Vaudeville of Despair: Memory, Myth, and the Fractured American Dream in Arthur Miller’s The American Clock

Abstract

This research paper provides a critical analysis of Arthur Miller’s The American Clock, a play that dramatises the societal and psychological upheaval of the Great Depression. The paper argues that Miller deliberately eschews a traditional linear narrative in favour of a fragmented, kaleidoscopic structure, which he termed as a “vaudeville”, to mirror the chaos of the era. By blending an epic, historical mural of a nation in crisis with a deeply personal, autobiographical narrative centered on the Baum family, the play explores the collapse of the American Dream. It examines how the loss of economic certainty leads to a profound crisis of identity for individuals and the nation. Drawing heavily on the critical analysis of Christopher Bigsby, this paper investigates the play’s key themes: the interplay between public history and private memory, the fragility of social order, and the enduring relevance of the Depression as a foundational trauma in the American psyche. The analysis concludes that The American Clock is not merely a historical piece but a timeless warning about the tenuous nature of prosperity and the moral questions that arise when “the clock stops.” The research paper employs the qualitative method in order to explore the psychological and societal upheaval of the Great Depression in the concerned play.