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Emergence of Middle Class Protagonists in the Plays of Arthur Miller

Dr. Pawan Kumar Sharma, Assistant Professor,

Vishwa Bharti P.G. College, Sikar, Rajasthan E-mail:pawankmr!"#gmail.$om

Mob: 9950261775

(Abstract)%The present paper is a meticulous exploration that how the tragic and middle

class protagonists of Arthur Miller, with their extra-ordinary qualities, are equal to those

tragic heroes of Elizabethan tragedies. The paper also elucidates and maes acomprehensi!e analysis of Arthur Miller"s own opinions regarding his faith in middle

class persons as tragic heroes. Miller sees to draw attention of the playwrights that the

tragic intensity and height of olden plays can be achie!ed by a middle class person also

as the hero of the play. #ince we ha!e no hero or royal personage, we are left only withmiddle class people. $n Miller"s !iew there will be no harm if we choose common man as

the tragic hero for ordinary man can also has greater influence and appeal to all class of

people.%

Keywords: &rage'(, Common )an, *'enti$al CrisisArth+r )iller, a lea'ing an' $elerate' pla(wright of Ameri$a, was orn on

$toer ", /. Arth+r )iller ha' spent an or'inar( life. )iller was not a king0 he wasfrom a mi''le $lass famil( who ha' fa$e' finan$ial prolem in life. &he first twel1e (ears

of )iller2s life were monotono+s. 3e states that he was +naware of the e1ents that were

happening aro+n' him, an' spent his time in pla(ing, engaging in sports, an' in generali'leness. 3e entere' in high s$hool ao+t the time when the sto$k market $ollapse' an'

the 4epression egan. )iller has highlighte' in his pla(s that $o+rage, tr+th,

responsiilit( an' faith m+st e the $entral 1al+es in a man. 3e was well aware with the

life of mi''le $lass Ameri$ans whi$h has een refle$te' in his 'ramati$ works. &he major'ramati$ works of Arth+r )iller in$l+'e-- &he )an 5ho 3a' All the 6+$k 7889, All

)( Sons 78"9, 4eath of a Salesman 789, &he Cr+$ile 7/!9, A View from theBri'ge 7//9, A )emor( of &wo )on'a(s 7//9 an' After the all 7;89.

*n fa$t, Arth+r )iller $an e rightl( regar'e' as a stea'fast $riti$ of $ontemporar(

Ameri$an so$iet( sin$e he has skillf+ll( 'emonstrate' a $onsi'erale so$ial attenti1enessin his pla(s. *n this regar', we $an $ompare )iller with *sen who ha' the talent to

$ompose a pla( +pon realisti$ e'ro$k. )iller2s rep+tation an' 'istin$tion as a 'ramatist

is known $hiefl( '+e to the fa$t that he $opes with the most lea'ing an' m(stif(ing

prolems of his era. )iller has een asi$all( regar'e' an artist e$a+se he has 'ealt withthese iss+es in s+$h a wa( as to 'ifferentiate his $ompositions

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an' literat+re were responsile for his following mi''le $lass protagonists as hero of the

pla(s.

*n 4eath of a Salesman, 5ill( loman, a mi''le $lass tragi$ hero, is a $ompo+n' of

6oman who has an in1in$ile will. 3e is $ommitte' to the i'eal of s+$$ess whi$h is,

perhaps, +napproa$hale. B+t his will is not to e 'eterre' ( an( han'i$aps. 3is will a$tson itself an' on the will of others an' th+s s+$$ee's in imposing a form that he ri'es on

the $rest of pop+larit(. *t is a formless form whi$h, in the e=istential term, is nihilisti$,

tho+gh not en'ing in pessimism. *t is a s+je$ti1e 1iew of the worl'. 5ill( is 'etermine'to li1e an' 'ie for s+$$ess. 5hen he $ommits s+i$i'e in the en', it is to the same en' in

1iew that if he $o+l' not s+$$ee', he will at least ha1e a $onsolation that Biff, his el'er

son, wo+l' s+$$ee'. 5e know that Biff an' e1en 3app( are ma'e of the same st+ff of

'reams as their father was ma'e of. &he( will also li1e 'reaming of some great +sinessenterprise.

&he mi''le $lass heroes in )iller2s pla(s in fa$t are irre'eemale 'reamers of

some i'eal. &hat is wh( the( 'o not re$ogni>e their h+man o+n'aries. *t is spe$iall( sowhen the( are to+$he' with 'r+nkenness to f+lfill his 'reams. *n this respe$t, )iller2s

working $lass $hara$ters e$ome an emo'iment of the whole man, with their$ommonness wanting to e great. &his philosoph( is akin to life. *t hol's the Greek 1iew

that a man ma( e from mi''le $lass +t his amitions know no limits of sk( as far as his

flight is $on$erne'. &h+s, )iller2s heroes are not to e +n'erstoo' as a $ommon man with$ommon 'esires.

5hen we go thro+gh the personal life of )iller, we fin' that he ha' een 1er(

m+$h s(mpatheti$ for mi''le $lass persons sin$e he ha' himself le' a life f+ll ofa'1ersit(. )iller makes the $ase for wh( heroes in mo'em trage'ies sho+l' e 'ifferent

from those in tra'itional trage'ies. Arth+r )iller2s $on$ept of trage'( is essentiall(

mo'ern, so it is 'ifferent from the $lassi$al 1iew. 3e protests an' opines that a mi''le$lass fellow $an e an apt s+je$t for trage'( $ommenting that if those working $lass

$hara$ters are p+t in the similar emotional sit+ation of restes an' e'ip+s, the same

res+lt will appear. An' if the tragi$ a$tion gets totall( on e=$l+si1e propert(, the pla( willnot e$ome the oje$t of whole mankin'.

