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Why can't Willy Loman grow plants from seeds in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller?

In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman can't grow plants from seeds because he has an inability to succeed. Throughout the play, Willy tries to be successful at the things he does (including being a salesman, a father, a good provider, and a well-liked person), but he fails at each of these. He is misguided in his expectations and cannot face reality; this causes his ultimate downfall and can be considered his...

In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman can't grow plants from seeds because he has an inability to succeed. Throughout the play, Willy tries to be successful at the things he does (including being a salesman, a father, a good provider, and a well-liked person), but he fails at each of these. He is misguided in his expectations and cannot face reality; this causes his ultimate downfall and can be considered his fatal flaw. Growing plants from seeds is symbolic of Willy's flaws. Growth of a plant represents prosperity and new life. Willy cannot do something as simple as growing plants, and he recognizes that this shouldn't be that difficult. The repeated failures Willy faces eventually beat him down, and, at the end of the play, he takes his own life as he succumbs to despair. 

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