All My Sons

All My Sons

                                               -  Arthur Miller

                        Arthur Miller is consider as an intellectual dramatist. Critics of his time believed that Miller was a strong dramatist who could easily reflected the ideas and views of the American Society in his plays. 'ALL MY SONS' is one of the most popular plays of Arthur Miller. It reflects the moral, social, and political ideas of the society. It also reveals Miller’s view on human nature in a particular social context.

 According to Miller, 

“A playwright provides answers by questions he chooses to ask, by the exact conflicts in which he places his people.”

            Miller’s idea on the social issues is the key of understanding the theme of the play. In this play, family relations are predominant. The play – ALL MY SONS divided into three acts starts describing Sunday morning at the back yard of the keller home.

                       

            Joe Keller and his wife has two sons. They are Chris Keller and Larry Keller. Larry Keller fought as a pilot in the second World War. He was reported missing. Everybody believes that he is dead. But his mother, Kate is not ready to presume this. She believes that Larry will return after some days. Larry is engaged to Ann Deever. But now Ann and Chris want to marry. Kate objects this as she believes that Larry is not Dead.

             In this illusion, the complex psychological motives play a major role in the development of the plot. Ann’s father- Steve is Keller’s Partner in a factory turning out Cylinder heads for the Army Air Force during the war. It proves to be detectively manufactured. They cause the death of  21 American pilots. There is a court cause against the partners. They are convicted. But Keller is lucky and is given the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, Steve is sent to jail. Steve thinks that Keller is also criminal if he is proved to be the criminal. The neighbors also believe that Keller is guilty. But Keller built up his business again. He thinks about his family as “ Nothing’s bigger” than the family.

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

“ That  nobody was changed at all.”

            Ann and Chris are ready foe 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 neighbors still believe that Keller is guilty, Chris tries to explain her….

                        “ Do you think I could forgive him if he’d done that thing ?”

                        George keeps in his mind the story told by his father in jail. Later on , 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 his father’s guilt.

“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 . I can’t look at you this way . I can’t look at myself!”

             Kate tells Keller that he should admit his guilt to their son, Chris. He should be ready to pay for his guilt. She thinks that it will bring Chris back to them. Keller as he has done this for family. Kate says that Chris is larger and precious than the family. While Kate and Keller are discussing about the situation, Ann enters and asks Kate 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 , she says to Ann,       

    

“To his dying day he’ll wait for his brother! No my dear , no such things... You’re 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 Keller that his wife and son wish him to go to jail. Keller said angrily,

“You want me to go to jail...Half the goodam country is gotta go if I gol.”

             Ann hands over a letter Larry had written her on the day he died. Larry read in the news paper about Keller  and Steve being convicted. He had written ; 

“I can’t bear to live any more. 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. Keller learns about Larry’s letter. He wants to give himself up and confess his guilt. Kate tries to dissuade him,

“ You’re so foolish , Larry was you son, too. Wasn’t he ? you know he’d never tell you to do this.”

             Keller’s reply is the major insight of the play and gives it its Title - ALL MY SONS. He says to Kate that……………….

“ Sure! He was my son. But I think to him they 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 committed suicide, Chris can’t bear the shock and says his mother with tear that he does not mean it. His mother – Kate consoles him, 

“ Don’t take it on yourself. Forget now. Live…………….”

                        The play ends here but Miller makes the reader think about the human nature and men’s psychological conditions through his dialogues in the play. Through this , writer describes the American society – real society.