)iller has intro'+$e' mi''le $lass or or'inar( protagonists in all most all his

major pla(s s+$h as 4eath of a Salesman, All )( Sons, an' &he Cr+$ile. 5ill( 6oman,the metaphor for Ameri$an so$iet(, altho+gh %+nwante' an' l+e? +t he lea1es no stone

+nt+rne' to se$+re his rightf+l position in the so$iet(. @ohn pro$tor an' @oe eller are also

mi''le $lass protagonists j+st like 5ill( 6oman. *n the pla(, All )( Sons, )iller hasportra(e' to the a+'ien$e the $hara$ter, @oe eller, killer of twent( one Ameri$an pilots,

as an ol' fashione' or'inar( Ameri$an, with peasant like $ommon sense who $ommits a

serio+s an' l+n'er mistake ( s+ppl(ing fa+lt( air-plane $(lin'ers to the Ameri$an air-for$e an' as a res+lt twent( one pilots were kille'. n $oming to know his mis$hie1o+s

father2s in'efensile fa+lt, Chris eller2s f+r( on @oe rings fear an' pathos to the

a+'ien$e:

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%Chris: 75ith +rning f+r(9 what the hell 'o (o+ mean (o+

'i' it for me 4on2t (o+ ha1e a $o+ntr( 4on2t (o+ li1e in the

worl' 5hat the hell are (o+ Do+2re not e1en an animal, noanimal kills his own, what are (o+ 5hat m+st * 'o to (o+?

7All )( Sons9

@oe eller is representati1e of Ameri$an $apitalist so$iet( who kills himself in

e=piation at the en' of the pla( reali>ing that those Ameri$an pilots who 'ie' were

ee' what a fake he was. 3e is lin' to the tr+th of

the sit+ation.

6ike ing 6ear, 5ill( is re$ogni>e' as a man that slowl( loses his i'entit( in a

mo'ern worl'. &his is a mo'ern sort of i'ea that reall( to+$hes the hearts of man(

rea'ers of the pla(. &he optimism that 5ill( fronts as tr+th reall( hi'es the malignan$(+n'erneath. Fo o'( is perfe$t an' great in this worl'. 5ill( fights against his fate an'

in the en' kills himself so that his sons ma( not ha1e the same fate he ha'. *n 5ill(2s

1iew, s+i$i'e was onl( the hope that $o+l' ele1ate the sit+ation of his ho+se an' raise hisfamil( memers from os$+rit(. *n the en' this is seen when 6in'a sa(s, H5ere freeI

5ere freeI5ere freeIH 74eath of a Salesman9

!

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*n the pla(, &he Cr+$ile, @ohn Pro$tor, a farmer, is rea'( to forfeit his life for his

goo' name an' 'ignit( when he is for$e' to either $onfess to a $rime he has not

$ommitte' or to hange' or to e hange', he $hooses the latter in or'er to maintain his'ignit( as he sa(s with a $r(-

%Be$a+se it is m( name Be$a+se * $annot ha1e anotherin m( life Be$a+se * lie an' sign m(self to lies Be$a+se

* am not worth the '+st on the feet of them that h+ng 3ow

ma( * li1e witho+t m( name * ha1e gi1en (o+ m( so+l0lea1e me m( name 7&he Cr+$ile9

@ohn Pro$tor2s jo+rne( to his 'efining moment is e' ( the worl', in presenting s+$h a fig+re, )iller hope'to raise the fears an' empath( of his a+'ien$e.

)iller anno+n$es his fo$+s on mi''le $lass Ameri$ans str+ggling for +t failing tosei>e a $omm+nal sense of s+$$ess. )iller2s works as a whole gi1e e1i'en$e to his

$on$entrate' $onsi'eration on the instailities an' flaws of or'inar( Ameri$ans.

&he $risis of i'entit( is felt e1er(where in this worl'. &his $on$ept is e

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step forwar' ( pla$ing his protagonists at the heart of trage'(. or )iller, the tragi$ flaw

in the hero is not essentiall( a weakness. *t is man2s opposition to sta( passi1e to what he

thinks to e a $hallenge to his 'ignit(. *n 4eath of a Salesman, 5ill( 6oman is the tragi$hero. )iller makes a $ase for the Common man protagonist, the low man, as the tragi$

hero. 3e is a man who str+ggles against a %stale $osmos? to se$+re what he $on$ei1es

his right, to 'efen' his 'ignit(. &h+s, all the protagonists, in the pla(s of )iller s+$h as4eath of a Salesman, &he Cr+$ile an' All )( Sons are from mi''le $lass +t at the

same time those or'inar( men take on that tragi$ stat+re to the e=tent of their willingness

to throw all the( ha1e into the $ontest- the attlefiel' to se$+re their rightf+l pla$e in theworl'.

References:

. )iller, Arth+r. 4eath of a Salesman: Certain Pri1ate Con1ersation in &wo A$ts

an' a Re