Arthur Miller Background

Has been commercially successful, but still continues to question his achievements. His concern for the common man and his distrust of society’s institutions often make him feel guilty and uncomfortable with his celebrity He fears that he will no longer be able to write about the poor when he himself is rich, or that perhaps the trappings of fame will separate him from the essential feelings and insights that generated his plays

For Miller, the struggle to write is a struggle to learn about himself, understand his role as a writer in society, and maintain his idealism, integrity and political views against popular opinion and criticism

Basics Born 10/17/15 in NYC, died 2/10/2005 Parents were Jewish immigrants from Austria Mother was well read and wanted her children to live well-rounded lives During the depression his family suffered financially and were forced to give up their home Miller was deeply disappointed by his father’s inability to cope with the loss

Miller was also disillusioned with the economic system that put his family in their new predicament. He grew suspicious of the powers that controlled the wealth and the social machinery of society The depression made him aware that life was often a struggle against powerful social forces outside of the family

With the loss of their home, the Millers moved to Brooklyn to be near relatives To earn money for college, he worked in the garment business and learned how the salesmen were treated. This info became fodder for his greatest work: Death of a Salesman Went to U Michigan where he began a quest to understand how society changed, how it influenced the individual and how it could be improved

Socialism Miller believed in the socialist concern for the rights and dignity of the common person He joined with college friends to try to create a socialist evolution of the planet. Although this never happened, his beliefs in socialism stayed with him throughout

Themes The tension between selfishness and humanitarianism Class struggle Conflicts between family members Healing bond of family loyalty

All My Sons Based on an incidental comment by his wife’s mother about a young girl who turned in her father to the FBI for manufacturing faulty aircraft parts In 1947 this realistic social drama was co-produced by Elia Kazan The audience perceives an atmosphere of normality: a world that is calm, orderly and peaceful

All My sons The placid world is disrupted as the play progresses and the characters expose the audience to a world of tension and disillusionment Intent of play is to reveal truths about family, moral decision making, and the role of the individual society Established Miller’s status as a playwright

Joe Keller Is a good husband and good father but he fails to be a good man and a good citizen For Chris, there is something bigger than the family Joe is not ruthless, no hint of a robber baron. His ambitions are small Has accepted the American myth of the primacy of the family

Joe Keller Does not recognize any allegiance to society at large, but Joe’s shortness of vision is a product of society Joe is a threat to society because he cannot admit that he has any viable connection with his world, his universe or his society He is not a partner in society, but an incorporated member, and you cannot sue personally the officers of a corporation

Social Drama Examines life in society and focuses attention on its problems and conflicts Man is a social animal and naturally interested in the stability and welfare of his society He is also apt to be concerned with problems of social behavior and government that require active participation on his part and that make him choose one side or another in a controversy or a political conflict

Social Drama The term is used most appropriately when a play gives unmistakable priority to the social or political conflict, and our attention is not diverted from it by other considerations. Miller stresses the importance of man’s fidelity to others During McCarthyism, conscience was no longer a private matter, but one of state administration.