The American Clock Essay -- Literary Analysis, Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller is a social dramatist who reflects his outlook on the US government, in many of his plays. The Great Depression had a lasting influence on him, which he portrays in â€Å"The American Clock†. Because he was so deeply impacted by the Depression and the government’s role in it, Miller mocks the idealism of the American dream in â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and â€Å"A View from the Bridge†. Due to his unjust condemnation as a Communist during the McCarthy Era he accuses the faulty court system as culpable. Miller creates John Proctor in, â€Å"The Crucible† as a victim during the Salem Witch Trials, to represent himself during the Red Scare. In his plays, Miller’s characters deal with injustices in order to express Miller’s view that American law is artificial. Miller exploits law as a common theme in his plays to express his outlook about its corruption. He portrays injustice done to the ‘common man and the confinement of America in â€Å"All My Sons† and â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. Miller reflects his political views in his works, by writing about individualism and his experiences. In many of his works, Arthur Miller expresses contempt for the government, which he holds responsible for his childhood poverty, during the Great Depression, and adult persecutions. The Great Depression had an immense impact on Arthur Miller, which he reflects in â€Å"The American Clock†, among other works. After the stock market crash of 1929, the Miller family’s financial comfort drastically changed. Lannone illustrates their extreme change in lifestyle, â€Å"The Depression struck the family hard†¦the garment business of Miller’s father began to decline†¦the family relocated to a dead-end street in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn, where their once-prosperous life became ... ...rays injustice done to the ‘common man and the confinement of America in â€Å"All My Sons†. In â€Å"All My Sons†, Joe attempts to defend his actions during the war, â€Å"Who worked for nothing in that war? It’s dollars and cents, war and peace†¦ half the goddamn country is gotta go if I go† (Miller 150). Here, Miller portrays his view that society is corrupt. This, he explains, is due to big businesses and the government’s negative influence and failure to aid small businesses, like his father’s during the Great Depression, which failed. Joe says, â€Å"That’s the way they do George. A little man makes a mistake and they hang him up by the thumbs. The big ones become the ambassadors† (Miller 411). The ‘big ones’ represent big businesses and the government, which is evident in Miller’s intentional use of the word ‘ambassador’ to create a governmental connotation.