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 All My Sons (Arthur Miller)

Introduction

The action of the play is set in August 1947, in the mid-west of the U.S.A. The events depicted occur between
Sunday morning and a little after two o'clock the following morning.
Joe Keller, the chief character, is a man who loves his family above all else, and has sacrificed everything,
including his honour, in his struggle to make the family prosperous. He is now sixty-one. He has lost one son in
the war, and is keen to see his remaining son, Chris, marry. Chris wishes to marry Ann, the former fiance of
his brother, Larry. Their mother, Kate, believes Larry still to be alive. It is this belief which has enabled her, for
three and a half years, to support Joe by concealing her knowledge of a dreadful crime he has committed.
Arthur Miller, the playwright, found the idea for Joe's crime in a true story, which occurred during the second
world war: a manufacturer knowingly shipped out defective parts for tanks. These had suffered mechanical
failures which had led to the death of many soldiers. The fault was discovered, and the manufacturer convicted.
In All My Sons, Miller examines the morality of the man who places his narrow responsibility to his immediate
family above his wider responsibility to the men who rely on the integrity of his work.

The background to the action

Three and a half years before the events of the play, Larry Keller was reported missing in action, while flying a
mission off the coast of China.
His father, Joe Keller, was head of a business which made aero engine parts. When, one night, the production
line began to turn out cracked cylinder heads, the night foreman alerted Joe's deputy manager, Steve Deever as
he arrived at work. Steve telephoned Joe at home, to ask what to do. Worried by the lost production and not
seeing the consequences of his decision, Joe told Steve to weld over the cracks. He said that he would take
responsibility for this, but could not come in to work, as he had influenza. Several weeks later twenty-one
aeroplanes crashed on the same day, killing the pilots.
Investigation revealed the fault in the cylinder heads, and Steve and Joe were arrested and convicted. On appeal,
Joe denied Steve's (true) version of events, convinced the court he knew nothing of what had happened, and was
released from prison. Before his last flight, Larry wrote to his fiance, Ann, Steve's daughter. He had read of his
father's and Steve's arrest. Now he was planning suicide.

Three and a half years later, Ann has told no-one of this letter. Kate Keller knows her husband to be guilty of
the deaths of the pilots and has convinced herself that Larry is alive. She will not believe him dead, as this
involves the further belief that Joe has caused his own son's death, an intolerable thought. She expects Larry to
return, and keeps his room exactly as it was when he left home. She supports Joe's deception. In return she
demands his support for her hope that Larry will come back. Ann and her brother, George, have disowned their
father, believing him guilty. But George has gone at last to visit his father in jail, and Steve has persuaded him
of the true course of events.

The play opens on the following (Sunday) morning; by sheer coincidence, Ann has come to visit the Kellers.
For two years, Larry's brother, Chris, has written to her. Now he intends to propose to her, hence the invitation.
She is in love with him and has guessed his intention. On the Saturday night there is a storm; a tree, planted as a

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memorial to Larry, is snapped by the wind. Kate wakes from a dream of Larry and, in the small hours, enters
the garden to find the tree broken.

Outline of events
Autumn, 1943: Joe allows Steve to supply the USAAF with faulty cylinder heads
Late autumn, 1943: Twenty-one planes crash; Joe and Steve arrested
November 25, 1943: Larry (having read in newspaper about father) crashes plane deliberately off coast
of China
1944: Joe makes successful appeal; Steve remains in prison
1945: Chris Keller starts to write to Ann Deever
August, 1947: Ann visits Chris; George (unknown to Ann) visits Steve
Saturday, August, 1947: Larry's memorial blown down
Sunday, August, 1947: Opening of the play

The structure of the play

The play has two narrative strands which finally meet. These are:
Chris's and Ann's attempt to persuade Kate that Larry is dead, so they can marry. Joe wishes to support
them, but sees that he cannot.
The attempt by George, then by Chris, to find out the truth of what happened in Joe's factory in the
autumn of 1943.
A slip of Kate's tongue tells George of Joe's guilt, but he leaves without persuading Chris. Chris and Ann insist
on marrying and Joe supports them. This drives Kate (who sees this as a betrayal) to tell Chris the truth. Ann's
showing Larry's letter to her convincing Kate that Larry is dead. The letter also answers Joe's repeated question
about what he must do, to atone for his crime. He cannot restore life to the dead, but he can give life (free from
a sense of moral surrender) back to his living son, Chris.

