UNIT 11 ALL MY SONS: A DETAILED

1 1. I Introduction
11.2 Strl~ctureand Plot of All My Sons
11.3 Arthur Miller on Drama as Tragedy
1 1.4 All My Sons: A Tragedy
11.5 Let Us SUIIILIP
1 1.6 Exercise

11.0 OBJECTIVES

the structure and plot of the play All hfy Sons;

miller's perspective about tragedy; and
tlie play All hfi: Sorrs as a tragedy.

11.1 INTRODUCTION
All My Sons opened at Coronet Theater in January, 1947 and ran for 328
performances. Four years earlier Arthur Miller had read the account of the Truman
Com~iiitteeinvestigation into allegedly faulty airplane parts manufactured in Ohio.
The actilal idea of tlie pla] came to his niind when he got to know about a family
uhere a daughter had taken her father to tlie authorities for selling faulq machine9
to the army. Miller decided to write the play 'so that even the actual criminal, on
reading it, uould have to say that it was true and sensible and as real as h ~ life,'
s
(Arthur Miller). Collected Playis, Vol-I New York: Viking, 1957) All MI)Sons was
extremely popular among the audiences. The success of the play earned great
reputation for the author and secured his financial position.

11.2 STRUCTURE AND PLOT OF ALL MY SONS

All A 4 j Sons is a well constructed and realistic play. It is co~iventio~ial realisni.
Ibsenite only in that Miller - as lbsen so often does - starts in the middle of things
and spends most of the play uncovering the facts of the past so that the audience
can see tlie last act consequetices in the present.' (Daniel Hoffinan Hunqcnzl
Guide to Atuerican Dran~aGerald Weales 1979. (OUP). The work of Ibse~i
influenced ,4/1 My Sorls structurally as we!]. for Ibsen had liberally applied the
principle of Greek Theatre that stresses the influence of the past on the present.
The play is carefully constructed and well knit. It follows the pattern in which thers
is an appropriate link between previous actions and present consequences. Miller
skillfi~llyobserves alll the three dramatic unities of tinie. place arid action mentioned
by Aristotle i l l his Poetics. Tlle unity of time limits the action to take place in
roughli\fa single day; unity s f place limits it to one general location and the unity of
action limits it to a single set of incidents which are related as cause and effect,
having a beginning, middle and an end. The play does not cross the time limit of
twenty-four hours; thus the unity of time is observed by Miller. The play maintains
the u~ittyof place with the entire action taking place in the Keller home in the
American tow11 of Detroit. The unity of place and action is also observed i n tlie
Arthur Miller play. The action happens in tlie backyard o f tlie Keller household. This unity owes
a great deal to the conduct o f a single chal.acter, Joe Keller.
The setting of AN A(v Sons is designed to suit Keller's 'myopic world view' o f not
thinking beyond l i i s family interests. ('All M y Sons' Steven R. Celltola in The
Cbnrbridge Conipunion to Arthur Miller edited by Christopher Bigsby.) The,
backyard o f tlie Keller home in tlie outskirts o f an Anierican town.. ... .The stage i s
hedged on right and left by tall, closely planted poplars which lend the yard a
secluded atmosphere.. . .. ... A t tlie right, beside the house, the entrance o f the
driveway can be seen, but the poplars cut o f f view o f its continuatio~idownstage.
(pg-1 All A@ Sons) The scenic i~pagesuccessfully hides Keller's secrets, but
gradually discloses them as the play proceeds.
The play All hfy Sons i s divided into three acts tliat roughly cover eighteen hours
frotn Sunday morning to tlie early hours o f Monday. Tlie entire action takes place in
the backyard of the house of Joe Keller, a rich industrialist. Tlie Keller home
includes his wife Kate in lier early fifties and their tliirty two year old son Cliris.
Their neiglibours who are also their faniily friends comprise forty year-old Dr. Jim
Bayliss, his wife Sue around forty, tlieir eight year-old son Bert, tliirty two year old
Frank Lubey and his twenty seven year-old wife Lydia.
Miller has skillfully worked on the exposition o f the plot that gradually increases
dramatic tension as we move ahead in the play. I n the first act, Miller gives
background infonnation revealing certain facts about tlie past taking his own time,
as the playwriglit Ibsen did. I n act I tlie play opens with Joe Keller reading tlie
Sunday newspaper, while involved in trivial talks with liis neiglibour Dr. Jim Bayliss,
later joined by another neighbour Frank Lubey. The fallen apple-tree snapped
under the wind's f i ~ r ycatches tlieir attention. This scene i s significant as it acquaints
us wit11 the background o f the play, giving a flashback about Larry. The apple-tree
was planted to keep Joe Keller's son Larry's memory alive who had been reported
missing during the war while flying a mission o f f the coast o f China and had been
presumed to be dead. Larry's mother does not beliece tliat Larry i s dead and is
hopeful that one day he would come back safe. This belief o f hers plays a major
role in the development o f tlie plot.
A young woman Ann has come to visit the Kellers on Chris' incitation. Ann and
Chris are in love and after writing letters to each other for two years, Cliris has
now invited her in order to propose to lier. Cliris discloses to liis father about liis
intention o f marrying Ann. Keller discourages him to marry Ann, because in the
opinion o f Chris' mother Kate, Ann is Larry's fiancee. Kate believes that Larry is
alive and would turn up any day.
Ann i s the daughter o f Steve Deever, business partner o f Joe Keller who owns a
factory manufacturing cylinder heads.An urgent contract comes from the army to
supply cylinder heads for aircrafts to be used in war. But it so happens that the
whole batch o f cylinder heads, produced by the manufacturing firm has developed
cracks. Keller calls up Steve Deever asking liini to weld the cracks on the cylinder
heads and ship them o f f to the army. The damaged cylinder heads were passed by
tlie factory and shipped out to the army resulting in the death o f twenty one pilots.
Tllere was a court case against both Joe Keller and Steve Deever. However,
during the trial Joe Keller denied liis responsibility for the damaged cylinder heads.
Tlie court acquitted him while Steve Deever was sent to jail where lie i s at the
time the play opens.
Frank Lubey, one o f Keller's neighbours wants to know about Ann's father and
enquires about his release on parole. Ann wants to avoid such a question, since she
is critical o f lier father after he was found guilty o f fraud. Ann recollects that the
neighbourllood llad described her father and her family members as murderers after
her father was found guilty o f causing death o f several aircraft pilots in the war on
account o f defective cylinder heads supplied by him to the army. Even though
eller \\as acquitted by a higher court, the people o f his locality still believed that ,411 MY S*lls: A Detailed Study
eller had got himself acquitted through underhand means.

