Death of a Modernist SalesmanThe modernist movement in writing was characterized by a lack of faith in traditional ways of explaining life and its meaning. Religion, nationalism and family were no longer considered infallible. For modernist writers, there was no longer a sense of security. They found neither meaning nor order in the old methods. Despair was a common reaction among them. The dilemma they faced was what to do with this knowledge. The poet Robert Frost stated their question best in his poem “The Oven Bird.” Frost's narrator and the bird he speaks of both wonder “what to make of a diminished thing” (Baym 1103). Modernist writers attempted to reflect this despair and attempted to superimpose meaning on it or find meaning in it. The old frames of reference no longer made sense. We had to look for more recent ones. This belief gave them the right to create new points of reference, which at least had meaning for them, or to comment on the remains of old ones. These writers often referred to shattered illusions, feelings of alienation, and the fragmentation of remnants of tradition. Although society was progressing technologically, many of these authors believed it was declining in other aspects. They saw this progression as coming at the expense of individuality and the individual's sense of true self-worth. The writings of Arthur Miller are characteristic of this movement. Miller is a playwright whose works reflect the major themes of modernism. Death of a Salesman, perhaps his best-known play, is a perfect example. In it, he addresses common modernist themes of alienation and loneliness through both his portrait of society and ...... middle of paper ...... l. Works Cited Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1994. Corrigan, Robert W., ed. Arthur Miller. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1969. Costello, Donald P. "Arthur Miller's Circles of Responsibility: A View from a Bridge and Beyond." » Modern drama. 36 (1993): 443-453. Florio, Thomas A., ed. “Miller’s Tales.” The New Yorker. 70 (1994): 35-36. Hayashi, Tetsumaro. Review by Arthur Miller. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1969. Martin, Robert A., ed. Arthur Miller. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Miller, Arthur. The Archbishop's Ceiling/American Clock. New York: Grove Press, 1989.---. Death of a seller. New York: Viking, 1965.---. Eight pieces. New York: Nelson Doubleday, 1981.