Notes on some characters

Joe Keller is not a very bad man. He loves his family but does not see the universal human "family" which has
a higher claim on his duty. He may think he has got away with his crime, but is troubled by the thought of it. He
relies on his wife, Kate, not to betray his guilt.
Chris Keller has been changed by his experience of war, where he has seen men laying down their lives for
their friends. He is angry that the world has not been changed, that the selflessness of his fellow soldiers counts
for nothing. He feels guilty to make money out of a business which does not value the men on whose labour it
relies.
Kate Keller is a woman of enormous maternal love, which extends to her neighbours' children, notably George.
Despite her instinctive warmth, she is capable of supporting Joe in his deceit. To believe Larry is dead would
(for her) be to believe his death was a punishment of Joe's crime (an intolerable thought), so she must persuade
herself that Larry still lives. Joe sees this idea to be ridiculous, but must tolerate it to secure Kate's support for
his own deception.
Ann Deever shares Chris's high ideals but believes he should not feel ashamed by his wealth. She disowns her
father whom she believes to be guilty. She has no wish to hurt Kate but will show her Larry's letter if she (Kate)
remains opposed to Ann's marrying Chris.
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Dr. Jim Bayliss is a man who, in his youth, shared Chris's ideals, but has been forced to compromise to pay the
bills. He is fair to his wife, but she knows how frustrated Jim feels. Jim's is the voice of disillusioned
experience. If any character speaks for the playwright (Arthur Miller), it is Jim.
Sue Bayliss is an utterly cynical woman. Believing Joe has pulled a fast one, she does not mind his awful
crime, yet she dislikes Chris because his idealism, which she calls phoney, makes Jim feel restless. She is an
embittered, rather grasping woman, whose ambitions are material wealth and social acceptance. She does not at
all understand the moral values which her husband shares with Chris.
George Deever is a soul-mate of Chris. When younger, he greatly admired him. In the war, like Chris, he has
been decorated for bravery. He follows Chris in accepting that Steve is guilty. Now he reproaches Chris for (as
he sees it) deceiving him. He is bitter because he has grown cynical about the ideals for which he sacrificed his
own opportunities for happiness.
Lydia Lubey is a rather one-dimensional character: she is chiefly in the play to show what George and Chris
(so far) have gone without. She is simple, warm and affectionate, rather a stereotype of femininity (she is
confused by electrical appliances). Her meeting with George is painful to observe: she has the happy home life
which he has forfeited. We understand why George declines her well-meant but tactless invitation to see her
babies.
Frank Lubey (unlike George, Larry, Chris and Jim) is a materialist. He lacks culture, education and real
intelligence, but has made money in business, and has courted Lydia while the slightly younger men were
fighting in the war. His dabbling in quack astrology (horoscopes) lends support to Kate's wild belief that Larry
is still alive.

Themes
Guilt and Blame
Pretty much everyone in All My Sons has a secret. Even as they tell jokes, drink grape juice, and dream of
dancing, the characters vigilantly protect damning information that, if revealed, will destroy their lives. Part of
self-protection means placing the blame elsewhere, creating diversions. You shift the blame to an old neighbor,
your son, your parents. All the forced fun of suburban family get-togethers covers a well of guilt and shame that
inevitably boils to the surface.

Wealth
Money, money, money. It's all over All My Sons. Protection of assets leads the characters to commit some
unsavory acts but that's the way the world is, right? The doctor's wife nags him to make more house calls to
up their income. Joe Keller defends his war profiteering because caring for his family, to him, meant growing
his business. Joe's idealistic son, Chris, disdains business, but get some grape juice in him and he's all "Annie,
I'm going to make a fortune for you!" to his fiance (1.545). In this play, capitalist culture is pitted against
human decency, and the two just can't seem to get along.

Justice and Judgment

In the back-story of All My Sons, there's a massive crime the shipment of airplane parts known to be
defective. One partner in the firm ducks the blame. He's released on appeal and goes on to accumulate
impressive wealth and prestige. The other partner rots in prison, and loses all support from his family. When the
play begins, the children of these two partners suffer the repercussions of this gross injustice. One son has died,

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one son is morbidly depressed; the daughter and son who want to marry must fight through the tangles of their
fathers' wrongs, judge them, and judge themselves.