eller i s of the opinion that Ann should write to her father explaining to him that

teve Deever out o f disgust and shame that he was involved in such a dreadful

1111 i s surprised at the concern Joe Keller still has for her father and her family.

i s o f the opinion that Larry died as a consequence o f her father supplying

ctive cylinder heads to the army. Joe Keller disagrees with her and says that

e Keller informs Ann that her brother George had called up from Columbus and

ne there all these years to ~neethis father. Keller is suspicious o f George's visit
his father Steve, and Ann's visit to their home. He tells Chris that Ann's father
d been blaming him for the supply o f defecthe cylinder heads to the army during
e war and then George suddenly went to Columbus to visit his father in jail.
ller i s o f the opinion that George must be wanting to reopen the whole case

ller and Kate get worried and nervous about George's visit to the Keller
usehold in order to rneet Ann. Kate reminds Keller that George had become a
er and must have gone to meet his father in connection with the defective
der heads case. She warns hini of George"s visit and asks him to be alert and

our minds that Keller has manipulated certain facts. Act I ends with the
dience anticipating that some hidden secrets would be revealed with the arrival o f

Act 11 the truth about Keller's role in the crime i s finally revealed increasing

rs that Steve Deever who had alleged i n the court till the last day o f the trial that

es Chris that he should help them if any difticulty arose.

