All My Sons is a play about the complexities of interpersonal conflict arising from mistrust. Arthur Miller wrote it in 1946 to show the impact that war can have when complexities are involved. All My Sons offers the reader an inside look at the ethics of conflict and an analysis of one’s understanding of responsibility for mistakes. The most crucial element of the play is the climactic moment in which the truth about the tragic events that led to the loss of part of the family is revealed. The unveiling of the truth is a significant turning point in the play, pointing out the perniciousness of the systemic lie.
All My Sons consists of only 3 acts, and all the action develops rapidly from the first lines. The source of tragedy in the play is the disappearance of Larry, the son of the Keller family, whose death is not accepted by his mother. Kate Keller believes in horoscopes, and “what she wants to find out is that November twenty-fifth was a favorable day for Larry” (Miller, 1946, 4). She nonchalantly believes that her son will return one day, while Joe’s husband does not even consider it necessary to grieve for his son for a long time. Larry’s former lover, Annie, seems strange to Joe Keller because “she can’t mourn a boy forever” (Miller, 1946, 6). The tragedy is not discussed in the Keller family, and it is a problem that keeps the eyes open for more conflict. The family is unhappy, yet no one fully admits to knowing what these feelings are related to (Miller, 1946). This environment is depressing and forces everyone in the family to approach a crisis when the turning point finally arrives.
The turning point is uncovering the truth about Larry, who is missing for a reason. Joe Keller and his partner Steve Deaver were responsible for the tragedy, a 21-plane crash. Having used defective parts, they are responsible for the deaths, but only Steve bears the just punishment. Joe walks away from responsibility and is immensely proud: “Kid, walkin’ down the street that day I was guilty as hell. Except I wasn’t, and there as a court apper in my pocket to prove I wasn’t, and I walked… past… the porches.” (Miller, 1946, 24). Joe Keller feels no guilt for his action, and even the fact that he framed Steve does not touch his heart. He is closed off from his family, not understanding or willing to acknowledge his problems with his wife and sons because he wants a lucrative new contract.
The terrible truth is revealed when Ann, Steve Deaver’s daughter, brings a letter from Larry in which he blames his father for his death. The Kellers’ other son Chris believes his dead brother and Ann wholeheartedly, so he forces his father to tell the truth. Joe Keller is callous and hypocritical, unaware of guilt: “That’s a mistake, but it ain’t murder” (Miller, 1946, 26). These words are the boiling point of a conflict in which a violent man named Joe Keller is invariably to blame. Kate probably does realize that existing problems can have consequences: “You don’t realize how people can hate, Chris, they can hate so much they’ll tear the world to pieces.” (Miller, 1946, 34). Nevertheless, the woman tends to rely on her feelings more than on facts.
The discovery of the truth about Joe Keller, who framed his companion, leads his family to shut him out. Son Chris criticizes the betrayal, not understanding why his father chose the path of self-deception and lies. He is horrified by his father’s actions: “God in heaven, what kind of a man are you? Kids were hanging in the air by those heads. You knew that!” (Miller, 1946, 60). He turns away from his family because he cannot bear the reality that his father is responsible for many deaths.
Kate Keller stands by her sons’ side, though Larry’s loss is still unthinkable to her – the conflict remains unresolved. Kate faces a brutal reality in which her husband is wicked and deceitful, and her only remaining son is unwilling to bond with the family. In many ways, Kate feels weak before her husband and cannot even influence him: “Joe, you’re doing the same thing again. All your live whenever there’s trouble you yell at me and you thing that settles it” (Miller, 1946, 63). She wants to influence him, but her husband closes himself off her, and even in a moment of remorse, he is only concerned with money: “He don’t understand money. Too easy, it came too easy” (Miller, 1946, 64). Kate Keller falls apart, as does her entire family; after that, the play concludes with Joe’s suicide, a backstage denouement.
The aftermath of such a gruesome deception, which involves disaster and the loss of one’s son, cannot be easily forgotten. The play All My Sons tells us precisely how a family cannot hold on to the betrayal and lies in which Joe Keller has become entangled. Moreover, his unwillingness to take responsibility and admit fault caused his family to fall apart. His wife Kate lost both her sons and her husband, Larry was denied the opportunity to live a whole life, and Chris chose to walk away from hypocrisy and betrayal. The climactic act exposed the whole truth, making the reader question whether families like the Keller couple should exist.
Reference
Miller, A. (1946). All My Sons. Web.