This essay aims to analyze the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller from an Althusserian perspective, focusing on his theory on ideology and ideological apparatuses. The theory has been implemented by analyzing the main characters individually to decipher their ideological views and how they have been subjects of interpellation. Furthermore, this essay will attempt to examine which ideological apparatuses are displayed in the play and how they have influenced the characters. According to this interpretation of the play, they all believe success is reachable for everybody, depending on their status and how well-liked and admired they are. Their ideological views differ slightly among each character; however, the fundamental idea that a man is worthy and accomplished only through success is shared by everyone. The ideology that is predominant in the family can be described as the “American dream”. The conclusion is that the most influential interpellation that occurs in the play is from the family ideology apparatus, and that the interpretation of the ideology embraced by the family is what makes them fail to achieve their dreams.

Based on the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693, Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible treats a historical event that could be considered overflowing with patriarchal oppression. Despite the author’s clear disapproval of the historical cruelty, the play continuously reveals patriarchal structures and shows misogynist tendencies in its depiction of women. This essay suggests that the two main female characters Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor function as representations of binary oppositions based on the patriarchal assumption of two categories of women: the ‘bad girl’ and the ‘good girl,’ which both reinforce the idea of women as unnuanced objects rather than multifaceted subjects. By arguing that Abigail and Elizabeth represent the binary pairs ‘selfish/sacrificing’ and ‘promiscuous/frigid,’ the essay finds that the two women are depicted as ‘either/or’ and that the unnuanced portrayals result in an unsympathetic reading of them. Finally, the essay concludes that regardless if the woman is a ‘good girl’ or a ‘bad girl,’ she is socially punished or given unflattering characteristics in order not to compete with the male protagonist in terms of reader sympathy. / Arthur Millers pjäs The Crucible skildrar häxprocesserna i Salem 1692-1693, en historisk händelse som kan anses vara genomsyrad av patriarkalt förtryck. Trots författarens uttalade förakt gentemot häxprocessernas grymhet finns det tydliga och återkommande patriarkala strukturer i den stundom misogyna pjäsen, särskilt i dess kvinnoporträtt. Denna uppsats visar hur de två kvinnliga huvudkaraktärerena Abigail Williams och Elizabeth Proctor fungerar som representationer av binära motsatser baserade på den patriarkala idén om två kategorier av kvinnor: den ’dåliga flickan’ och den ’duktiga flickan’, vilka förstärker synen på kvinnor som onyanserade objekt snarare än mångfacetterade subjekt. Genom att argumentera för hur Abigail och Elizabeth representerar de binära paren ’självisk/självuppoffrande’ och ’promiskuös/frigid’ finner denna uppsats att Abigail och Elizabeth är porträtterade som ’antingen/eller’ och att den onyanserade karaktäriseringen resulterar i en osympatisk läsning av dem. Slutligen påvisar uppsatsen att oavsett om kvinnan är en ’duktig flicka’ eller en ’dålig flicka’ blir hon socialt bestraffad eller försedd med osmickrande karaktärsdrag i syfte att inte konkurrera med den manliga protagonisten om läsarens sympati.

CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A presente pesquisa analisa e interpreta as peças Death of salesman [A morte do caixeiro viajante] (1949), do dramaturgo norte-americano Arthur Miller (1915 - 2005), e A Moratória (1955), do dramaturgo brasileiro Jorge Andrade (1922 - 1984), apoiando-se na forma da tragédia moderna, e baseando-se em ambos enredos, isto é, nos textos teatrais e nos seus respectivos conteúdos dramáticos reflexivos. Tais dramas mostram que tanto Miller quanto Andrade dividiram a mesma inquietude, propondo conflitos baseados em crises históricas, com o objetivo de evidenciar a luta do homem comum contra a sociedade, através do cotidiano de dois patriarcas e suas famílias, os quais estão deslocados com o desenvolvimento social e econômico de meados do século XX. Para entender esses e outros conflitos e como estão inseridos dramaturgicamente, este estudo está organizado da seguinte forma: o primeiro capítulo contextualiza historicamente a tragédia até sua condição moderna, após a influência do drama e de sua crise, com o propósito de se chegar à discussão sobre a tragédia e sua condição liberal adquirida na contemporaneidade. O segundo capítulo, apresenta a vida e a obra de ambos os dramaturgos, seguida das considerações iniciais acerca das peças em questão e de seus respectivos conteúdos históricos. E o terceiro capítulo, compara e analisa os aspectos relevantes de ambos os enredos, tais como: o conflito entre pais e filhos, a representação das mulheres, dos protagonistas como heróis modernos, das casas como plano de fundo das ações dramáticas e dos recursos formais cênicos que ajudam a dar expressividade às inquietações e à realidade subjetiva vivida pelos personagens. / Basead on the form of modern tragedy, the present research is devoted to analyzing the plays of Death of Salesman (1949), the american playwright Arthur Miller (1915 - 2005), and A Moratória (1955) by brazilian playwright Jorge Andrade (1922 – 1984), relying on the form of modern tragedy, and based on both texts, that is, on theatrical texts and their respective dramatic reflective content. These dramas demonstrate that both Miller and Andrade shared the same concern, proposing conflicts based on historical crises, in order to highlight the struggle of the common man against society, through the daily lives of two patriarchs and their families, who are displaced with the social and economic expansion of the mid-twentieth century. To understand these and other issues and how they are inserted dramaturgically, this study is organized as follows: the first chapter contextualizes historically the tragedy to its modern condition, after the influence of the drama and its crisis, with the purpose of arriving at the discussion about the tragedy and its liberal condition acquired in contemporaneity. The second chapter presents the life and work of both playwrights, followed by initial considerations about the plays in question and their respective historical contexts. The third and last chapter, however, compares and analyzes relevant aspects of both texts, such as: father-son conflict, representation of women, protagonists as modern heroes, of the houses as the background of dramatic actions and formal scenic resources that give expressiveness to the concerns and subjective reality experienced by the characters. / Dissertação (Mestrado)

Most books written about American drama concern definitions of masculinity, the American dream, and the family in a society that encourages people to surpass their competences and limits. American playwrights of the twentieth century reveal the anxiety and insecurity of men who do not rise up to the standards of the American dream. In concentrating on these themes, most critics have analyzed the main characters and plots but have left aside hints about other myths. This study aims to analyse the extended use of the cowboy, of salesman, and of pirate in Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The recurrence of these three myths touches on the core of American drama that playwrights and critics have tried to define endlessly: the definition of the male in the American society.

Most books written about American drama concern definitions of masculinity, the American dream, and the family in a society that encourages people to surpass their competences and limits. American playwrights of the twentieth century reveal the anxiety and insecurity of men who do not rise up to the standards of the American dream. In concentrating on these themes, most critics have analyzed the main characters and plots but have left aside hints about other myths. This study aims to analyse the extended use of the cowboy, of salesman, and of pirate in Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The recurrence of these three myths touches on the core of American drama that playwrights and critics have tried to define endlessly: the definition of the male in the American society.

This project is a discussion of the continuing need to address gender issues while teaching core curriculum in English classes at the secondary level.