Miller, Resurrection Blues: Who's pulling the strings?
In a comment on classmate Brenda's blog, I mentioned an oft-noted similarity between artists and God: both are responsible for the act of creation. There is a particularly interesting relationship between the art of the playwright and the art of God: playwrights create characters and their roles in a play in much the same way that God plays a role in the creation of human beings and their fates.
I'd venture to say that Miller is certainly aware of this theme and developed it within his play, especially considering the fact that religion plays such an important role in the plot. Of particular interest from this perspective is the quote Brenda used in her blog entry, in which Henri says that he believes all human actions are an attempt to escape a boring reality and slip away into a more thrilling fantasy. If it's true that there is such a strong figurative connection between plays and human existence, perhaps what Henri is metaphorically suggesting here is that all human action is an attempt to mimic God's brand of creative power (imagination) and escape into worlds of fancy where we can choose our own fates. This certainly seems to be one function of literature and drama, and besides, human action is the use of force to produce some sort of reaction in the world around us. This relationship between human action and God-like power has been glorified in thousands of movies, television shows, books, plays, etc. Maybe what Miller is suggesting is that we all have an inescapable God complex.
Or maybe not. I'm just speculating here, letting my mind wander.