REDEFINING REALISM IN ARTHUR MILLER’S PLAYS: A STUDY OF FORM AND SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Arthur Miller successfully redefined dramatic realism by combining realistic representation with psychological complexity and social criticism. His plays transcend conventional realism through innovative narrative structures, symbolic expression, and political engagement. Through characters such as Willy Loman, Joe Keller, and John Proctor, Miller exposed the failures of capitalism, moral corruption, and social hysteria. His theatre became a mirror of modern society and a platform for ethical reflection. Miller’s realism is therefore not passive imitation of life; it is an active interrogation of social reality. His dramatic form continues to influence contemporary theatre, literary criticism, and cultural studies.

1.        Arthur Miller. Death of a Salesman. New York: Viking Press, 1949. 2.        Arthur Miller. All My Sons. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1947. 3.        Arthur Miller. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Books, 1953. 4.        Henrik Ibsen. A Doll’s House. Penguin Classics. 5.        Georg Lukács. Studies in European Realism. Merlin Press. 6.        Singh, Ravindra Kumar & Arora, Deepti. “The American Dramatic Tradition: Idea and Technique in the Plays of Arthur Miller.” 7.        Rashid, Aasif & Dar, Shabir Ahmad. “Depiction of American Socio-Economic Reality in the Major Plays of Arthur Miller.” 8.        Shahri, Fatemeh Pakdaman. “A Sociological Study on Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and All My Sons.” 9.        Mani, Shreya & Singh, Ganga Nand. “Pragmatism in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons.” 10.     Hwang, Jung-Hyun. “Making it ‘Real’: Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Cold War Liberal Masculinity.” 11.     Ali, Shakir Hussein. “Political and Social Commentary in Contemporary English Drama.