Not successful
One of the common motifs we find in the play is the idea that Tony is not successful at all and this state brings him a great deal of unhappiness. Tony is aware of his situation and his friends know about it as well, making the whole situation be an uncomfortable one. From the first act of the play until the last, every character is fixated on the idea that Tony is unsuccessful, thus making it a common motif in the play.
The glasses
When Tony enters the bar at the beginning of the play, the first thing he notices is the glasses that everyone uses and which are all identical. When his friend enters the bar as well, he notices the glasses as well. The attention given to the glasses transmits the idea that they have an important meaning for the characters. The glasses could be used in this context as a symbol to represent Tony's lack of individuality and the idea that he is doing nothing to stand out.
Mundane and boring
The author describes the job Tony does on a day to day basis and it is mentioned a couple of times in the play. Tony is working in a factory on an assembly line, doing the same job as other countless men are doing around him. His job is important because in this context, it is used as a symbol to represent an existence that is mundane and boring.
I will be someone great
Apart from Tony realizing the fact that he is far from being remarkable, he never gives up on the idea that someday, he will be someone special and someone the others will look up to. No matter how hard his life is, Tony continues to believe that he will accomplish something which will make him be remembered for the rest of eternity. This idea is also a common motif in the play because it is among the most frequently mentioned ideas.
Symbol for epiphany
The vast majority of the action in the play takes place inside a bar where Tony meets with his best friend. Inside that bar, Tony reaches the conclusion that his life was largely wasted and he accomplished nothing worth mentioning. Because of the realizations, Tony has inside the bar, the whole building receives a whole new connotation. Thus, the bar is no longer just a building but also a symbol that stands for epiphanies.
