"The Price" is my favorite of all the plays I've read by Arthur Miller thus far. Within this drama, the characters are flawed, contradictory, disturbed, frustrated, in denial, good, and bad. Because I'm the same age as the protagonist / antagonist, Victor, I viscerally relate to the dilemma / mid-life crisis he's experiencing. Is it too late for that second chance--too late for Victor to actually make something of himself as he conceived when he was young and not so disillusioned? There's not much time left to act--the clock is ticking. The power struggle between the two brothers, Victor and Walter, manifests quite civilly--though the rage simmers, it is rarely violent. It could be said that Walter, the more "successful" of the two brothers, is also the more secure of the two. Walter has always known what he wanted and he goes for it; nothing stops him. Whereas Victor, being less sure, is propped up by the presence of his wife, Esther--who "thinks" for Victor. It's as if Esther functions as Victor's superego; perhaps Victor is not strong enough to face Walter on his own. Everything crystallizes in Act II (Walter appears at the end of Act I); in Act I, skeptical Victor is getting ripped off by Solomon, the appraiser. That transaction sums up the entire problem with Victor's life--he's a guy who's always settling, never risking for the potentially big payoff. On the other hand, possibly Solomon is doing Victor a favor, taking this junk furniture off his hands--maybe Solomon is relieving Victor of that chip on his shoulder he's been carrying around for all those years. In the final scene of Act II of "The Price", Solomon laughs hysterically and uncontrollably by himself, relieved of yet another day of insidious wheeling and dealing. Is he a madman? A saint? Or both? Postscriptum--Although the play is divided into two acts, in the Author's Production Note on the final page of this text, Miller writes that " ..... an unbroken performance is preferable". ( )

The price or the value--what is most important to learn. The play occurs as one son who has given up his dreams to be a scientist stays home, resentfully, to take care of his father while his brother becomes a successful surgeon on the other coast. After the death of the father, Victor decides to sell the furniture and an 89year old dealer Gregory Solomon played by David Suchet arrives. Brendan Coyle (Mr. Bates in Downton) plays the successful son (but he was not on stage when I saw it in April with the Shakespeare Tour group) but he arrives just as the deal is about to be completed. Suchet's role makes the play! ( )

Is it still a spoiler alert when the book is 50 years old? Spoiler Alert!

I can’t comprehend why the average rating for this play is so low! This is easily a solid four star or higher if the reader is good with visualization and even higher when viewed if this play is properly produced and acted with all the antiques on stage.

Set in “Today” which is roughly 1968 as the play was published then, two brothers meet again after being estranged for 16 years, when their father died. Their family’s old building (now owned by their uncle) is being demolished, and the fifty-year-old younger brother Victor is arranging to have their parents’ old furniture and belongings sold. The stage is filled with luxurious items of the bygone Roaring 20’s. Act One addresses primarily the wheeling and dealing between Victor, a straight-shooter policeman, who just wants to know “The Price” that the antique/furniture dealer, Solomon, is willing to offer him. Solomon, at age 89, is negotiating to maximize this last score as his final hurrah. Much of Victor and his wife Esther’s present situation is revealed. Act One ends with the older brother, Walter, a successful surgeon walking in as Solomon was handing over the money after having finalized on the Price. Act Two focuses on the baggage of the family history, with Victor and Walter revealing the weighty past, traumatized by the Great Depression. The helpless Solomon tries to savage his deal; Esther attempts to dampen the deep anger that Victor carries toward Walter while securing the best financial outcome for her family. The conclusion is unknown until the last moments – regarding both the relationship of the brothers and the deal of the family relics. I suspect some of the low ratings is driven by the ending which in these types of plays is often debatable. I for one think it’s legitimate.

In this formidable play that covered a mere hour or two, Miller addressed multiple themes that remain relevant even today, 50 years later.

Life Decisions and the Sandwich Generation:
This topic is the crux of the story. The family wealth has collapsed. Walter was hell bent on finishing his medical degree, “come hell or highwater”. Victor pitied father, leaving college, to join the police force supporting father and his young family, always sacrificing in favor of father along the way. Victor feels Walter abandoned the family, but turns out Walter knew more about father that he couldn’t say then, resulting in brother against brother, with the surprising agitator being the father.

The Great Depression and its demoralizing effects:
The father was humiliated after losing it all, never leaving the house, not taking inferior job, not taking welfare either – the curse of pride. The paralyzing effects of a ‘lifetime’ failure can leave a person to live a frozen life, as the father did, and even worse alienating his sons from each and other, just to protect himself.

Aging:
As much as the 89-year-old dealer wants that last amazing transaction, what he wanted more is to be relevant, to have a reason to get out of bed, to have something to do. Securing the deal represented more than the opportunity of money, it was his identity at stake.

Career and Climbing the Ladder:
Walter, in his quest to be the best, sacrificed aspects of his life. Possibly, he is compensating his family’s financial failures without realizing his choices.
“…You start out wanting to be the best, and there’s no question that you do need a certain fanaticism; there’s so much to know and so little time. Until you’ve eliminated everything extraneous – he smiles – including people… You become an instrument, an instrument that cuts money out of people, or fame out of the world. And it finally makes you stupid. Power can do that…”

Material Goods:
The luxurious furniture is no longer wanted by the kids, not befitting the ‘current’ lifestyle. I was surprised to read what I view as the current Ikea lifestyle was already in place 50 years ago.
“There is a rich heaviness, something almost Germanic, about the furniture, a weight of time upon the bulging fronts and curving chests marshalled against the walls. The room is monstrously crowded and dens, and it is difficult to decide if the stuff is impressive or merely over-heavy and ugly.”

Retail Therapy:
The world has become more materialistic over the years. These words are spot-on.
“What is the key word today? Disposable. The more you can throw it away the more it’s beautiful. The car, the furniture, the wife, the children – everything has to be disposable. Because you see the main thing today is – shopping. Years ago a person, he was unhappy, didn’t know what to do with himself – he’d go to church, start a revolution – something. Today you’re unhappy? Can’t figure it out? What is the salvation? Go shopping.” ( )

This play was well written and is interesting to read to find out what was the siblings' grudges and rivalry. Each had their own and different perception of their father especially after their fathers downfall during the Great Depression. One brother strove to become a successful doctor and the other put aside his dream in science and became a policeman and took care of his father. Was this a case of morality or conscience? This question and the choices and perceptions of each brother can serve as a classroom discussion and lesson. ( )