This is a fact file outlining the context of Arthur Miller's life, including historical, political, social context, a summary of his life and influences that led him to writing 'All My Sons.'
Character Profiles from All My Sons - Arthur Miller
All My Sons Notes
1946 Context for All My Sons - Arthur Miller
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PEARSON (PEARSON)
English Language and Literature 2015
Unit 1 - Voices in Speech and Writing
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Arthur Miller - Factfile
Summer Work - English
Overview
Miller was born in New York City, in October of 1915 to Augusta and Isidore Miller. In
his early childhood, Miller’s father lost his wealth due to the Great Depression of the
1920s, so couldn’t fund his son’s college fees. Desperate to attend college, Miller started
working in an automobile warehouse, saving his wages until he had enough to go to the
University of Michigan in 1934, at the age of 19. There, he studied history and
economics and graduated after 4 years, in 1938. In his later education, he relied heavily
on the U.S. Government’s theatre project learning theatre and working with writers and
directors such as Clifford Odets and Elia Kazan, the latter of which would also go on to
collaborate with Miller on his own works.
In 1940, only 2 years after graduating, Miller married Mary Grace Slattery. In their time
of 16 years, they had 2 children together, before divorcing in 1956. A short time later, in
June of the same year, Miller married actress Marilyn Monroe. They spent the short time
of 5 years married, divorcing in 1961. Monroe subsequently committed suicide the next
year. There is much controversy about Miller and Monroe’s relationship - her admirers
and followers cast Miller in her tale of secrecy as the cold-hearted intellectual who
never truly loved her. Whilst her other ex-husband Joe DiMaggio, was distraught at her
death, ordering red roses to her grave 3 times a week for forever, Miller didn’t even
show up to her funeral. On the day of mourning, he started an unpublished essay
shedding light on why he didn’t attend that day, “Instead of jetting to the funeral to get
my picture taken I decided to stay home and let the public mourners finish the mockery.
Not that everyone there will be false, but enough. Most of them there destroyed her,
ladies and gentlemen.” Although the act of absence to his late wife may seem ludicrous,
Miller understood how the ceremony would operate; the cameras and journalists not
there to express grief, but to cover a news story. In an interview Miller stated, “To join
what I knew would be a circus of cameras and shouts and luridness was beyond my
strength. To me it was meaningless to stand for photographs at a stone.” He married his
third wife, Ingeborg Morath in the same year of Monroe’s death, later having two
children together.
In the midst of his relationships, Miller also had his career to think about. Before delving
into the playwriting career that defines him today, Miller experimented with journalism,
specialising in World War 2, even completing a novel on the war and anti-semitism.
However, inspired by the government's theatre project, he started writing theatre and
radio plays. After minor success, he was offered a screenwriting position at 20th
, Century Fox, which he unbelievably turned down. After writing many unsuccessful
plays, his first Broadway hit came along with ``The Man who had all the Luck” which
opened in 1944 and ran for a meagre 4 performances. His Broadway debut came in
1946 with All My Sons, resulting in Miller winning a Tony for best author (a retired
Tony category.) This established his reputation as an important voice in the American
arts.
Throughout his career as a playwright, Miller had liberal political views, allowing
himself to express them through his works. Often this landed him in trouble with the
law, but he stuck to what he believed in. Many of these modern outlooks stemmed from
his Jewish upbringing, victim of discrimination and prejudice.
All My Sons (1947)
From an early age Miller has been captured by current social and political issues;
influenced by classical Greek drama, he sought from his own work the same integrity.
‘All My Sons’ was his first successful play following this path. One revelation dabbling in
truth and untruth in ‘All My Sons’ is Ann’s withheld letter from Larry; a material
possession she felt she couldn’t share with anyone else. This shock is required in order
to teach the other characters and the audience to learn from the new perspective. The
shock element is one feature in a well-made play; a formulaic approach to theatre,which
for Miller, was planted by the influence of Norweigan playwright Henrik Ibsen.
Drawing on various sources, ‘All My Sons’ outlines issues including war profiting and
the perception of it according to business owners, soldiers and families. It is, in general,
seen as unethical greed, however is still common: World War 1 yielded over $28 billion
net profit, creating 22,000 millionaires. World War 2 netted over $56 billion. The play
touches upon these modern politics, arguing the ethicality and morality of both war
profiting and what is done with said profit. Miller was believed to have first heard a
story from his mother-in-law about a woman who handed her father in for defrauding
the military.
‘All My Sons’ foreshadows other notable plays by Miller: he worked on All My Sons to
polish his art of literature, but his real breakthrough came with ‘Death of a Salesman’
which also provided him with financial security. Both plays share similar character
profiles, but are approached differently. ‘All my Sons’ was Miller’s debut with realism,
Ibsen’s influences are strong here, whereas ‘Death of a Salesman’ is very much the
opposite. Both are family central stories, portraying fathers and sons in precarious
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