Lies and Deceit

Everyone is a liar in All My Sons. Joe Keller lies to his sons and his neighbors about a crime that killed 21
American pilots and sent his partner to prison. His wife Kate keeps quiet about it too. Chris, the surviving son
and heir to Joe Keller's business, lies to himself about it. He has nothing to fear from the neighborhood, though
turns out everyone knows everyone's lying. There's a friendly neighborhood agreement to keep things cute.
It's this complicity that the dead son, Larry, couldn't stand returning to after the sacrifice and bravery of war.

Morality and Ethics

In All My Sons, moral fortitude generally loses to practicality and self-protection. Fearing the failure of his
business, Joe Keller ships faulty parts to the military, which causes the death of 21 pilots, and blames it on his
partner. His son Chris, while suspicious, protects his share of the business (and his psyche) by neglecting to
question his father. The scapegoat's son, George, comes for revenge, but faced with his sister's iron resolve to
get married to Chris, leaves with nothing. Morality doesn't have the place in the day-to-day world. In the war,
says Chris, men "killed themselves for each other a little more selfish and they'd've been here today" (1.541).
The characters in this play, though, are the survivors the selfish and the self-preserving.

Memory and the Past

The characters in All My Sons refuse to acknowledge the past. Their denial keeps the old ghosts around with
their dirty fingers in everything. Memory of a dead son is inextricably linked, for his parents, to knowledge of a
hideous crime. That same dead son's visage puts a stranglehold on his surviving brother's pursuit of happiness
with his love, Ann. Characters struggle to suppress these memories but the past works to reveal itself through
the arrival of an old neighbor girl, through a telephone call from prison, and through an old letter from the dead
son.

Family
We can tell from the title of All My Sons that the play is about family. We see three families onstage, and a
fourth family the disgraced former neighbors emerges again and again in the dialogue. While Ann and
Chris's plans to start a new family first give the story a drop of hope, the idea of marriage itself seems doomed
by the complicated and compromised unions surrounding the young couple. Much more than a mom and dad
plus 2.25 kids, All My Sons advocates a redefinition of family that extends beyond each of our own garden
plots.

Courage
In a post-war (World War II) play like All My Sons, courage is necessarily an important theme. The characters
have different pictures of what courage looks like. For Joe Keller, it's a fierce protection of his family. Joe's son
Chris thinks of courage as self-sacrifice, at war and at home. For Chris's fiance Ann, courage means
perseverance: leaving the wreckage of the Keller family with the one thing she wants, a husband. The final act
in the play Joe Keller's suicide raises a question of courage. Is his suicide a brave apology or ultimate
cowardice?
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 Act I
View (While reading) Questions

A. Answer the following questions:

1. What does the broken tree signify in the play?
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2. Why did Chris invite Ann to their house? What role did he want his father to play? How did he
convince his father to participate?
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3. What was Kates dream about Larry?
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4. What was Steve accused of? How did Joe Keller and Chris feel about him?
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5. Why did the Kellers feel uncomfortable when they found out that George was coming over?
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6. Why was Kate upset by Anns visit?
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7. What is Joe Kellers opinion about educated people?
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Act Map

Setting: Time:
Place:
Characters:

Plot events: ..
..
.
.
.
Climax: .
(problem) .
.
Resolution: .....
.
.
The incident .
that I liked the .
Most. .
The incident .
that I didnt .
like. .

The character .
that affected .
me.
The lesson I .
learnt .

