Arthur Miller is a highly distinguished author. He is considered by many to be one of America's greatest writers. As distinguished a writer he is, Miller deserves to be selected for a spot in the prestigious American Author Hall of Fame. His works meet the criteria for the American Authors Hall of Fame since they have themes important to society, are unique, and have universal appeal. Arthur Miller's works meet the American Author Hall of Fame's first criteria by dealing with themes highly important to society. Some serious themes prevalent in his works were antisemitism and economic inequity (Christenbury 187). Jewish himself, Miler had faced antisemitism first-hand. In the workforce, his bosses and coworkers often discriminated against …show more content…
A second unique aspect about Death of a Salesman was its depiction of the American Dream. Within the play, it depicts the failure of the American Dream (Moss and Wilson 111). Miller's The Crucible also is unique. The Crucible's plot is not what makes it unique; Instead, it is the symbolism within The Crucible that differentiates it. Miller wrote The Crucible during a rather hostile time in history when innocent people were persecuted after being accused of being communists. This metaphorical "witch-hunt", called the Red Scare, closely parallels the plot of The Crucible (Zeff, "Crucible, The"). The Crucible is about the Salem witch trials (Zeff, "Crucible, The"). Like the people accused of communism, those accused of witchcraft in Salem often were accused with flimsy proof, if there was even proof at all (Christenbury 192). Going even farther into the Red Scare allegory, the man that started the Red Scare, Joseph McCarthy, can be compared to The Crucible's Abigail, the girl who was the one who started accusing others of witchcraft (Christenbury 192). Abigail's mindless accusations of people being witches quite obviously parallels McCarthy's accusations of people being communists. Universal appeal, the third criteria for the American Author Hall of Fame, is met by Arthur Miller's works as well. A number of Miller's works have universal appeal, but the most universal work of his is Death of a Salesman. Beloved by audiences,
Arthur Miller was a playwright who wrote plays such as “The Crucible” and “Death of a Salesman”. Miller was a kind man and wanted to keep his reputation to a high standard. He believed that theater would change the world. His works were based off of his life, friends, and family. The way he portrayed himself made people believe that he was a hero. Elia Kazan was Miller’s director on Broadway when “Death of a Salesman” came out in 1947. The play was about a New York family’s life in reality and what they wanted it to be.
Arthur Miller was an American playwright who wrote plays such as “The Crucible” and “Death of a Salesman” because he thought theatre could change the world. He wrote his works based on friends, his own life, and family. People believed he was a man of integrity and a hero because of the ways he portrayed himself.
The Crucible a play about how choices can impact or kill someones’ life so strongly with The Red Scare having the exact same concept. Miller’s Crucible was written during the red scare to tell Americans to wake up and show how history really can repeat itself. In The Crucible Abigail and some young girls from 1692 go dancing in the woods and cook some food in a pot when Parris the head of town and Abigail’s uncle find them doing this. He calls witchcraft and the blame games begin. This is parallel to the Red Scare when people in the 1950’s were being accused of communism. The conflict in the Crucible is parallel to the Red Scare because of the blame game, hysteria and, .
Many people know Arthur Miller as an author due to his many famous works such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. However, there’s much more history to Miller than what we know. Key events in Miller’s life were composed of three marriages, many of his workpieces making it to Broadway, and how he made it to the top. Although he had a very satisfying professional life, there were many political conflicts involving communism and much more.
"The American Dream is the largely unacknowledged screen in front of which all American writing plays itself out," Arthur Miller has said (Galvin). To many people Arthur Miller is known for his role against communist accusations and using his writing to portray what has happened during McCarthyism. From Miller’s struggles as a child to his first big break as a playwright to his fight against the government, he has still been able to maintain integrity in his writing and captivated many audiences over the years.
The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, is a chronological narrative including a large cast of characters with a constantly moving setting.* The Crucible is a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and an allegory of the McCarthyism period. Throughout the play, Miller explores the destruction of freedom by the ignorant and tyrannical society in which his characters live.* By exhibiting how easily a member of the community can become an outcast, Arthur Miller displays social criticism in the Puritan society as well as in today's society in The Crucible.
