Arthur Miller: The Last Great American Playwrite

Arthur Miller, born on October 17, 1915 in New York City, is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century (Berger, 1). Although born into a middle class, Jewish family, Miller’s circumstances soon changed when his parents lost their home and garment manufacturing business during the Great Depression. (Bryer and Hartig “Miller, Arthur”)

After high school, Miller did not attend college right away. He applied to the University of Michigan, but his grades were considered too low and he was ultimately rejected. To earn money for future education, Miller worked odd jobs around New York City, were he witnessed firsthand how often salesmen and workers were berated and dismissed while trying to live the American Dream and make a better life for themselves. (Bender, 16) When not working, Miller became an avid reader. “His discovery of the power of literature sparked his dreams of becoming a writer.”(16)

Arthur Miller was finally accepted into the University of Michigan in 1934. It was there that he began writing his first plays, one of them winning him a $250 dollar grand prize, which paid for his second year tuition. (Berger, 2) During his life time, Miller wrote 24 plays, many inspired by his own life experiences. Most of them are centered on the idea of the American dream and the conflict between an individual and his integrity, along with the values of the American society. (Bender, 168) Out of all of Millers plays, he is most remembered for his first successful play, All My Sons, his greatest success, Death of a Salesman, and one of his most controversial plays, The Crucible.

Arthur Miller’s All My Sons was the writers first broadway success and premiered at the Coronet Theatre on January 29, 1947. After the failure of his first play The Man Who Had All the Luck, Miller wrote All My Sons as a final attempt at play writing claim. If it failed he would find some other form of work. (Berger, 2)

The play centers around the Keller family, post World War II. The play's main character, Joe Keller was arrested for knowingly shipping out faulty airplane parts in order to save time from possible production loss and save money. Due to his greed, 21 pilots died, all of them in plane crashes using his faulty parts. Instead of coming forward, Joe blames his business partner and friend, Steve Deever, who is serving time in jail for Joe’s crime.

A sub plot of this play is centered on Joe’s son Chris. Chris is planning to marry Ann Deever, Steve’s daughter. However Ann has still not gotten over the loss of her fiancée, Chris’ brother, Larry Keller, who died during World War II. Ann is in denial and believes he is still alive. However, Larry, due to shame, kills himself when he finds out about his father’s crime. (Bender, 165-166)

All My Sons explores the family dynamic and how one man’s greed and immoral decision can lead to the devastation and shattering of an entire family. Although this play was considered a success, many critics considered it flawed, with Miller’s immaturity as a writer showing in some scenes. (166) Critics, such as John Lardner and Joseph Wood, thought the play was too predictable and contrived, with a larger plot than the themes required. (167) The New York Times however, thought the play to be “fresh, exciting, honest, forceful, and a piece of expert dramatic construction." (Abboston, “All My Sons”) Despite receiving mixed reviews, All My Sons won both the Donaldson and the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. The success of All My Sons established Miller’s reputation as a great American playwright (“All My Sons”).

Arthur Miller’s second play, Death of a Salesman, is considered by many to be his most successfully work or his “Master Drama” (Bender, 19). The play opened in February, 1949 at the Moscow theatre in New York. Death of a Salesman was inspired by Miller’s early days, while working in a garment factory, and watching the struggles of salesmen during the Depression. (16)

Death of a Salesman is the story of a struggling businessman named Willy Loman. Obsessed with the desire for success and the need to live the American dream, Willy is on the verge of a physical and psychological breakdown. Throughout the play he has flash backs to better times and hopeful visions of the success he has never reached. For years Willy has failed to succeed and yet he still tries, despite the fact that he is not meant to be a business man. (96- 97) Willy’s obsession affects his family in many ways. His wife tries to be supportive, but finds it hard to be when the Lomans are having trouble making ends meet.(107) Willy’s two sons, Biff and Happy, are lazy philanderers who have yet to amount to anything, but end up trying to succeed in business only to appease their father. (108)