 like his partner Deever, Sue says tliat Keller being smart got himself exonerated in
the case bq some trick. Ann objects to what Sue says because she believes that
her father alone is guilty in the defective arms case. To this Sue replies that Keller
is snlart enough to make the people of the neighbourliood believe that he is innocent.
Ann asks Chris whether his father Joe Keller is guilty to which Cliris replies that 111s
father is completely innocent and has been falsely accused in the case.
The arrival of Ann's brother George helps in the further developnient of the plot and
causes conflict between Joe Keller arid his son Chris. George reveals tlie truth
about Joe Keller. accusing him of befooling and exploiting I1 is father. Steve Deever
was languishing in jail becau>e of Joe Keller. According to George, Steve Deever
was informed by tlie foreman in his factory that the cylinder heads produced had
some manufacturing defect. Steve Deever called up Keller to come to the factory
immediately. Meauwhile a large number of orders were coming from army authorities
or1 an urgent basis. Instead of coming to the factory Joe Keller asked him to weld
tlie cylinder heads and ship them to the army. Keller said he had flu and was
unable to come to the f'actory but would take full responsibility for the supply of
airplane parts. However, during tlie trial Joe Keller denied his responsibility for the
damaged cylinder heads. Tlie court knew/ that Joe Kel ler \\as telling a lie but in
the appeal they believed Keller's story. acquitting him while sending Steve Deever
to jail.
George then accuses the Kellers to have taken away everything belonging to the
Duevers. He says that lie \\rill not allow Chris to rnarry Ann arid asks Ann to leave
tlie place with hirn. After listening to George, Chris confronts his father to know
whetlier he is the culprit. To justify liis actions,Keller says that there were a
hundred and twenty defective cjlinder lieads in the factory which he could not
discard or lie would liave got bankrupt. He did not disclose to the army officials that
he had in the store damaged cylinder heads. This would make him lose the contract
and his business tliat liad taken forty years to build. To avoid sucli a situation he
supplied tlie defective cylinder heads to the army, contident that the army oflicials
would cl~eckthe engines before installing them to tlie aircraft. Keller further saqs
that 11e\\as sure that the arm) authorities would send 11i1na report after checking
tlie engines, By the time he decided to inform them about the cracks in the cylinder
heads tlie damage had already been done. The newspaper headlines read that
twcnty-one aeropianes had crashed and the pilots had been killed. The military
officers came to liis factory to arrest hirn and he denied the charges keeping in
~iiindhis son Chris' future. Keller says if he had let his business to collapse, he
w~ouldnot liave bee11 ill a position to set up another business at tlie age of sixty one.
Cl11.i~gets furious at this. He accuses Keller of killing liis own country nien. He
was worse than an animal, 'no animal kills liis own' (pg-76 All My Son&).Chris
says that he does not know how to punish Joe. He cries out 'What must I do, Jesus
God, What must I do?'(pg-76 All My Sons) and Keller says, 'Cliris .... My
Cliris ......' Both of them seem to be helpless and feel miserable.
Tlie play reaches its climax in Act I11 with dramatic tension building up again. Act
Ill opens with Kate rocking impatiently in her chair waiting for Chris to return Iionie
after he disappeared from tlie house. Kate wants Keller to apprise Chris of the
whole situation admitting his mistake once he came back. Kate suggests to liim to
tell Cl~risthat lie is ready to go to prison so that Chris felt liappy tliat his father was
willing to repent. According to Kate, Chris would not let Joe go to prison but would
rather forgive him. Keller does not agree with lier as he feels he liad done everything
for liis family's sake. Kate says that for Chris there is something bigger than one's
family and that Kel ler had broke11Chris' heart.
Kate wants Ann to leave the very next morning without Chris and is firm on her
belief that lier so11 Larry is still alive. Ann tries hard to make Kate believe that
18 Larry was dead and speaks about Larry's aeroplane crash on the coast of China on
 self deception tliat lie was still alive and would come back home some day. Chris
~ h oIiad gotic out, comes back after driving around. Chris informs his mother tliat

gct a job in a private firm.

ln wants tn leave wit11 Chris but he refuses to take her along. Meanwhile Keller
pears on the scene to talk to Chris. Now it has become clear to him that both his
fe and his son want him to go to jail. Kesler asks Chris if he wanted him to be
iled. He firrther says that during war time everybody sold their manufactured
oods to the government against money. Defending himself he says that everyone
tries to make money by all possible methods. Cliris says that he had idolised his
father but the latter proved himself to be unworthy.
I n order to show the letter to Chris, Ann snatches the letter from Kate, giving it to
Chris to read. Cliris reads the contents of tlie letter and tells his father that Larry
had deliberately killed himself in a crash. J-le further says that Larry was very upset
about his ihtlier's involvement in the death of his fellow pilots. Larry intentionally
crashed his aeroplane when it became unbearable for hirn to live with this shame.
14e had further written tliat if lie liad been there at the time of his father's conviction
in court, he would have killed him.
After reading the letter Chris tells his father that 11e should know what is to be
done. Keller asks Chris to get the car ready and drive him to the police where he
will surrcrider himself. Kate preverlts him from surrctideri~lgto the police saying
that Larry would riot llave wanted him to surrender. Keller says tliat in Larry's
opinion the other pilots were also like his sons arid so lie has to pay the penalty.
Kate pleads witli Cliris not to take his father to jail as she fears tliat he will die in
prison. She reminds Chris that tlie war is over and tlie letter has no meaning
anymore. Chris disagrees witli her.
Keller goes inside the house arid a shot is heard from inside the house. Chris
enters tlie llol~seand has no idea that his father has shot himself. Chris cornes out
inconsol.~bIecaftc~seeing his tather dead. Kate knows very well that her husband
had committed suicide to pay the pefialty for h i s crime. She tells Chris nut to feel
guilty fcr his tather's suicide but to forget the past and live a new life. The play
ends with a tragic scene, Ann running to look for Dr. Bayliss and Cliris and Kate
are left alone grieving for Joe Keller.
'The play ends with Chris facing witli horror his own colnplicity in his
father's self-destruction, arid with Keller's death the play forcefi~llyrepudiates
anti-social bellaviour tliat derives from the myth of privatism in A~tieric~an

