All My Sons

All My Sons 

About the author: 

Arthur Miller is considred as an intellectual dramatist, critic of his time believed that Miller was strong dramatist who could easily reflected the ideas and views of American society in his plays. 

About the Play: 

All My Sons is one of the most popular plays of Aurther Miller. It reflects the moral, social and political ideas of the society. It also reveals Miller's view on human nature in particular social context . According to Miller,
'A playwright provides answers by the 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 and begins describing sunday morning at the back yard of the Keller home. Joe Keller, an industrialist and Dr.Jim Bayliss are talking. 

Larry and Chrish are brothers. Larry Keller fought as pilot in the Second World War. He was reported as missing. Everybody believes that he is dead but his mother, Keat Keller is not ready to presume this.
She believes that Larry willl return after some days. Larry is engaged to Ann Deever. Now, Ann and Chriah wants to marry but Keat 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 deceptively manufactured. They cause the death of 21 American pilot s. There is a court case 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 the jail.

Steve thinka that Keller is also the criminal if he is proved to be the criminal. The neighbors also believe that Keller is guilty. Keller built up his business again  and thinks about his family as 'nothing bigger' than the family. 

Ann also seems unhappy for what has been done to her father. Hee brother George feels so. Keller tries to explain Ann that it is one type of fluke. Chris also describe s the situation to Ann keeping in his mind their proposed marraige. He says, "that ratrace again......nobody was changed at all." 

Ann and Chris are ready for getting married but in the second act, George comes and tries to break uo the marriage proposal between them. Ann learns from Sue that neighbors still believe that Keller is guilt. 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 & family. But Chris rejects the way of seeing it. He reacts powerfully to his father's guilt saying, 
" I know you're no wrose than moat 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 feels that it is unfair for him as he has done this for family. Kate says that Chris is larger and precious than family. 

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

"To GIS 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 return 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 jail....Half the goddam country is gotta go if I go!' 

Ann hands over a letter Larry had written her on the day he died. Larry read the news paper about Keller and Steve 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 as 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 GIS idealistic feeling for his father. Keller learns about Larry's letter. He wanta to give himself up and confess hos guilt. Kate tries to dissuade him.
" you're so foolish. Larry was your 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 Kate, 'sure he was my son. But I think to him they were all my sons. And 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 doesn't 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 human nature and psychological conditions througj his dialogues in the play.