Death of a Salesman was considered a great success. The New York Times called it “a superb drama that has the flow and spontaneity of a suburban epic that may not be intended as poetry but becomes poetry in spite of itself because Mr. Miller has drawn it out of so many intangible sources.”(Atkinson, 298) Critics also claimed that Miller explored the aspects and flaws of the America Dream (299), along with condemning the American businessman. (Bender, 97) Death of Salesman went on to win The Drama Critics’ Circle award and the 1949 Tony Award for Best Play. The play also won the Pulitzer Prize, which reestablished Miller’s fame as a great American playwright. (20)

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is today considered a great triumph, but due to the Red Scare of the 1950s, many were afraid to voice their true opinion. (Siebold, 20) The Crucible is a play set during the Salem Witch Trials and demonstrates how hysteria, desperation and greed can cause friends to turn on friends in order to get what they desire.

The Crucible, although full of historical figures and a true premise, was not an allusion to the 1690s. (92) In reality, The Crucible was an allegory Miller’s own life during the McCarthy Trials. Miller, a known liberal a lover of socialism, was put on trial by the House Un-American Activities Committee after he was accused of being a communist by his own director and good friend, Elia Kazan. When Miller refused to give up the names of known criminals, he was put on a black list until further investigating had begun. (19) In response to the anger and hysteria of the Red Scare, Miller wrote The Crucible, which opened on Broadway in 1953. (21) The play received mix reviews due to the underline theme of the play, which contained subliminal criticism of the HUAC and Joe McCarthy. Critics from the New York Times claimed that the play was cruder than Death of a Salesman and tried to pack too much drama and excitement than emotion. (Atkinson, At the Theatre) Miller stated in his biography that “as the theme of the play was revealed, an invisible sheet of ice formed over [the audiences] heads, thick enough to skate on. In the lobby at the end, people with whom I had some fairly close professional acquaintanceship passed me by as though I were invisible.”(Siebold, 21)

Despite initially being unsucessful, the first run of The Crucible still managed to win the 1953 Tony Award for best play. After the Red Scare began to fade; The Crucible had a very successful set off Broadway rivals in 1954, 1956, and 1965, making the play a classic. Miller claims that the reason the play is successful in modern times is because “the hysteria of the past is now forgotten and people can now enjoy the play for the themes and drama it embodies”. (21)

Arthur Miller died on February 15th, 2005 at the age of 85. Today, his plays are preformed around the world, with The Crucible having a new production every week around the world. (20) His works have been made into many successful movie adaptations, staring some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Winona Ryder and Dustin Hoffman. Arthur Miller was considered the Last of the Giants, a group of playwrights that changed the American theatre. (McKinley, 1) He was the moral voice of the American stage, having explored the flaws of the overrated American dream. (Berger, 1) As long as his play are produced, read and preformed, Arthur Miller will remain a crucial part of American literature and the great American stage. (3)

Sources

• Abbotson, Susan C. W. "All My Sons." Critical Companion to Arthur Miller: A Literary Reference to His
• Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin=CCAM0421&SingleRecord=True>
• Atkinson, Brooks. "AT THE THEATRE. " New York Times (1923-Current file) 23 Jan. 1953,ProQuest
• Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2007), ProQuest. Web. 8 May. 2011.
• Atkinson, Brooks. "Review of Death of a Salesman (1949)." On Stage: Selected Theater Reviews from
• The New York Times, 1920-1970. Ed. Bernard Beckerman and Howard Siegman. Arno Press, 1973. 298-299. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 May. 2011.
• Bender, David. Readings on Arthur Miller. San Diego (Calif.): Greenhaven, 1997. Print.
• Berger, Marilyn. "Arthur Miller, Moral Voice Of American Stage, Dies at 89. " New York Times (1923-
• Current file) 12 Feb. 2005,ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2007), ProQuest. Web. 8 May. 2011.
• Bryer, Jackson R., and Mary C. Hartig, eds. The Facts On File Companion to American Drama. Second
• ed. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Web. 05 May 2011.
• <http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/default.asp?ItemID=WE54>.
• McKinley, Jesse. "Miller Recalled As Last Of Giants. " New York Times (1923-Current file) 12
• Feb. 2005,ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2007), ProQuest. Web. 9 May. 2011.
• Siebold, Thomas. Readings on The Crucible. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1999. Print.