Guilt and Responsibility in Arthur Miller's Plays

Exposé Écrit pour un Séminaire / Cours , 2007 , 15 Pages , Note: 1,3

Philologie Américaine - Littérature

The purpose of this term paper is to examine how the characters in Arthur
Miller’s plays are confronted with guilt and responsibility and how they deal
with it. Furthermore, I want to demonstrate how personal, individual guilt
and responsibility not only become a matter for the individual but also
have an important impact on the community and the society. According to
Miller, there is a really strong mutual relationship between the individual
and society. He states: “Society is inside man and man is inside society,
the water is in the fish, the fish is in the water.” Miller’s main protagonists
always try to defend themselves against an accusation, to deny their
responsibility and guilt, and to believe in their innocence. Bigsby mentions
what all of the characters concerning innocence and guilt have in
common: “… [They] spend much of their time rebutting charges whose
justice they acknowledge even as they are rejected. They are people who
try to escape the consequences of their actions, who try to declare their
innocence even when that involves implying the guilt of others.” This truly
applies for the plays and characters I will observe in the following. I
decided to focus on two plays published in the 1940s and 1950s: All My
Sons (1947) and The Crucible (1953). Their main protagonists experience
confrontation with themselves which finally leads to death. Most emphasis
will be laid on All My Sons as there we have a number of characters
dealing with guilt and responsibility, namely Chris, Larry, Kate, and Joe
Keller. In addition, I will discuss the character of Proctor in The Crucible.
The dominant question in these characters becomes this one: “How
can a human being work out the interconnections among the everwidening
circles of responsibility: self, family, society, the universe?
According to Miller, “to violate the codes of any circle is to sin.”

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Joe, Kate, Chris, and Larry Keller in All My Sons
• Proctor in The Crucible
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This term paper explores how characters in Arthur Miller's plays grapple with guilt and responsibility. It aims to demonstrate how personal guilt and responsibility not only affect individuals but also have a significant impact on their communities and society. Miller emphasizes the interconnectedness between the individual and society.

• The relationship between individual guilt and societal responsibility
• The consequences of denying responsibility and guilt
• The impact of war experiences on moral values
• The conflict between personal desires and social obligations
• The role of family and community in shaping individual morality

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter introduces the main themes of guilt and responsibility in Arthur Miller's plays. It also provides context for the analysis by highlighting Miller's view on the relationship between the individual and society.

The second chapter focuses on the characters of Joe, Kate, Chris, and Larry Keller in All My Sons. It examines how their actions and choices lead to guilt and how they deal with the consequences of their decisions. The chapter explores the conflict between Joe's desire to protect his family and his responsibility to society.

The third chapter analyzes the character of Proctor in The Crucible. It examines how Proctor confronts his own guilt and responsibility in the context of the Salem witch trials.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of the text include: guilt, responsibility, individual morality, societal impact, Arthur Miller, All My Sons, The Crucible, Joe Keller, Chris Keller, Kate Keller, Larry Keller, John Proctor, the Salem witch trials.

• Université: University of Freiburg (Englisches Seminar)
• Cours: 20th Century American Drama: Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller
• Note: 1,3
• Auteur: Andreas Keilbach (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2007
• Pages: 15
• N° de catalogue: V118453
• ISBN (ebook): 9783640216918
• ISBN (Livre): 9783640217199
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Guilt, Responsibility, Arthur, Miller, Plays, Century, American, Drama, Tennessee, Williams, Arthur, Miller