A Study On Madness In Arthur Miller’s Play Broken Glass From The Perspective Of Death Anxiety Defense Theory

Together with Eugene O’Neil and Tennessee Williams,Arthur Miller is known as one of the three giants of American drama of the 20^thcentury and is acclaimed as“the conscience of American drama”.Broken Glass is a Holocaust drama launched by Miller later in his creation.The play,set against the background of Kristallnacht,tells of the dilemmas of American Jews.This thesis examines the issue of madness in Broken Glass through the lens of Robert W.Firestone’s death anxiety defense theory.Adopting the wrong defense mechanisms in the face of death anxiety causes great harm,resulting in madness manifested as hysteria,depression,and violence.The phenomenon of madness in Broken Glass reflects the characters’multiple problems:the ethnic problem,the family problem,and the body problem.This thesis is divided into five chapters.The first chapter is an introduction,which provides a brief overview of Arthur Miller and Broken Glass,combs literary research on Arthur Miller and Broken Glass by scholars at home and abroad,and expounds on the theoretical framework and the central argument.The second chapter focuses on the characters in the play using the denial defense mechanism when confronted with the terrorist event,leading to hysteria.Sylvia is physically paralyzed by denying the dismal reality;Gellburg develops a dual personality by denying his fear of Nazi Germany.They all face an ethnic problem:whether to retain their Jewish identity or become Americans.The third chapter discusses the depression caused by the use of the fantasy bond defense mechanism in the face of separation anxiety.Gellburg has suppressed his true feelings for his wife for many years,triggering low mood all day long,while Sylvia tries to avoid close contact with her husband and develops autism.They have family problems,and the husband-wife relationship is rigid.The fourth chapter explores the violence triggered by Gellburg’s high self-esteem defense mechanism in the face of death anxiety from incompetence.Gellburg conceals his sexual defect,and when the doctor questions his sexual impotence,he commits verbal violence against the doctor;he has a strong desire for control over his wife,and when she defies him,he resorts to physical violence against her.Gellburg has a body problem brought on by impotence,and his body is gazed at by others,causing impulsive actions.The fifth chapter is the conclusion.The Jewish people in the United States face a variety of issues that reflect their difficult living conditions.To sum up,the characters in the play adopt wrong defense mechanisms in the face of death anxiety,resulting in various forms of madness.The national,family,and personal problems faced by the Jewish people in the United States are carried out layer by layer by studying the phenomenon of madness,which presents the depth of Miller’s works and his superb dramatic creation skills.The play also embodies Miller’s positive concern for the living situation and spiritual world of the Jewish people,and it shows Miller’s strong awareness of social problems and lofty humanistic care.