On this sixth anniversary of Arthur Miller's death, I came across this disturbing article about his son, Daniel, whom, apparently Mr. Miller refused to acknowledge, because the son had Down's Syndrome. Having associated Arthur Miller with a reconciliation of sorts that I had with my father (referred to in a previous post), as a result of an audition (where I met Mr. Miller) that I had for a 1980s Broadway production of his play, Death of a Salesman, I was now sorry to hear of Miller's inability to enjoy his son, Daniel, because of his having Down's Syndrome. There was a time when a "well-meaning" aunt would tell me that my father did not want to be around me (he moved out of our family's house when I was a child) because I was a reminder of his failings. She was referring to (among other things) my having very poor eyesight — which he had too — and she "reassured" me that she was telling me this "to make me feel better," to which a friend said "tell your aunt if that is supposed to make you feel better, perhaps she should tell you something to make you feel worse."
