Reflections of Arthur Miller’s Era in All My Sons

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Recommended: Tragedy and common man in all my sons by arthur miller

Certain literary works possess a unique quality in which themes are intertwined with the author’s personal experiences in order to convey a message that is realistic and tangible. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, All My Sons, reflects the struggles and sacrifices that the working class endured in trying to keep the America Dream alive. A life of prosperity and security was everyman’s dream, and Miller’s childhood was nothing but prosperous until the Great Depression struck and left his family and many people destitute. With the Great Depression serving as the imposing backdrop of his teenage years, and the Second World War that followed, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is not only a reflection of the time, but it is a testament to the struggles individuals had to face while desperately striving for the American Dream.

Arthur Asher Miller was born on October 17, 1915 in New York City, the second of three children of Isidore Miller, a manufacturer of women's coats who had emigrated from Austria, and Augusta (Barnett) Miller. He was a playwright of several famous plays including the post World War II era play, All My Sons. Miller grew up during a time of severe economic crisis in America. The cultural and economic circumstances of his upbringing would influence his thoughts, beliefs and writing. As a result, the Great Depression became a related theme in several of Miller’s plays. In addition, he studied the psychological effects this financial crisis had on American society as well as the dilemmas encountered after the war.

There were many personal changes that occurred in Miller’s early life during the Great Depression. His father’s coat factory business in New York went bankrupt in the “Black Thursday” stock market crash in ...

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Works Cited

"Arthur Miller Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 7 Feb. 2012. .

Kennedy, David M. Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War 1924-1945. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.

Miller, Arthur A. "All My Sons." Famous American Plays of the 1940s. By Henry Hewes. New York, NY: Dell, 1988. 199-288. Print.

Oikawa, Masahiro. "All My Sons as Precursor in Arthur Miller's Dramatic World." Ritsumeikan Annual Review of International Studies 1 (2002): 99-120. 2002. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. .

Rosefeldt, Paul, and Baird R. Shuman. "Arthur Miller." Magill's Survey of American Literature. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 2007. 1-9. Sept. 2006. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. .

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