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In his renown play ‘All My Sons’ based on a true story, written post World War Two, Arthur Miller tells the story of a typical suburban American family who are deeply troubled as they try to deal with the loss of one of their sons. Although the former days are not the only thing that they are trying to put behind them as events from the past and present make sudden revelations and secrets are unveiled because not everyone has forgotten the court case that put Joe’s partner in jail, or the faulty engine heads his factory produced that sent 21 pilots out of the sky. The title ‘All My Sons’ suggests a certain connectedness and through a combination of well-developed characters and a prominent use of tension and foreshadow, Arthur Miller masterfully explores the theme of liability and guilt.
In the beginning of the play Chris confides in his father but his response was not what he anticipated. Chris admits that he has invited his brotherâs fiance Annie with the intension of proposing marriage to her.
Chris: ‘You have such a talent for ignoring things
Keller: ‘I ignore what I gotta ignore. The girl is Larry’s girl’
Chris did not expect this reply, to Chris it was so out of character for his father to have such a firm standpoint on a matter such as this because here we learn Keller is known to put on an act of ignorance. This characterisation of him causes the audience to doubt their initial perspective of Joe. Chris’ remark suggests that Keller has an attitude towards life in which he does what he needs to do to look after himself, this foreshadows that this is Joe’s way of dealing with situations when they become unpleasant ‘he escapes with ignorance. The dramatic irony here gives the audience extra information to keep their interest as now we sense that there is something that Keller is ‘ignoring’ because really, he can’t deal with the consequences of his past actions, the reason his partner is in jail, why twenty-one pilots didn’t make it home. His guilt would destroy him.
Kate’s reaction to a seemingly innocent game with a neighbourhood kid stirs up suspicion within the audience that everything is not what it seems. When Kate discovers Joe’s policeman game with Bert, she cannot disguise her feelings.
Kate: ‘stop that, Bert. Go home. There’s no jail here… (turning on Keller furiously) I want you to stop that jail business… (she is shaken, her speech bitten off, extremely urgent.)’
Kate angrily scolds Keller because she doesn’t want him talking about jail, this creates tension as the audience gathers that there must be an underlying issue that makes Kate to react so suddenly. She is excessively afraid because although to a young boy it is simply a silly game; it is a far too real reality to Kate’ it makes her sick with worry. When Keller responds to her worries with ‘what have I got to hide’ it foreshadows that Joe does in fact have something to hide, he has committed a crime and Kate knows all about it. Her shared liability for Keller’s actions resulting in her guilty conscience causes her to be constantly waiting for the law to catch up with them.
Keller is a charismatic man who is well liked in the community, but his desperate need to explain himself comes across as nothing but being full of bravado. At this point in the play Keller insists on telling his side of the story that put his partner in jail:
‘walkin’ down the street that day I was guilty as hell. Except I wasn’t and there was a court paper in my pocket to prove I wasn’t… fourteen months later… [I was] a respected man again: bigger than ever.’
At this stage, the audience are in no position to trust Keller’s tale or that he is who he says he is as there are already sufficient hints to undermine his display. This characterises Joe as a dishonest, immoral man who will lie not only to others but himself. He is convinced that if he talks about the court case, he can manipulate people into believing he is innocent. Arthur Miller present Joe Keller as a tragic hero as he can justify his actions by saying he did it for the sake of his family so can’t truly be held responsible. However, he is aware not everyone will see it that way, so he decided to stick and live by a lie. His denial has sunk so deep that he has reinvented reality, in him mind he stands vindicated by the court but also his re-established his success blots out his guilt.
Miller uses Chris’ idealist nature to believe the good in people, especially his father to fully show the utter disbelief and horror in his realisation. His experiences in the war anger him further.
‘(with burning fury) For me! ’ I was dying every day and you were killing my boys and you did it for me? What the hell do you think I was thinking of, the Goddam business? Is that as far as your mind can see, the business? ..don’t you live in the world? You’re not even an animal, no animal kills his own, what are you? (With his fist he pounds down upon his father’s shoulder. He stumbles away, covering his face as he weeps)’
In conclusion ‘All My Sons’ by Arthur Miller succeeds in painting a vivid portrait of a family destroyed by guilt and liability, this theme is sufficiently carried through the play as each character faces their own trials. We see how Joe Keller is liable for supplying the army with faulty engine heads and indirectly killing his own son in the process, as we hear Larry commits suicide after discovering his dad’s actions. Kate Keller knew of her husband’s guilt and shared in his liability but desperately avoided it by losing herself in lost hope that Larry will come back. Meanwhile, Chris feels guilty for surviving the war and having money but his actions however he makes several choices in the play that reveal his unconscious knowledge of his father’s guilt: his difficulty in proposing to Ann, his rejection of the company’s new name, and his dreams of leaving the area and making his own way in the world. The author enhances the audience’s experience of the play through techniques of foreshadowing, tension, and characterisation. Similarly, the audience also benefit from the authors use of symbolism, dramatic irony and tragic heroism, these techniques help shape the viewers understanding of the play.
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