Author

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Introduction to the Author: Early Life

Arthur Miller is one of the most celebrated American playwrights of the 20th Century.

Early life

Miller was born in 1915 to a middle-class Jewish family in New York City.
He grew up in the neighbourhood of Brooklyn, his once-comfortable family struggling to cope financially after the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s.

Personal influences

This experience of early poverty and struggle helped shape Miller’s worldview.
His plays often explore the overwhelming economic and political forces which affect the fortunes of ordinary individuals trying, and at times tragically failing, to make their way in the world.

All My Sons

Miller’s first stage success came in 1947 with All My Sons, a drama exploring one family’s turmoil after one of its sons is listed as ‘missing in action’ while fighting in World War 2.
The play resonated with American audiences, many of whom had suffered their own wartime losses.

Death of a Salesman (1949)

Miller’s next play, Death of a Salesman (1949), was an even bigger Broadway hit, earning him the Pulitzer Prize and national fame.
Again, Miller had caught the mood of American audiences with a tale of one man’s struggles to fulfil his dreams in a rapidly changing society.

Introduction to the Author: Later Life

After the success of Death of a Salesman, Miller became a prominent figure in American life during the 1950s.

Rise to prominence

Miller married Marilyn Monroe, the most famous actress of the day, in 1956.
The success of plays such as The Crucible (1953) and A View from the Bridge (1955) confirmed his reputation as a powerful social commentator.

Communism

In 1952 Miller was called before the House of Un-American Activities, accused of being a Communist sympathiser.
Despite the pressure placed upon him, he refused to give the names of friends to the committee, leading to his own punishment.

International recognition

Miller’s courage and principles earned him international respect and he became an outspoken defender of freedom for his fellow writers around the world.

Death

Miller died at his home in Connecticut in 2005.

1Introduction

1.1Introductions

1.1.1Author

1.1.2Historical Context

1.1.3Setting

1.1.4Social Issues

2Act One

2.1Key Events

2.1.1Staging

2.1.2Key Events 1&2

2.1.3Key Events 3&4

2.1.4Key Events 5&6

2.1.5Key Events 7&8

2.1.6Key Events 9&10

2.1.7Key Events 11&12

2.2Key Themes & Links

2.2.1Foreshadowing & Inevitability

2.2.2Time

2.2.3Settings

2.2.4Family

2.2.5Reality v Fantasy

3Act Two

3.1Key Events

3.1.1Key Events 1&2

3.1.2Key Events 3&4

3.1.3Key Events 5&6

3.1.4Key Events 7&8

3.1.5Key Events 9&10

3.2Key Themes & Links

3.2.1Pride

3.2.2Metaphor

3.2.3Self-Realisation

4Extended Passage Analysis

4.1Act One

4.1.1Staging

4.1.2The Woman

4.2Act Two

4.2.1In Howard’s Office

4.2.2The Final Confrontation

4.2.3The Requiem

5Character Profiles

5.1Willy & Linda Loman

5.1.1Willy Loman

5.1.2Linda Loman

5.2Biff & Happy Loman

5.2.1Biff Loman

5.2.2Biff's Relationship with Willy

5.2.3Happy Loman

5.3Other Characters

5.3.1Uncle Ben

5.3.2Charley

5.3.3Bernard

6Key Themes

6.1Concepts

6.1.1The American Dream

6.1.2Fathers & Sons

6.1.3Nature & the City

6.1.4Success

6.1.5Men & Women

7Writing Techniques

7.1Structure

7.1.1Act One

7.1.2Act Two

7.2Realism

7.2.1Introduction

7.2.2Staging

7.2.3Language

7.3Expressionism

7.3.1Introduction

7.3.2Staging

7.3.3Music

7.4Symbolism

7.4.1The Garden / Seeds

7.4.2Diamonds

7.4.3Alaska & Africa

7.5Motifs

7.5.1Introduction

7.5.2Cars

7.5.3Silk Stockings

7.5.4Money

7.5.5Mythological Figures

8Historical Context

8.1Historical Context

8.1.1Miller’s Family & The Great Depression

8.1.2America’s Recovery

9Literary Context

9.1Tragedy

9.1.1Introduction

9.2Applying Tragic Concepts

9.2.1The Tragic Hero

9.2.2The Tragic Flaw

9.2.3Recognition

9.2.4Emotional Release

9.2.5Chaos & Disorder

9.2.6Revenge

9.2.7Inevitability

10Critical Debates

10.1Introduction

10.1.1Introduction

10.2The Marxist Reading

10.2.1Marxist Analysis

10.2.2The Marxist Reading

10.3The Feminist Reading

10.3.1Feminist Analysis

10.3.2The Feminist Reading

10.4The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.1Eco-Critical Analysis

10.4.2The Eco-Critical Reading

10.4.3Post-pastoral

10.5Other Debates

10.5.1The Play as Tragedy

10.5.2The Critics

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