Arthur Miller's Influence On Marilyn Monroe

Arthur Miller is mostly known for his connections to Marilyn Monroe, the United
States’s national sexual icon through the fifties and sixties. However, while many recognize his work, they do not recognize the author behind the work. Born in Harlem, New York in 1915, Arthur Miller attended the University of Michigan before moving back to New York to write stage plays that have engaging connections with the working class. Through his many plays which have reached national recognition, his works have mostly been centered around the social and psychological dimensions of his own characters with themes of individual morality that is influenced by social pressures. Miller’s political ideologies lodged their way into his various works through themes
However, the history of this unbecoming conduct of the United States government is known as the most repressive times in the twentieth century. Among these repressive times, the hunt mostly focused on entertainers who were popular in the media, such as Arthur Miller himself who had just made his engagement to Marilyn Monroe public. These accusations could often destroy a career and the reputation of that person. During this time, there were few willing to stand up against McCarthy. Arthur Miller was one of those people that stood up to the anti-Communist machine through his various works critiquing the ideology of capitalism with working class characters who the average person in the United States could relate
... [It] has consolidated its prestige as an exposure of middle-class delusions.” (Siegel 1).
Through Death of a Salesman , Miller wrote about his outrage at a capitalist system he wanted to humanize which turned into a cynical adaptation to a capitalist system. In the play, the main character Willy Loman, a success-driven man, is unwilling to admit his failure or to accept charity from friends which drives him to commit suicide. The man imposes his dreams of success onto his children, Biff and Happy, but the two kids aren’t at all pleased because Willy’s dreams aren’t what they want for themselves. The story makes an unmistakable association between money and power that shows that money is power. With writing Death of a Salesman , it shows that the dominant group of the rich are aware of the fact that they have more power over the subordinate groups. For example, one can look at the relationship between the main character, Willy, and his boss. His boss, Howard, represents the rich or bourgeoisie and looks down on the proletariat or working class and exploits them to do the “dirty work” that they themselves do not want to do. In this case, the proletariat is represented by Willy, the average man who is trying to make a decent living to provide for his family. During a scene where Willy gets laid off, Howard expresses his feelings about Willy by saying, “I don’t want you to represent us. I’ve been meaning