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B. Comment on the following quotations:
1. But know one thing, Dad . weve made a terrible mistake with mother, being dishonest with her.
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2. She thinks hes coming. You marry that girl and youre pronouncing him dead.
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3. I want a family, I want some kids, I want to build something I give myself to.
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4. It would be practically impossible for him to have died on his favourable day.
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5. Youre the only one I know who loves his parents.
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6. I mean you can take those things out of a war, but when you drive that car youve got to know that it
came out of the love a man can have for a man, youve got to be a little better because of that. Otherwise
what youve got is really loot , and theres blood on it.
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7. What do you want me to do? Youre old enough to know your own mind.
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8. She thinks hes coming. You marry that girl and youre pronouncing him dead.
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9. Everything that happened seems to be coming back. I was just down the cellar, and what do I
stumble over? His baseball glove. I havent seen it in a century.
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10. We rushed into it. Everybody was in such a hurry to burry him. I said not to plant it yet.
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 Preview ( after ) reading questions
Answer the following questions:
1. Describe Chris attitude toward his father and the wealth his father has made for him. Could his feelings
be justified? How does this fact reveal the kind of man he is?
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2. What could be the reasons for Mr. & Mrs. Kellers defending Anns father? How did Joe defend Anns
father?
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3. What seems to be the conflict between * Chris and his mother? * Chris and his father?
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4. Was it wise for Joe and Chris to have concealed their true opinions about what had happened to Larry?
Should they have let her have hope so long?
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Selected quotations
The quotations which appear below contain important references to the principal themes of the play. For the
context of the quotation, two page references are given. The first refers to the Penguin paperback edition, in
which All My Sons follows A View from the Bridge. The second refers to the Hereford Plays (Heinemann)
edition.
...what the hell did I work for? That's only for you, Chris, the whole shootin' match is for you. p.102;
p.16
It's wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father, there's only one way to look at him. He knowingly
shipped out parts that would crash an airplane. p.117; p.29
You're the only one I know who loves his parents/ I know. It went out of style, didn't it? p.119; p.31
I owe him a good kick in the teeth, but he's your father. p.136; p.47
None of these things ever even cross your mind?/Yes, they crossed my mind. Anything can cross your
mind! p.143; p.54
You had big principles...so now I got a tree, and this one when the weather gets bad he can't stand on his
feet...p.148; p.59
Your brother's alive...because if he's dead, your father killed him. Do you understand me now?...God
does not let a son be killed by his father. p.156; p.66
...every man does have a star. The star of one's honesty. And you spend your life groping for it, but once
it's out it never lights again...He probably just wanted to be alone to watch his star go out. p.160; p.70
I thought I had a family here. What happened to my family? p.161; p.70
There's nothin' he could do that I wouldn't forgive. Because he's my son ...I'm his father and he's my son,
and if there's something bigger than that I'll put a bullet in my head! p.163; p.73
Goddam, if Larry was alive he wouldn't act like this. He understood the way the world is made...To him
the world had a forty-foot front, it ended at the building line. p.163; p.73
We used to shoot a man who acted like a dog, but honour was real there ...But here? This is the land of
the great big dogs, you don't love a man here, you eat him. That's the principle; the only one we live by -
it just happened to kill a few people this time, that's all. The world's that way...p.167; pp.76, 77
I know you're no worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw
you as my father. p.168; p.78
Sure, he was my son. But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were, I guess they
were. p.170; p.79
Don't take it on yourself. Forget now. Live. p.171; p. 80
Several long speeches are worthy of close study. The page references below are to the Penguin edition and the
Hereford Plays (Heinemann) editions respectively. The speaker's name appears in brackets.
Pages 121 to 122; 33 - 34, beginning: It takes a little time ... (Chris)

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 Page 157; 67, beginning: You're a boy ... (Joe)
Page 158; 68, beginning: For me! Where do you live ...? (Chris)
Page 168; 77 - 78, beginning: What should I want to do ... (Joe)
Pages 169 to 170; 78 - 79, beginning: I know all about the world ... (Chris; this speech contains the
text of Larry's letter)
Page 170; 80, beginning: You can be better! (Chris)
Two long speeches by George may also repay study; they are on page 141; 52, beginning: You can't
know ... and on page 143; 54, beginning: Because you believed it ...

Writing about the play for GCSE coursework

Character | Action | Dramatic devices | Dramatic structures | The play in performance | Overview and close up |
Make a judgement | A title for your work
At all levels you are required to consider drama under four headings: character, action, dramatic devices and
dramatic structures. You are not required to keep these separate, but it may help an examiner to see that you
have covered them all in your work.
Character
The central character of the play (whose tragedy it is) is Joe - how does Miller show this?
How is Joe's character shown through his relations with others: Chris, Kate, Ann and Larry?
How does the audience's idea of Joe change as the play progresses?
How do Chris's speeches help us form an idea of Joe?
What is the point of Joe's saying ...they were all my sons? Why is this phrase the play's title?
Why does Joe decide to shoot himself?
What do we learn from Joe's comments on Steve (for example, that he wants him to have his old job
back, when he comes out of jail)?
Although this play is clearly about Joe, other characters are closely connected with him. Comment on
how these characters are presented in the play - Chris, Kate, Ann and George.
Minor characters - comment on those who are there not as characters in their own right, but to show the
audience things about others (e.g. Lydia, Frank and Sue).
Comment on Jim Bayliss's special role in helping the audience understand the play.

