Death Of A Salesman Literary Analysis

In the play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses several stylistic devices to add another layer of complexity to his work. These devices include several themes such as the American Dream and abandonment, symbols such as the stockings, and a modified stream of consciousness point of view. These literary devices combine together to add a deeper meaning to the play and because all of the symbols and themes are not as conspicuous, they provide insight into the protagonist Willy’s mind. Willy is a traveling salesman who cannot seem to keep his mind solely in the past or the present and his thoughts seem to be extremely convoluted and all over the place. The fact that Miller included more discreet devices instead of declaring them almost outright adds to the mystery of the play.
One such symbol is the
These interactions are always heated or emotional, and Miller writes them as “Will you stop mending stockings? At least while I’m in the house. It gets me nervous. I can’t tell you.” (Miller 75). “You—you gave her Mama’s stockings!” (Miller 121). Willy cheats on his wife, and every time he sees his mistress, he gives her a pair of stockings. The stocking come to be a symbol of Willy’s affair and they also stand for Willy’s guilt. Several times in the play, Willy’s wife Linda is seen mending her stockings, and Willy tells her to keep them out of his sight. The stockings also are pivotal in Biff’s loss of trust in Willy. Biff travels to Boston to visit Willy, and catches him with his mistress. The fact that Willy gave away stockings that were supposed to be for his mother crushes him, and it causes him to give up on his initial dreams.
There are many prominent themes in Death of a Salesman, and one such theme is the American Dream. Willy is a salesman who should have the ability to gain more money as he grows older, but instead, as Willy gets older, he becomes poorer and is