One aspect of the drama which makes the story universal and timeless, almost mythic, is the reoccurrence of various symbols or motifs which deepen our understanding of abstract ideas and concepts in the play. Here are some:

                    garden/seeds – The idea of planting a garden is a major motif and carries significance on a number of levels. Throughout the play, Willy mentions the idea of planting a garden –  at one point saying, “The grass don’t grow anymore, you can’t raise a carrot in the back yard.” His need to put something into the ground is his attempt to combat the feelings of impermanence and being hemmed in by large grey buildings. His desperate, nocturnal attempt to grow vegetables also signifies his shame about barely being able to put food on the table and having nothing to leave his sons when he dies. The garden represents his desire to leave something behind, but his inability to make the garden happen mirrors his failure to raise his sons effectively.

 

                    diamonds – represent tangible wealth and validation of one’s life, as well as the ability to pass material goods to one’s offspring. The discovery of diamonds by Willy’s brother Ben made him a fortune, which highlighted Willy’s failure as a salesman. At the end of the play, Ben (in Willy’s imagination) encourages Willy’s to enter the “jungle” finally and retrieve this elusive diamond – that is, to kill himself for the insurance money as a way of giving his life meaning.

 

                    American West/Alaska/African Jungle – These regions represent potential or realized success to Willy and to Biff. Willy’s father found success in Alaska and his brother Ben became rich in Africa. These locations are in contrast to Willy’s urban neighborhood which has trapped him. The American West symbolizes Biff’s true self – he realizes he has been content only when working out in the open. He has tried to escape from Willy’s delusions and the striving for commercial success.

women’s stockings – Willy has a strange obsession with the condition of Linda’s stockings which foreshadows the scene of Biff’s discovery of  him with The Woman. The teenage Biff accuses Willy of giving her Linda’s stockings. Thus the stockings are a metaphor for betrayal and sexual infidelity. New stockings are important for Willy’s pride in having financial success and being able to provide for the family and for his ability to suppress both guilt and the memory of his betrayal.

 

                    rubber hose – this is the stage prop which reminds the audience of Willy’s attempts at suicide. He has tried to kill himself by inhaling gas, which is, ironically, the very substance essential to providing heat for his family. Literal death by inhaling gas parallels the metaphorical death that Willy feels in his struggle to afford a basic necessity.