What one man can accomplish

An appreciation of
Arthur Miller          By
Lars Trodson

Arthur
Miller came out of that great American era of steam and muscle
and steel, the 1930s, when the direction of the world could
seemingly be changed through conversation or a nightstick.

Both the world and Arthur Miller outgrew that notion. Miller,
who died Feb. 10 at the age of 89, wrote new plays with great
consistency right up until the end of his life, but they had
stopped having any critical or artistic import.

The school of agitprop, the headmaster of which is Clifford
Odets — agitating and propagandizing — was moralistic and
straight and the world has become wobbly and inconsistent.
Arthur Miller, sadly, seemed antiquated even before he had
gotten old.

But, but …

As the world has become more erratic, Willie Loman and Miller’s
"Death of a Salesman" seem more fixed in it than
ever. Its moral center remains both permanent and eternally
accessible. "A man is not a piece of fruit," said
Willy Loman.

You should not just throw him — or a great work of art —
away. Willie Loman (low-man) is still with us, the sadsack
who tries to make good, the schnook who gets stampeded by
an uncaring and voracious society. It’s just that we don’t
see him on stage so much any more; he’s now usually the first
contender booted off the latest reality show.     FULL
ARTICLE

Lars Trodson has been writing and editing for newspapers
for almost 20 years,
has had several plays produced, and writes
for regional and national magazines.
He can be reached at
larsdoodle@aol.com.