Quentin in Arthur Miller's After the Fall and Tennessee Williams's Small Craft Warnings

Abstract

Abstract Arthur Miller's After the Fall and Tennessee Williams's Small Craft Warnings have many similarities as both plays appear to be semiautobiographical. However, where Miller writes through an optimistic lens, Williams does the opposite. The two plays address the difficulties of relationships—both platonic and romantic—regarding hope and despair. However, the perspectives of each of their protagonists, who are both named Quentin, process their lives and futures in contrasting ideologies. As Miller's Quentin seeks a new beginning, he must first process his past, which revolves around the women in his life. Williams's Quentin grapples with the reality of being gay in a homophobic society. The importance of each playwright choosing the name Quentin and the meaning of the name, “the fifth,” includes the religious connotations of the number five. Miller and Williams use their plays to explore their futures, with each breaking the fourth wall, like a confessional.