Miller's Theatre and Miller's Ideas
Miller uses the techniques of the modern theatre to the full. He is not satisfied with simply employing the devices of lights and sound as an addition to the acting,but indicates in the stage directions of his plays precisely when a particular form of lighting or piece of sound is to be used. This is a deliberate attempt to make the theatre as a whole , not merely the actors , express the messages of the play . Mechanical devices assume , then , a symbolic significance-they represent an essential meaning or idea in the play in physical terms . They express a meaning - hence the term "expressionist" is often used to describe Miller as a dramatist.
Miller was writing for a middle-class audience. His plays were performed on Broadway, the center of New York's theatrical and cultural life, and in Landon's West End. Therefore they reached only a small proportion of the population . Miller uses this fact ( that the plays reached a relatively small proportion of the population) to advantage in Death of a Salesman, where he examines American middle-class ideas and beliefs. He was able to place before his audience Willy Loman, a man who shared many of their ideals, ones which have been summed up by the phrase "the American Dream". The American Dream is a combination of beliefs in the unity of the family, the healthiness of competition in society, the need for success and money, and the view that America is the great land in which free opportunity for all exists.Some of these are connected: America seemed at one stage in history to offer alternatives to the European way of life; she seemed to be the New World,vast , having plenty of land and riches for all of its people , all of whom could share in the wealth of the nation. America was a land of opportunity. This belief is still apparent, even in twentieth-century America, with its large urban population, and Miller uses it in his plays, in order to state something significant about American society. In such a land, where all people have a great deal of opportunity, success should come fairly easily, so an unsuccessful man could feel bitter about his failure, excluded as he was from the success around him. To become successful in the American Dream means to believe in competition,to reach the top as quickly as possible by proving oneself better than others. Success is judged by the amount of wealth which can be acquired by an individual. Success is external and visible, shown in material wealth and encouraged . Money and success mean stability ; and stability can be seen in the family unit. The family is a guideline to success. It also provides emotional stability , and a good family shares its hopes and beliefs . These ideas should always be kept in mind when Death of a Salesman is considered.
Another point to consider is Miller's conception of what the theatre should do . He is both a social dramatist . As a psychological dramatist he studies character, the motives and reasons behind the behavior of individuals , and presents them to his audiences so that his individual characters become convincingly alive,Often, these people are ordinary, everyday types,but ones whose actions are made significant by the dramatist.For example, the lives of ordinary citizens going about their daily business in their homes may not obviously appear interesting, but the dramatist can indicate that their daily lives are important, that they are interesting or unusual as people and that the audience may see their own situations and psychological states reflected in the characters the dramatist has created. Death of a Salesman is a good example of this. Of course, all dramatists and novelists try to make the actions of their characters relevant to other people, and most analyze closely the minds of the characters they have created in order to establish what makes them function as individuals. Where Miller differs from many of the others is in the type of person that he has created. Most of his heroes are ordinary people: they do not seem to be different from anyone who can be met in any street; and this, it might be argued, adds force to his plays,since none of the characters are remote-we share their feelings, and understand their difficulties. Also, Miller is able to show that everyday people can rise above the ordinary when challenged.
Miller is a social dramatist in the sense that Death of a Salesman comments on the nature of society. Miller is concerned about society and the values which it holds. This means that Miller has often been regarded as an ally of the American Left, wishing to challenge the values of society, showing those values as worthless, and suggesting that a change may be necessary. Drama can expose the ills of society, make people aware there is something wrong with the system. Linked with Miller's attitude to society is his treatment of the middle class in the play. He was writing for the middle class as well as about them. And, at the time he was writing Death of a Salesman the ideals and way of life of the middle class in America were declining. People were not as stable financially because of the depression and then the 1939-45War, and so their way of life seemed to be challenged.
Decide whether the following statements are true(T) or false(F)according to the information given in the text.
( )3.A good family is one where one can find the ease of mind.
