Death of a Salesman

Theme of walls in Death of a Salesman





The theme of walls and buildings in Death of a Salesman is important to the play. Going through walls represents going back to the past to re-enact the situations that are vital to the story telling of the main characters of the play. Walls play an important part in separating the past from the present, and in some cases, the real past from the imagined past. Willy Lohman created an alternate reality for himself because of his inability to achieve his goals and fulfill his dreams. Buildings represent Willy being closed in, as well as his loss of freedom.
To indicate that the play is taking place in the present, the actors follow the boundaries of the walls. “Whenever the action is in the present the actors observe the imaginary wall-lines, entering the house only through its door at the left” (Miller 1825). When the scene is taking place in the past, the characters break the boundaries of the walls. “But in the sc...