The key point in the novel is the proper ethical behavior towards the Other, which is most powerfully manifested in Mr. Finkelstein. Miller uses him to show the suffering of Jews and the existence of anti-Semitism in America. Mr. Finkelstein, who works in his candy store in a Christian neighborhood in a Brooklyn Navy Yard, suffers a lot from threats and attacks intended to force him from the neighborhood. Actually, Mr. Finkelstein serves as a sort of Jewish Everyman, his experiences mirroring that of many thousands of American Jews. Despite his sufferings, he willingly puts his life at risk by coming to Newman’s rescue after the latter is attacked by thugs while returning home from the movies.
Arthur Miller was born in Manhattan, New York and raised in Brooklyn during the depression. According to (Blackwood, 2004) he was profoundly influenced by The Great Depression also he would tap into the unrest within the American Psyche. From Plays like “The Crucible” and “Death of A Salesman”, Arthur Miller made a name for himself. Most of the plays he writes about his audience can imply that he tapped into what human nature really is about.
During Millers lifespan he was effected by many important struggles and successes in America that shaped not only him but his legacy. One of the significant early struggles that shaped Miller was the Great Depression. During this time his father lost his small manufacturing business. This period created much doubt to a young Arthur Miller about his existence, security, and religion. He then began leaning “left”, politically. Around the early 1900s the arts, theater more specifically, was the most avant-garde way for left
The Crucible and Death of a Salesman are both written by Arthur Miller in the the 1950’s. During the the 1950’s the Cold War was going on and had impacted American society. Because of the Cold War, the Red Scare began in America which was a widespread fear of communists. This lead to McCarthyism, or the process of making accusations of treason and subversion without evidence to back it up, which caused many people to be accused a communist unfairly. These events during this time period influenced literature and media heavily and is definitely present in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Death of a Salesman. Also, many elements of these two pieces of literature are similar due to the time period in which they were written. The common theme of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and The Crucible is deception, more specifically he is trying to spread a message that deception causes problems, which is still important and relevant today. Arthur Miller portrays this through the characters of Willy Loman and John Proctor, and more explicitly through their deaths.
or even the “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller’s essay tries to bring the connection
Arthur Miller, an American playwright and the author of The Crucible, explained the incident involving within the series of Salem Witch Trials. The Crucible and the Second Red Scare demonstrated a comparison in order to establish an allegorical parallelism between the two. Joseph McCarthy caused the fear of communism throughout the American politics and culture, which referred to the Second Red Scare. In the play, the innocents got falsely accused of witchcraft without factual evidence, similar to the situation when McCarthy indicted numerous well-known, innocent Americans for un-patriotism. The parallelism based on the two events can be embodied through the fallacious allegations upon individuals employed by Miller and McCarthy: the mass hysteria that overwhelmed the innocent civilians, leading to an outbreak which occurred due to its chaotic presence, and the act of integrity over reputation put forth on the individual.
The novel, The Crucible was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller, which was based on the Salem Witch Trials existing in the late 1600s. In the play, Abigail and several other young women accuse innocent citizens of Salem for the action of witchcraft. During the trials, many individuals were unfairly persecuted; such as John Proctor. This event in history may be associated with the Red Scare, in which individuals were tried for their questionable influences of communism in the United States. When Miller compares the character of John Proctor to himself, the reader is able to relate the similar experiences that both men faced. The Crucible demonstrates the struggle against corruption involving the court, which lead to the death of many innocent individuals in Salem. The Crucible generates an allegory for Arthur Miller’s struggles with McCarthyism because of his similar experience relating to John Proctor’s battle against the Salem Witch Trials, and the relation between the actions of the court in both situations. Arthur Miller uses several writing methods in order to convey The Crucible as an allegory for his struggles with McCarthyism. Miller demonstrates how the Crucible represents an allegory for his conflict with McCarthyism by relating his experiences with the plot of the novel. Miller relates the novel to his struggles by stating, “Should the accused confess, his honesty could only be proved by naming former confederates.” (Are You Now… 34) Miller is explaining how the court
A life of fame, luxury, and well known plays. This was unquestionably the life of Arthur Miller, who is one of America’s well known playwrights of the twentieth century. His impact on American theater is still recognized today and will continue to be looked at for years to come. However, Miller will not only be recognized by his plays but by his high profile marriage, his work in politics and the list goes on. Arthur miller is viewed through American literature by his life, literary works, and impact on American theater.
Arthur Miller was an American playwright and was a prominent figure in America until his recent death in 2005. It was at this time of his death that Miller was considered one of the greatest American playwrights.