The Breaking of Charity Arthur Miller 1915-2005 The Breaking of Charity

Miller’s early life Born in New York City in 1915 His father manufactured women’s coats. His mother was a teacher. In school he was more involved in sports than literature. Miller worked for two years in an automobile parts plant to pay for tuition to University of Michigan.

College life – Early Writing Miller worked odd jobs to pay for college, including mouse tender in a science lab and night editor of the Michigan Press. He wrote radio scripts for, among others, The Theatre Guild of the Air.

Broadway Success All My Sons was produced in 1947 and won the Drama Critic’s award for Best Play; the play was about moral responsibility in families and society. Death of a Salesman, his theatric masterpiece, was produced in 1949. It is the definition of modern tragedy. Miller is now recognized as one of the great American playwrights.

The Crucible The Crucible was produced in 1953. It was inspired by the actual witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. The Salem Witch Trials closely mirrored the “Red Hunt” being conducted by Senator Joe McCarthy in the 1950s. Politicians, actors, writers were summoned to respond to the question, “Are you a Communist?” In 1956, Miller was summoned to appear before the same Congressional committee. He refused to name names and was found in contempt.

The Crucible con’t. The Crucible was not successful in its first production. A later production, supervised by Miller himself, ran for over six hundred performances. It is now Miller’s most often produced play.

Personal Life Miller married Marilyn Monroe in 1956; they divorced in 1961; she died in 1962. In 1956, Miller was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Michigan. Friendship with writer Elia Kazan was destroyed because Kazan named names when called before Congress, and Miller did not.

Awards and Recognitions In 2002, Miller was honored with Spain’s prestigious Principe de Asturias Prize for Literature, the first U.S. recipient of the award. He is recognized by most critics as one of the most significant playwrights of the 20th century.