What is the American family? ... "1 In fact, Crevecoeur summarized the history of the American family, in particular, and the American man, in general. ... He is part of this society and he lives the experience, therefore "the playwright of family life have digested the experience; have made sense out of it for the world of the play.... From O'Neill on, American playwrights have been obsessed with the failure of family harmony and with family integration. ... In addition to Realism and Naturalism, the playwrights had their experiments with epic, symbolism, Expressionism, and com...

• Word Count: 9352
• Approx Pages: 37
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Americans are just recovering from the affects of the great depression and the Second World War. ... This paper examines the relationship between family members, and each person's devotion to leaving the American dream, marred by secrets and the unwillingness to reckon the responsibility. ... However, it is an obsession with the American Dream which not only drives the plot but also drives the characters. In a new, better educated America, the main character, Joe Keller, struggles to accept that his hard work and dedication to his business is not enough. ... This burning need to achieve t...

• Word Count: 2731
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School