The Arthur Miller

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“Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You'll never get out of the jungle that way." This was a quote from the prominent American playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005). This quote summed up Millers approach towards life and how others should live. Arthur Miller, by mirroring the issues of their time in a new light through his plays, sought to better America as he tackled economic, social, and political issues of his time in a way that his vast audiences would understand. Arthur Miller could be considered one of the most radical thinkers of the twentieth century through his bold messages. Miller, who was effected by many important struggles and successes in America during his lifespan exposed the flaws in the pursuit of the American dream and more specifically how society’s evil nature would lead to the corruption of the average American and lead to an unjust America.

One of the significant early struggles that shaped Miller was the Great Depression. During this time his father lost his small manufacturing business. This event created much doubt in a young Arthur Miller leading him to question his existence, security, and religion. This was his beginning of turns toward the “left”, politically. Around the early 1900s the arts, theater more specifically, was the most avant-garde way for left wing individuals to express their views. During his time at the University of Michigan where he studied journalism he entered the Hopwood Drama competition with his play No Villain and received an award. It was said that “he had never studied plays or playwriting, and he … [wrote] his script in just five days!” He won his first monetary amount $1,250 in the form of a scholarship. This was a large feat for a young playwright and built in him a...

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...large ordeal when he wrote his 1953 play, The Crucible. This play opened on Broadway and there was a large uproar from critics. The play was based on the Salem witch trials of 1692. The play was meant to show a parallel between the witch trials and McCarthyism. They both circled around similar aspects. False accusations and fear. In writing this work Miller was fueled by his hatred towards McCarthyism and offered his clever criticism of political and social paranoia of that time.

Works Cited

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthur-miller/mccarthyism/484/
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Arthur Miller." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Bradford, W.. N.p.. Web. 24 Feb 2014. http://plays.about.com/od/playwrights/p/arthurmiller.htm
Walsh, David . N.p.. Web. 24 Feb 2014. http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2005/02/mill-f21.html

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