February 27, 1949
Tragedy and the Common Man by ARTHUR MILLER
I believe that the
common man is as good a subject for tragedy as kings were.
We feel tragedy
when we meet a character who is ready to lay down his life to secure one thing:
his sense of personal dignity.
The struggle
inside all tragedy is that of the individual attempting to gain his
"rightful" position in his society.
Only the passive,
only those who accept their lot in life without fighting back, are
"flawless." (Like most of us.)
Our biggest fear
is being torn away from our chosen image of what and who we are in this world. It
is the common man who knows this fear best.
The tragic
struggle demonstrates the indestructible will of man to achieve his humanity.
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