able to work with his hands. Although Willy is a salesman he was never able to become the Dave Singleman that he always wanted to be. Therefore the seeds represent Willy's inability to provide for his family and his failure to produce tangible wealth in his life and his failure to raise Biff into a successful businessman.

The diamonds in Death of a salesman are a representation of wealth and prosperity for Willy. They represent the wealth and success that Willy could never achieve. They also represent Willy's ability to pass on material wealth to his family. Willy's older brother Ben became rich by going into the jungle and finding diamonds. Willy on the other hand has nothing tangible to show for his work unlike his brother who is rich with diamonds that represent purified accomplishment. He sees the diamonds as the solution to all of his 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 an opportunity which has the possibility to yield wealth. In deciding to commit suicide, Willy perceives himself going into the dark jungle to get diamonds for his son and family. "Oh, Ben that's the whole beauty of it! I see it like a diamond, shining in the dark, hard and rough, that I can pick up and touch in my hand...the funeral...will be massive! They'll come from Maine, Massachusetts. All the old timers...