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.His vol-on his family, we begin to approach the root of theuble drunken state has loosened his tongue, and heproblem—like Willy Loman, not knowing his fatherspeaks without reservation.Although he talks tohas hurt this man’s sense of who he is.The fatheranother person, the other person never responds,had seen him on television and written to see if thisand his solitary voice suggests the real reason forwas his son.The jockey decided to go to meet thehis speech: To uncover for himself who he is.father he had never known.He is disappointed toUnnamed, which suggests from the start a lossfind a regular guy, a house painter by trade, withof identity that becomes more and more evident aswhom he has nothing in common; the man doeshe continues to speak, the jockey begins by relatingnot even share his racist outlook.He is desperatethe ups and downs of the jockey business in whichfor a connection to center himself: “I was ready tohe works.He admires riding skill but clearly feelslay down my life for him.” However, he cannot findthat this comes second place in a field where win-any point at which to start; his father has no realning has become all-important.This drive to wininterest in his son other than a potential source ofhas destroyed much of his enjoyment of the sport.financial aid.He buys his father a large lawnmower,He has been treated something akin to a movie starthe motor of which drowns out any future chancewhen on top of his game, but he explains how whenof conversation between them.left in a hospital for three months after a bad fall,He ends by suggesting to his listener that theyall the followers left, and only two of his close maleshould pick up two women who have been look-friends continued to visit.From this, he asserts thating their way, further evidence of his own lack ofmen are more loyal, but the claim seems spuriousmarital loyalty.The women are not even attractive,given the other evidence that he furnishes.In hisbut he does not want to be alone.As CHRISTOPHERopening paragraph, he describes a man cheating onBIGSBY surmises, “The man who tries so hard tohis wife, as indeed he plans to do by the tale’s close,conceal himself, in fact slowly reveals the dramaand his story will soon turn to relating how hisof his life which has been the slow loss of mean-father abandoned him when he was one year old.ing, the sacrifice of value to ambition, of love toHe also has not been loyal to the profession that heobsession.” Also pointing out that in his torrentadmires by selling out for the big wins.of speech, the jockey never allows his speaker anyFurther evidence of his dissatisfaction comesresponse, Bigsby allows for the harsh reality thatwhen he tells how he recently went to see a psy-in his quest for truth, this jockey has been lesschiatrist.The therapy was a failure as the man wasthan honest: “So long as he sings his tainted ariamore interested in getting racing tips than helping,there is no opportunity for his listener to question,but the jockey never says why he sought psychi-reproach, despise, engage.” The jockey ends as heatric help in the first place.He says that he lovesbegan, still fundamentally alone, the fate of all whohis wife and kids but then undercuts the declara-refuse full commitment.tion by saying “but you draw a line somewhere,someplace,” implying that his love has limits.TheFURTHER READINGburning question is why? Why is this man unableBigsby, Christopher.“Fiction.” Arthur Miller: A Criti-to fully commit? He obviously has deeper issuescal Study.New York: Cambridge University Press, than those to which he admits.Declaring that he is2005: 444–472.023-354_Miller-p2.indd 1785/3/07 12:52:32 PMThe Golden Years 179The Golden Years (1939–1941) generals—his young warrior nephew, Guatemotzin, and two older men, Cuitlahua (Montezuma’sEarly titles had been Children of the Sun and Mon-brother) and Cagama.Montezuma is concernedtezuma, but Miller finally settled on The Golden that his star “seems bleeding,” and they assess theYears for this historical drama about the overthrow implications of this.While Guatemotzin is keenof the Aztecs by conquistadors, written but unpro-for battle, the others, bowing to the wishes of theiremperor, favor waiting while the signs are properlyduced during his time with the FEDERAL THEATERread.The astronomer’s calculations indicate doomPROJECT.With a cast that includes 25 speakingand destruction as the moon eclipses.They prepareparts and possible extras, it was not something thata human sacrifice to divert harm.The Spaniardsregular theaters would produce.The resources ofhave been attacking and looting, but Montezumathe Federal Theater, however, had made a produc-is torn between two responses: to declare war or totion seem possible, but sadly they were closed downaccept the invaders as gods like himself.before this was done.Miller subsequently offered itA young boy is to be willingly burned alive toto the GROUP THEATER and the THEATRE GUILD,take a message to the gods to pacify them.A judgebut neither seemed interested.Partly inspired bywho has been condemned to death for taking aArchibald MacLeish’s 1937 radio verse drama Thebribe is also eager to die, which intrigues Mont-Fall of the City, about Cortés and his conquests, ezuma.On being asked, the judge explains that hewhich had been rebroadcast in 1939, The Goldensees Montezuma’s fall as inevitable because he hasYears marks an obvious swing in Miller’s writing stretched his resources too far and impoverishedfrom the blatant politics and realism of his studenthis people through constant war.Agreeing that hisworks to an attempt to grasp something more epic.“empire is cracking” despite his councilors claim-Parts of the manuscript are in verse, and much ofing otherwise, Montezuma seeks advice as to howthe speech was pointedly poetic to underscore theto prevent this
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