What Is The Relationship Between Arthur Miller And Kazan

It started as a friendship on a professional level. Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan met in the late 1940’s. Miller primarily wrote plays, while Kazan directed them. They were a very good team. A writer and a director who collaborated together successfully. Together they would produce one of the greatest American plays of all time, Death of a Salesman. Miller and Kazan would also go on to produce several other literary works in their lifetime. There is more to this relationship than just producing masterpieces, however. Friendship was not always bliss for Miller and Kazan. Although a great team professionally, they were not without hardships and troubles. Miller and Kazan found themselves caught up in the Red Scare. During the height of the Cold War, fear amongst citizens of the United States of America hit an all time high. Communism was expanding throughout Europe and Asia. Americans feared the “Reds,” or communists. History.com states, “The intense rivalry between the two superpowers raised concerns in the United States that Communists and leftist sympathizers inside America might actively work as Soviet
Miller and Kazan were brought before this committee to answer questions regarding their alleged role in communism. They were given the opportunity to clear their names. To be cleared, they were required to provide names to the committee of other alleged communists. Arthur Miller refused to step into a courtroom and falsely accuse others. Kazan, on the other hand, was willing to participate in the accusations in order to clear his own name. Kazan attended two separate HUAC hearings. During the first hearing, he provided ten names of alleged communists. He then attended a second meeting. In this second meeting, Kazan accused seven additional people. The list of seven included the name of his friend and business partner, Arthur