Artist as Informers
The function of an artist, in an artist’s eyes, is that of an informer. The artist sees it as his responsibility to clue the public in on issues that may not readily be seen in the public’s eyes. Their art is the means by which the authors can portray the current issue or opinion to a broad spectrum of people. By turning the subject matter into a short story, the writers are more likely to reach a larger group of people than they would if they were to make a speech or use some similar from of address. In the two short stories, “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller and “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, the authors try to show how society isolates itself from those around them. This isolation of people in turn leads to events occurring that might not have happened had socialization occurred instead.