The Return Of Morality:Moral Values In Arthur Miller’s Selected Plays

Arthur Miller (1915-2005), very famous American playwright, is one of the three giants together with Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams. Miller has strong sense of social responsibility, considering the stage of drama to be the best way for a writer to present the society and to solve the social problems. His works have received very wide popularity among readers from different countries. Most of the researches focus on the discussion of the tragedy and American Dream. However, the ethical moral values in Miller’s works deserve our attention. Reading deeper into his works, a confusing American society with many conflicts can be found under the superficial prosperity of economy, and many people are feeling at sea and perplexed.This thesis selects three representative plays of Miller, which are Death of a Salesman, All My Sons and The Crucible. These plays stand for Miller’s middle stage of creation and the maturest stage as well. In this thesis, the ethical literary criticism will be employed to discuss Miller’s moral values, trying to reveal the relationship among the individuals, families and the society, and educating the public that the loss of morality will certainly lead to the confusion of the society which, then, has destructive influence on everyone making them suffering from the various conflicts.There are five chapters in this thesis as follows:Chapter one gives brief introduction to the Miller’s life and his creation. There is still a brief literary review of Miller and his works in the world. The purpose and the layout of the thesis are contained in this chapter.Chapter two introduces the method of the ethical literary criticism, pointing out its significance and main targets. The ethical literary criticism has long history but is different from ethical criticism. It is a study of literary work on the basis of the research into the literary phenomena, discussing objectively about the ethical and moral factors in the works and finally revealing the inspiration to the society. Chapter three makes particular analysis into the moral themes reflected in his works. As a result of many different factors, the Jewish people emphasize highly on the relationship of individuals and the community formed by the individuals. It is a culture that experiences the strike from the modern American culture. Eventually, the modern men experience the same conflict in their mind, causing the loss of morality. In Miller’s works, the way to solve the conflict is always presented. The main characters from the three plays release and free themselves through death. The consequence is the redemption or sublimation of their soul and the relationship among individuals, family and society which is originally in conflict returns to the right path.Chapter four mainly analyzes the formation of Miller’s moral values. Miller has received vast influence from his Jewish background. As an offspring of the Jewish immigrant, he is influenced by both the Jewish and the American cultures. The conflict of the two cultures causes the conflict in his spiritual world. McCarthyism which greatly influences Miller’s life makes him realize the selfishness of human beings and the important function of morality in daily life. All these lead to Miller’s consistent concentration on the moral problems.Chapter five is the conclusion part which states Miller’s concern of the educative function of drama and it is why Miller is so concerned about the morality in his works. The tropism of moral values has great significance to human life. At the end of the thesis, the universal meaning of Miller’s moral values is pointed. Readers should pay attention to the optimistic spirit in his works and moral values.