The Wrong Dreams of Arthur Miller

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how trapped in their fate the Greek tragic heroes of Sophocles and Aeschylus were flung into a pure and dream-like existence where emotion was experienced unmitigated by the distractions of the consciousness, where they could only descend into the whirlpool of destiny. It attempts to show as a distant descendant from this ancient culture, Arthur Miller creates modern tragedy from a more democratic approach which places significance on an individual's influence over his own destiny. It examines how Miller explores the fate of the common-man hero, "Death of a Salesman's" Willy Loman and "All My Sons" Joe Keller, within the drama of their dreams and decisions.

From the Paper:

"From their detached perspective Miller's audience can easily discern that Willy's immersion in the capitalist dream dictates the tragic course of events in the play. Through his profession Willy is the natural hero for a tragedy of capitalist dreams as capitalism is often distinguished by salesmen who artificially stimulate individuals wants and needs. Resuscitated allusions to the commercially-charged Boston affair has embittered Willy's emotional relationship with his family as he uses financial reward to quantify his love for them; his receptionist mistress promises to put him straight "through to the buyers". "

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