Self-Construction, Alienation and Myth in Arthur Miller's and Eugene O'Neill's Drama (The Crucible (1953), Death of a Salesman (1949) and Long Day's Journey into Night (1956)

Abstract

The central concern of this thesis is the study of self-construction as an alienating process in Arthur Miller's The Crucible (1953) and Death of a Salesman (1949) and Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night (1956). It essentially aims at highlighting the imaginary character of the foundational American myths, namely the Promised Land, the American Dream and the Self-Made-Man, which are at the core of American identity. An analysis of Miller's and O'Neill characters in the three selected plays will thus bring evidence that American identity formation causes alienation and loss rather than bring self-gratification and self-fulfillment. Therefore, this research work raises questions about American exceptionalism, bringing to the fore its utopian dimension.