All My Sons

ALL MY SONS
Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller is one of the most popular playwright of America .He is  usually regarded as a intellectual playwright, one whose plays express  social, political and moral ideas. He was born in New-York. Death of a salesman, A view from the bridge and  All my sons  are the books of him. He  describe the real picture of America in his plays. He got Notable awards for his work like...........

1.1949 pulitzer prize for drama

2.1984 kennedy centre honors

3.2001 praemium   Imperiale

4.2003 Jerusalem prize

   

ALL MY SONS is Miler's first commercially successful play was staged in 1947. Really, ALL MY SONS is more interesting play.

Once a interviewer asked him,

                   "so, you really don't know. how your play is going to    end when you start it?"

Miller replied : 

                     "I don't. I have  a rough notion.....for instance. If a  play has a hero in it who will die. I know that. And I must know the core of irony involved. But   little more in terms of the progression of the   story. The shape and , so to speak , the tempo of   the development, it created within the play itself."

          So, Let's discuss about the play ALL MY SONS.

ALL MY SONS is the 3 ACTS play.  And this ACTS are 

          1.The friendly Keller household is introduced

          2.The truth about Joe keller is revealed

          3.After facing the truth the character makes find choice

In this play, family relations are predominant. It starts describing Sunday morning at the back yard of the Keller's home. Joe keller , an industrialist and Dr.Jim Bayliss are talking.

Joe Keller and his wife has two sons. Chris Keller and Larry Keller. Larry Keller  fought as a pilot in the second world war. He was reported as a missing. Everybody believes that he is dead, But his mother...........

Kate is not ready to believe that. She          believes that Larry will return after some  days. He is alive somewhere.

Larry is engaged to Ann Deever. But now, Ann and chris want to marry. As a mother , Kate Keller objects this as she believe that Larry is not dead.

In this illusion, the major psychological motives play a major role in the development of the plot. Ann's father - Steeve Deever is Joe Keller's partner in a factory turning out cylinder heads for the army air force during the second world war. It proves to be defectively manufacture. They cause the death of 21 American pilots. There is a court case against the partners . They are convicted. But Joe Keller is lucky and is given the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, steeve is sent to jail. 

Steeve thinks that keller is also the criminal if he is prove to be the criminal. The neighbours also believe that Joe Keller is guilty. But Joe built up his family as nothing is bigger and important rather than the family.

 Ann also seems unhappy for what has been done to her father. Her brother George feels. So, Joe Keller tries to explain Ann that it is one type of fluke. Chris also describes  the situation to Ann in his mind their proposed marriage.

He says,

                   "that ratrace again........

                   nobody was changed at all."

and Chris are ready for getting married. But in the Second ACT , George  comes and tries to break up the marriage between Chris and Ann. When Ann learns from Sue that the neighbours still believe that Joe is guilty. Chris tries to explain her,

                             "Do you think I could forgive him if he had done that thing?"

George keeps in his mind the story told by his father in jail. Later on, Joe Keller has to confess his guilt but he justifies his criminal conduct and says that he has done so for the sake of Chris. But Chris rejects that way of seeing it. He reacts powerfully to father's guilt,

                             "I know you are no  worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as  a man. I can't look at you this way. I can't look at myself ! "

Kate tells Joe that he should admit his guilt to their son-Chris. He should  be ready to pay for his guilt. He should be ready to pay for his guilt. She thinks that it will bring Chris back to them. Joe feels that it is unfair for him as he has done this for family. Kate says that Chris is larger and precious than the family. 

While Kate and Joe are discussing about the situation Ann  enters and asks that she should accept Larry's death. So that Chris will not feel guilty about marrying her. But Kate  refuses. She is firm about her belief that Larry is alive.

Kate says to Ann, 

                             "To his dying day he'll wait for his brother. No, my dear, no such things.....you are going alone. That's your life, that's your lonely life."

Chris returns after some time He announces his desire of going away forever without Ann. It is clear to Joe that his wife And son wish him to go to jail. Joe Keller said angrily. 

                             "You want me to go to  jail.......Half the goddam country is gotta go if I go to jail."

Ann hands over a letter. Larry had written her on  the day, he died. Larry read in the news paper about Joe Keller and Steeve Deever being convicted.

 He had written : 

                             "I can't bear to live anymore. I'm going out on a mission in a few minutes. They will probably report me missing."

The conflict between being a good husband on a good son and the deeper loyalty to one's self and convictions is here clearly pointed out Larry's suicide is caused by the frustration of his idealistic feeling for his father. Joe learns about Larry's letter. He wants to give himself up and confess  his guilt, Kate tries to dissuade him,

                                       "You are so foolish. Larry was your son too. wasn't he? You know he'd never tell you to do this." 

Joe Keller's reply is the play major insight of the play and give it its title - ALL MY SONS.

He says to kate ,

                             "Sure he was my son. But I think to him there were ALL MY SONS. And I guess, they were..

                              I guess they were......."

Then Keller goes into the house. He feels so guilty that he could not tolerate that. And his realization is unbearable for him that suicide is the only answer and that's why he committed  suicide.

Chris can't bear the shock and says his mother with the tear that he does not mean it. His mother, Kate keller consoles him,

                             "Don't take it on yourself,  forget now , Live"

The play ends here. Every reader has to decide for himself the extent to which the beliefs that Miller unquestionably wishes to tell the society. Miller makes the reader think about the human nature and men's psychological condition through his dialogues in the play.