Dramatic devices
The script for the play opens with a very detailed description of the Kellers' house, which the audience
can see throughout the drama. Why is this? Explain its symbolism - especially in relation to Joe's
comment on Larry's view of the world (To him the world had a forty-foot front, it ended at the building
line).
Comment on other interesting features of the set, such as Larry's tree.
Comment on the way in which George is a catalyst for the uncovering of Joe's secret.
Comment on Miller's use of props in the play (e.g., the newspaper Joe reads at the start of the play, the
pitcher of grapefruit juice Kate carries at the start of Act Two).

Dramatic structures
How does the structure of the play show that justice catches up with offenders eventually - the idea of
nemesis?
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 Explain how, in the play, Miller gradually reveals more and more information to the audience, rather as
in a detective story.

Finally, make a judgement

All My Sons is not a very pleasant play. In it Arthur Miller tries to show us how we can be better. The date of
its first performance (1947) is clearly significant. Why would Miller write such a play then? Give your opinion
of the play - what you like or dislike about it. Try to be positive and to relate your comments closely to the
detail of the play.
A title for your work
There is no one perfect title, but the title you use should indicate what you have written about. At the most basic
level, you might write about Character, Action, Dramatic Devices and Structures in All My Sons. If you were
more ambitious, you might take as your title something like: How does Miller present Joe Keller as a tragic hero
in All My Sons? If you concentrate on how to present the play for performance, your title could reflect this - All
My Sons in performance.

Presenting your work

Theatre is a practical art - your work should recognize this. You may want to include illustrations, sketches,
diagrams and plans, to show your ideas about the set, costume, lighting and so on.
And remember
It's a play. Refer to the audience not the reader. Do not refer to the book but to the play, performance or
production. Make sure you spell Arthur and author in standard forms - and don't mix them up. Set out
quotations conventionally, using quotation marks.
Chris's relationship with Joe
Getting started
How does Chris see Joe:
At the start of the play?
When he discovers Joe's guilt?
After he reads Larry's letter to Ann?
What does Joe think of Chris's outlook on life and his values generally, before and after he hears Chris reading
Larry's letter?
How do other characters or incidents in the play contribute to the audience's view of the central relationship?

Other characters
Kate Keller (Joe's wife; mother of Chris and Larry): Explain how, and why, Kate has for years helped
Joe conceal his crime from Chris. Why, at the end of Act Two, does she let Chris know the truth of his
father's guilt?
Ann Deever: Show how Ann's visit to the Kellers brings the truth to light. Why is Joe troubled by Ann's
harsh attitude to her father (Steve) while she believes him to be responsible for the deaths of the
twenty?one pilots?
Jim Bayliss: Consider Jim's role as a commentator on Chris's values and attitudes. Why does Jim
sympathize so strongly with Chris? What does he mean when he speaks of Chris's being alone to watch
his star go out?

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Incidents in the play
Consider the significance
of the storm, and of Kate's dream;
of the arrival of George;
of Ann's eventual disclosure of Larry's letter.

The stage set

Show how the set of the play (the exterior of the Keller house) works as a symbol of Joe's values.

Contrasting values
Examine the difference between Chris's and Joe's ideals and values. Look, especially, at Chris's speech
beginning ...It takes a little time... and ending ...and that included you. What does this tell us about Chris's
outlook?
Before hearing Larry's letter read, Joe says (of Larry) ...for him the world had a forty-foot front. It ended at the
building line. After the letter is read, Joe says, Sure he (Larry) was my son but I think to him they were all my
sons, and I guess they were.
Who are they?
What does Joe now see Larry's view to have been?
How has this changed his (Joe's) outlook?
If Joe confessed to the police, he would be jailed for manslaughter and would receive a short sentence
(relatively). Yet he chooses to kill himself.
Why does he do this?
Consider Joe's speech, beginning, Nothing's bigger than that.... Look, too, at Kate's final words to Chris:
Forget now. Live. What has Joe tried to do for Chris by his suicide?
A final judgement
How does the play present this relationship to the audience?
How much do we know (at various points) in relation to those on stage?
Who is the more sympathetic character, Chris or Joe?

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