The Quest for Failure in The Man Who Had All the Luck

Arthur Miller utilizes the concept of the American family as an underlying context in a number of his plays. The ideals that come with such a stigma vary, yet some remain stark and vital in Miller's works, such as the notions of grasping the American Dream at any cost, family dysfunction, success, failure, and hard work. These concepts become prevalent in The Man Who Had All the Luck, Miller's earliest play. Utilizing these ideals as driving forces for character development, the protagonist David emerges, bringing the audience to its knees as he battles internal and external demons for a chance at an honest, beautiful American life.

The character of David becomes quickly obsessed with the idea that his good fortune in life is merely a product of his miraculous long-time luck. He has not only married the woman of his dreams and inherited her father's farmhouse after a strangely fortunate incident; he has also become quite successful in auto repair and mink farming. David watches on and those he loves falter and fail time and time again; his older brother, Amos, battles with the drive to become a profession baseball player but is often rebuked, his father lives vicariously through his burned-out one-track son with no hopes of his own, his business partner faces unfortunate circumstances as his product dies, and his foreign friend struggles to make ends meet despite his expert craft. However, David is unable to enjoy his good fortune; he becomes consumed with the idea that he has not truly earned all that he has, and that others who work harder than he fail time and again. David is unable to attribute the fact that his good heart, hard work and quick thought have helped him earn a comfortable life; he has prepared for the worst in life and ends up as the humble underdog. An auto repair shop is hardly a glamorous lifestyle, but it offers steady business and hard work, occasionally aided by the miraculous appearance of a nearby highway or a foreign repairman. While the other characters flail and rely on only one prospect in life, David accounts for all, and his outcome - while perhaps padded by good fortune - is his to deserve.