Symbolism in Arthur Miller's Death of a SalesmanIn his play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses many symbols to illustrate the themes of success and failure. They include the rubber hose, the tape recorder and the seeds for the garden. These symbols represent Willy's last desperate attempts to succeed and the failure he cannot escape. The rubber hose represents both success and failure. It is connected to the gas line in Willy's house and offers him the opportunity to commit suicide. Willy sees this as a way to finally do something for his family to make up for years of disappointment. He will no longer be a burden to them after he is gone and they will remember him in a positive light. However, Willy doesn't even manage to commit suicide. His attempt being a failure, he lies to his family and denies having wanted to commit suicide. His wife Linda, who finds the pipe, knows what he was going to do with it, as does Biff. When confronted by Biff, Willy not only denies that he was going to use the pipe, but also denies having ever seen it before. Instead of being seen as a successful businessman who died, Willy is seen by his family as a failure who can't even kill himself or tell the truth. Another important symbol is Howard's tape recorder. It represents the many material items that wealthy businessmen could provide for their families and themselves. Willy wanted this lifestyle; he wanted “something he could get his hands on” (Miller p. ). It would not be enough to succeed; Willy wanted to be able to show people physical representations of his success. The tape recorder shows that Howard has reached this level of success. Yet while the recorder symbolizes ...... middle of paper ......o could acquire such technical marvels. Although he could afford them for himself and his family, as other businessmen could, he did not know how to exploit them because he was not changing with the times. Finally, Willy hoped to show his family that he could do something good and give them a little fun by planting seeds in the garden. He hoped that these seeds would grow into a wonderful garden that everyone could enjoy. So his family would appreciate it. But the garden fails, and so does Willy. Willy Loman wants to become a successful businessman that his family can be proud of. The pipe, the tape recorder and the seeds represent just a few of his attempts to achieve this. Yet, as with everything in Willy's life, what initially represents hope ends up symbolizing failure. Work cited: Miller, Arthur. Death of a seller. New York: The Viking Press 1988