Is there substantial evidence to suggest that Arthur Miller wrote 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Crucible' in direct response to the social and political events taking place at the time they were written? A close study of the characters and the narratives of 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Crucible' and an investigation into the similarities between the plays and the historical, political and social context of the period in which they were written.

Abstract

American playwright, Arthur Miller (1915-2005), could be described as one of the greatest American playwrights of all time. Much of his work analyses, and in many ways criticises, various social and political attitudes and viewpoints in 20th century America. Two of his most popular and most performed plays, Death of a Salesman (1949) and The Crucible (1953), perceptively scrutinize two important periods in American culture. This dissertation will provide a close textual analysis of these plays and provide evidence that suggests Miller wrote them as a direct response to the events taking place at the time of their creation. Not only did Miller write about the events taking place around him, he used his own personal experiences and observations of those close to him in order to develop characters that would be more recognisable in 20th century America. Miller's observations, and indeed his own experience of the 'American Dream' and its effects on his close family, can clearly be interpreted as inspiration for his play, Death of a Salesman, and Miller's political beliefs and his encounters with the House of Un-American Activities Committee form parallels with the character of John Proctor and the Salem Witch Trials in his play, The Crucible. This dissertation investigates these similarities between the plays and Miller's own life in order to prove that Arthur Miller did indeed write Death of a Salesman and The Crucible as a reaction to those events taking place around him and their impact on American society between 1948 and 1954.