It is through Willy’s relentless search for success that one can understand him as a product of the Great Depression. Although Willy is a simple salesman, his dreams extend beyond his plain lifestyle. At his core, Willy resists change and fears that one day his achievements will be forgotten by those who follow him. He is motivated by a “need to leave a thumbprint somewhere on the world. A need for immortality” (“The Author Reflects” 43). This hunt for success and to be remembered by the next generation is characteristic of the American Dream. Miller utilizes Willy to show the futility of these pursuits. William Heyen writes, “Willy, to be sure, has been a great lie, a walking emptiness, a breathing delusion. He gives, in effect, only flawed
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Miller “calls on his characters to take responsibility for their actions, and Miller himself never shies away from his responsibility to act on his own conviction” (Siebold 29). Throughout The Crucible, Miller’s characters are given the opportunity to prevent the Witch Trials from continuing, but each one fails to do so out of fear, pride, or jealousy. Miller judges those who fail to act as equally guilty as those who act unjustly. These are not haughty condemnations by Miller, but rather reflections of the maltreatment he endured during the Second Red Scare. After his failed marriage to Marilyn Monroe, Miller was brought before the HUAC to face Senate hearings on his communist ties. John Elsom notes that Miller “could have escaped [the persecution of HUAC], but he did not want to subject Monroe to unwelcome publicity. He thus shouldered his burden… and turned defeat into a moral victory” (Elsom 102). Rather than shy away from publicly scrutiny, Miller defiantly published his controversial play and accepted the unjust consequences for his actions. This is the same type of responsibility that Miller demands of his characters and expects of the American
Miller “calls on his characters to take responsibility for their actions, and Miller himself never shies away from his responsibility to act on his own conviction” (Siebold 29). Throughout The Crucible, Miller’s characters are given the opportunity to prevent the Witch Trials from continuing, but each one fails to do so out of fear, pride, or jealousy. Miller judges those who fail to act as equally guilty as those who act unjustly. These are not haughty condemnations by Miller, but rather reflections of the maltreatment he endured during the Second Red Scare. After his failed marriage to Marilyn Monroe, Miller was brought before the HUAC to face Senate hearings on his communist ties. John Elsom notes that Miller “could have escaped [the persecution of HUAC], but he did not want to subject Monroe to unwelcome publicity. He thus shouldered his burden… and turned defeat into a moral victory” (Elsom 102). Rather than shy away from publicly scrutiny, Miller defiantly published his controversial play and accepted the unjust consequences for his actions. This is the same type of responsibility that Miller demands of his characters and expects of the American