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A Memory of Two Mondays

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Set in summer, 1933, in the depths of the Depression, Arthur Miller's most personal and intimate play focuses on the workers in a warehouse, a grim place in which men and women work for small wages and are grateful for the work. As Miller himself has observed, the Civil War and the Depression were the only times in American history in which the whole country was in the same boat. The warehouse, he notes, unpleasant as it was, became a grotesque sort of haven for the employees since they, at least, had jobs. Miller's own experience working in a warehouse shows in his exceptionally realistic portrayal of the workers, men who often lose themselves in alcohol to escape reality, and women who must put up with sexual abuse and mistreatment to save their jobs.

Focusing primarily on character, rather than plot, this intimate play illustrates a variety of characters whose dreams have been deferred or destroyed: Bert, a young boy who dreams of college; Kenny, a young Irish immigrant with a song on his lips, poetry in his heart, and a yearning to see the sun through the begrimed windows; Raymond, the sympathetic manager, who must ensure that the work gets done; Tommy Kelley, an alcoholic accountant who becomes almost catatonic with drink, then is "saved"; Gus, another drunk, called "King Kong" by the women in the office; Agnes, a kind hearted receptionist who bursts into tears at the sadness of the lives around her. The subordinate characters add to the exceptionally broad view of life.

As the characters reveal their inner lives within the warehouse, their emotional depressions become even more obvious than the economic Depression. When Gus, who has just lost his wife, suddenly enters wearing a new coat and fancy suit, after cashing in his life insurance policy, the scene is set for his confrontation with the boss and the eventual climax. The dramatic action, all taking place in a dreary warehouse room, reveals both the camaraderie and the tension resulting from the enforced intimacy of characters who are not always compatible. Here Miller puts everyday life during the Depression under a microscope, a dramatic change from the broader scope and more universal themes which usually dominate his plays. Inspired by Miller's own life, this play speaks to the heart. n Mary Whipple

This was a surprisingly good play by Miller, which starts oddly and builds to a poignant and telling conclusion.
Through his humanistic and socially reverent touch, this long one act developes the comings and goings of an auto parts factory in 1933 into an dance of (mostly) men stuck in the folds of industry and The Depression.
The primary character is Bert, an 18 year old trying to save for college, who gradually realizes the beauty and sorrow of his co-workers, men and women who come to work to escape life, and drink to escape life and live for each other, dream of each other and share their lives.
Besides Bert, Kenneth is an Irishman newly in America, who's poetic recitations serve as lessons and entertainment for Bert. There is Tom Kelly, a long time employee and stone drunk, who recognizes the power of will, and Gus, a Slavic Bull, another longtime employee, and passionate drunk, who gives into his instincts. The hope and excitment of a new car with great valves becomes the financial burden of dreams for Larry, and the seventy-something Jim scrapes on, working and harkening back to a more raw America, if such a thing is possible.
Sadness pervades this story. Bert will leave, and be forgotten. Kenneth will drink himself to foolishness and abandon the heart that shares poetry with any and all. Says Kenneth late in the play, when asked of the poems he seems to be forgetting, "No they're gone Bert. There's too much to do in the country for that kinds stuff."
Written in 1955, the rise of Hitler in Germany marks the play, as Bert shares with the others The New York Times. Bert will probably go to war in 1941, these men will keep working, dreaming and drinking their lives through. Cogs in a wheel of progress and sorrow.
Again Kenneth, after Bert leaves:
"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone, in the ranks of death you will find him. His father's sword he has girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him."

When the world begins to turn itself on a person, that person often shelters him/herself in work. As Hitler rises to power in Germany, the country suffers throughout the depths of the Great Depression. At the auto parts warehouse which serves as the setting for the story, a diverse group is present. While the conflict in "A Memory of Two Mondays" is more subdued than Miller's other works, a working class message is present.

Much of the focus of the story centers on Bert, a soon to be former employee who is preparing to leave for college. As he prepares to say good-bye, he observes a microcosm of the working class. Raymond the manager makes every attempt to keep the warehouse productive despite interruptions such as drunkeness at work, the death of a worker's wife, and a visit from Mr. Eagle, a representative from company headquarters. As the lives of employees seem to unravel, the one constant is work. So constant is the routine at the warehouse, that phrases in the play are repeated to a point of becoming cliche and lacking substance.

Work is the one static point in many people's lives. From Arthur Miller's own experience as a laborer, he draws on the monotony and conflicts that arise in this routine. Though this is an obscure and brief work of Miller, it warrants a look.

In Arthur Miller's one act play, A Memory of Two Mondays, we explore an automobolie parts factory during the depression era. We follow Burt as he works there and the scene is two different Mondays. He grows to love his co-workers there, and they leave a lasting impression on him. This mirrors Arthur Miller's own experience. Burt, like Arthur, is only working there to be able to save money to go to college, but while at the factory he gets another sort of education in the realm of life experience.

Arthur Millers A Memory of two Mondays is a great work. I think it is a good one act play. The part where Burt leaves the automobile parts factory was my favorite part. It is a good short play that is easy to read. I recommend it to any age group.