Arthur Miller (1915-2005) is one of the greatest American dramatists and social critics of twentieth century. His main focus is on contemporary values and themes. His plays reflect his concern for the common man. Miller's playThe Man Who Had All the Luck (1944) depicts a character who anticipates his doom. All My Sons (1947) investigates some of the assumptions of a capitalist society. His masterpiece, Death of a Salesman (1949), is about the struggles of a common man against the society.The Crucible (1953) was written when anti-communist hysteria was at its peak in America.A View from the Bridge (1955), set on the Brooklyn waterfront, formed a common moral focus on the lust of man. As soon as Miller was through with his `desk drawer plays,' he began to evince interest in ideas and rational thinking. In Miller's opinion, the serious playwright must write social drama. The major dramas of Miller are tragedies, and they represent a socio-political criticism of contemporary culture. He uses concrete symbols for the social realities of his time. Miller's protagonists and their surroundings are in close interaction with each other. His style is penetrative: each paragraph, each sentence presents his thoughts lucidly. In his essay, "On Social Plays," Miller argues that the complex nature of man and drama cannot be sacrificed to depict a man only as a psychological or social entity on the stage, but as a balanced concept between the two. This paper discusses how Miller's depiction of society in his plays reveals his social concerns.

Arthur Miller's plays reflect his concern for the common man. His play, All My Sons (1947), investigated the assumptions of a capitalist society. His masterpiece, Death of a Salesman (1949), could be read as a common man's struggle against society, which drains him of his energies and then drops him like a sack of potatoes. Miller placed the common man at the center of his plays, which led many to believe that he was a communist sympathizer, inviting a probe by the House on Un-American Activities in 1947. The charges against him were dropped subsequently, but the fact remains that Miller stood up for the rights of the underprivileged in American society.

Miller's play The Man Who Had All the Luck (1944) depicts a character who anticipates his doom, simply because he has come to accept the value which the community has put on his success. In The Crucible (1953), written when the anti-communist hysteria was at its peak in the country, Miller sets his action in the witch-hunting Salem, and once again, though perhaps less resonantly, displays the clash between the private and collective guilt, hinting that man must in the end define himself beyond both. The same may be said of Miller's most forceful play, A View from the Bridge (1955), set on the Brooklyn waterfront, which forms a common moral focus on the lust of a man, both incestuous and homosexual, and the lust of a society which denies men the hope of self-betterment.

American Literature Journal, Socio-Political Criticism, Politico-Economic Pressure, Social Critics, Economic Structure, American Dramatists, Intellectual Plan, Social Drama, American Culture, Emotional Confrontations, Egoistic Ambitions.