The stream of consciousness technique is integral to the theme and characterization of "Death of a Salesman." It indicates the agonizing intensity of Willy's search for the meaning of his life, as he reaches out to memories and individuals in a delirious attempt to find answers for his fall. Additionally, by linking the final days of Willy's life with the years that have shaped them, the play gives his life and death a dramatic cohesiveness, becoming a process, documentation and charting of Willy's mind.
One of the most interesting aspects of the play is its fluid treatment of time, as past and present blend seamlessly into one another through Willy Loman's rambling stream-of-consciousness. This mirroring of the processes of a disoriented mind, which has destroyed the boundaries between now and then, is achieved through the use of the stream of consciousness form.
For example, in Act II, Willy is having a conversation with his dead brother, Ben, in his imagination. The repetition of "I'm no good" and the short, fragmented sentences convey Willy's sense of despair and his deteriorating mental state. This passage is a clear example of the stream of consciousness technique.
Furthermore, Miller uses this form to accomplish a rich interpretation of past and present. The present is never erased by the past, but rather made richer by it, as the barriers of time and space disappear. The stream of consciousness form allows Miller to include the world of subjective experience normally excluded from the stage, resulting in an enlargement of the dramatic form.