Arthur Miller

1
Arthur Miller

• Victim himself?

2
Background

• Born in New York October 17, 1915 to working
  parents grew up during the Great Depression
  enjoyed sports more than books
• Best known for his play Death of a Salesman ,
  which earned him the Pulitzer Prize at age 33

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Finest Achievements

• The Death of a Salesman
• Won 1949 Tony Award and New York Drama Critics
  Circle Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tonys,
  National Medal of the Arts, and National Book
  Award Medal for Distinguished Contribution to
  American Literature.
• It is considered to be one of the finest works of
  American Theater.
• The Crucible is his most widely read play
  although it met great controversy when it was
  first performed.

4
Marriage to an icon

• In 1956, he married Marilyn Monroe, hailed by
  tabloids as a classic meeting of beauty and
  brains. They divorced after five years.

5

• In 1960, he wrote the screenplay for The
  Misfits which turned out to be Monroes last
  film she died of a drug overdose on August 5,
  1962.
• Miller wrote After the Fall (1964) featuring a
  Monroe-like character, after her death in 1962.

6
The Red Scare

• Inspired by fear after WWII ended
• Conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the
  House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in
  the 1950s
• Purpose was to find any Communists living in
  the US
• Certain actors, screenwriters were blacklisted,
  meaning they could not find jobs.
• Held hearings which were nationally televised.
• Resulted in hysteria and false accusations
  similar to Salem in 1692

7

• Arthur Miller was summoned before a Congressional
  committee where he spoke freely about himself and
  his occasional attendance at Communist meetings,
  but he refused to name names of other people in
  attendance.
• Miller was found in contempt of Congress, but his
  conviction was later overturned by the Supreme
  Court.

8

• Died on February 10, 2005 of heart failure at age
  89
• According to Robert Weil, His plays were so
  universal and affected a world generation.

9
Think about it

• Can you connect events from the past such as the
  Salem Witch trials or the McCarthy hearings to
  contemporary situations that mirror the same
  human errors and consequences?
• What are our modern day witch hunts?