BY ARTHUR MILLER
All My Sons
All My Sons Historical Context
AMS was published in 1947 The Great Depression began in the final months of 1929
and continued for over a decade World War II: 1939-1945
Germany invades Poland on Sept. 1, 1939 beginning the war The Holocaust begins in 1939 1940- Germany invades France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg,
Norway, and Denmark1939- U.S. military is underfunded; Roosevelt directs
military and industry to begin mobilizing for war 1940- Registration for the military draft becomes
mandatory in the U.S. 1940- Roosevelts calls for the manufacture of 50,000 new
aircrafts per year
1930s and 1940s- selected facts
1936- Hitler and Mussolini establish the Berlin Rome Axis, a fascist political and military alliance
1936- Jesse Owens wins four gold medals at the Berlin Olympic Games
1937- Walt Disney produces Snow White 1944-D-Day (Allied forces land at Normandy
beach) 1945- U.S. drops atomic bombs on Japan
1947: U.S.
Jackie Robinson, first black player in the major leagues, plays for the Brooklyn Dodgers
President Truman signs that Truman Doctrine to combat Communism
Roswell, New Mexico- supposed UFO crash U.S. Air Force is made a separate branch of
the military.Hilary Clinton, Mitt Romney, and O.J.
Simpson were all born this year
1947: Around the world
India gains independence from Great Britain U.S. and U.S.S.R. emerge as superpowers
after WWII and the tension that begins between the two will be called the Cold War
Soviet- dominated governments are set up in Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND WORK
Arthur Millerb. 1915 d. 2005 (age of 89)
Personal Information
Born to Jewish immigrant parents enrolled in the University of Michigan where he
studied writing and worked on a number of playsMoved to New York after graduating and worked as
a freelance writer Had a short marriage to actress Marilyn Monroe Had two children with his first wife
Information from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/miller_a.html
Playwright
Social commentator
Miller and wife Marilyn Monroe
Miller’s Plays
All My Sons- 1947Death of a Salesman- 1949The Crucible- 1953- regarding Salem Witch
Trials (a commentary on McCarthyism)
Miller & Politics
All My Sons was blocked to production in Europe because it could have a potentially negative depiction of the U.S.
His first novel, Focus, denounced anti-Semitism in America
In 1954 he was refused a passport 1956- questioned by the House on
UnAmerican Activities; he was accused of being a communist
ALL MY SONS- 1947
Miller’s Writing
Miller often addressed issues that are present in everyday life
His themes were often inspired by issues that the common American person would face.
Believed “Theatre can change the world.” “The assumption—or presumption behind [my] plays
is that life has meaning. I would now add… that what they meant to me at the time of writing is not in each instance the same as what they mean to me now in the light of further experiences…. The society to which I responded was constantly changing, as it is changing while I write this sentence.” (1981)
THEMES
Social responsibilityDenialGuiltMoralityMoral plight of working class The desire to achieve the American dream
and how it affected the actions of men
“In Greece’s best time, people who were nonpolitical were regarded as idiots It was the idiot who didn’t understand that man was social, that our fate in the deepest sense of the word was bound up with all of mankind.” 1980
Themes- Morality
Morality- a code of conduct which determines what is right and wrong in society
Someone who is very moral differentiates between right and wrong and makes decisions based on those beliefs