In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, symbols are used to convey a greater meaning and tie in with the overall themes of the play. In Act II, Willy has a desire to purchase and plant seeds. For him, the seeds symbolize a variety of things that point to lost hope. Willy had been a salesman for so long and the seeds point to his desire to create something from the soil, to reconnect with...
In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, symbols are used to convey a greater meaning and tie in with the overall themes of the play. In Act II, Willy has a desire to purchase and plant seeds. For him, the seeds symbolize a variety of things that point to lost hope. Willy had been a salesman for so long and the seeds point to his desire to create something from the soil, to reconnect with nature, and to reawaken a dream of raising successful sons. The seeds signal a laugh from Linda in response to Willy's sharing, but he ignores her and dreams even more lofty visions. When everything crashes in on Willy's dreams through Biff's confrontation, Willy immediately wants to solve his problem of "having nothing in the ground." He knows he has to buy carrot and peas and produce something that will produce. The seeds again symbolize Willy's need to leave something behind at the end of his life of value. He wants to grow something that is of use to others, unlike his failed salesman job, and he wants to plant something that will remain after his death.
No comments:
Post a Comment