7?1.Arthur Miller edited by Christopher Bigsby).

Tlie mitior characters in tlie play such as Dr. Jim Bayliss, his wife Sue, Bert, Frank
Lubey and Lydia contribute' to the unity of the plot wit11 their dialogues enhancing
the play's realism. Their dialogues contribute to the routine activities of daily life
such as the damage caused to the trees that were stlapped by the fierce wind, the
weather forecast in the newspaper: tlie poor remuneration which the doctor gets as
cornpaled to a film star, a toaster that is out of order, and has to be repaired. The
ba~lalitiesof conversation bring interest to the plot giving it a realistic effect without
disturbing the progress of the main plot.
Art11ur Miller
11.3 ARTHUR MILLER ON DRAMA AS TRAGEDY
I11 Iiis essay, 'Tragedy and Co~iimonMan' Miller says tliat there were vely kw
niodern tragedies written because people thought that they were 'tit only for tlie
very Iliglily placed, the kings or the kingly' ('Tragedy and the Co~nmonMan' i n
Arthur Miller's The Theatre Essctvs yf'Arthu~Miller and with an Introduction by
Robert A. Martin The Viking Press 1978 New York) as Aristotle believed. For
Aristotle, in a tragic play the protagonist should be a king or someone of Iiigll class
so tliat his change in fortune from good to bad call be presented on a big scale
Arthur Miller cliallenged the belief previously accepted about tragic plays, saying
tllat tragic consciousness existed even i n tlie ordinary people. For lii~g
'tlie tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character wllo
is ready to lay down liis life, if need be, to secure one thing, liis sense of persol~al
dignity' ('TI-agedy alid tlie Common Man' in Arthur Miller's The Theatre E.YSU~.Y of
. - l l . / / ~ l t r .dfiller and witli an Introduction by Robert A. Martin the Viking Press 1978
Nc\t York). Arthur Miller believed 'that the colnlnon inan is as apt a subject for
tragedy in its highest sense as kings were' (Tragedy and tlie Common Man' in
Artliur Miller's Tile Tktrtre E s s t g ~c?f'Al?h~rr ~ Miller and \\!it11 an Introduction by
Robert A. Martin The Viking Press 1978 New York). Miller e~npliasisedtliat tilain
cllaracters in a tragedy should be ordina~ypeople in domestic surrotuidings to whom
tlie audience will readily relate. The audience's understanding of a tragic play
beconies easy with ordinary people playing the 111ain role. A play having a great
person as protagonist would involve elevated language, understood only by the
upper-class people while the common man would be unable to comprehend tlie
mealling of the play. According to Miller, 'Tragedy is the consequence of a man's
total compulsion to evaluate himself ji~stly.Tlie 'tragic flaw' is not exclusively in
grand or elevated characters,' it is also present i l l ordinary people. 'The flaw or
crack in the cliaracter ..... is 'his unwillingness to remain passive of what lie
conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, liis image of liis riglilf~lstatus.'('Tragedy
and tlie Coni~nonMan' in Arthur Miller's: Tire Thcfcr/rc.Exscrys oJ'Arlhur. hfiller.
and witli an Introduction by Robert A. Martin Tlie Viking Press 1978 New York)
Arthur Miller wrote tragic plays suc11 as The CI-l~cihle, All My Sons and Deutii of
tr Strlesnwrz. I n fact All iqv Sons was Miller's first attenlpt to write such a
tragedy of the coiiilnon man. His tragedies were associated with tlie American's
belief of a certain form of idealism. that man is the captain of his fate. One such
tragedy was 'AN Sons ' which was aboi~ttlie liigli significance of Joe Keller and
the resulting actions and consequences. His actions lead to his downfall, making him
a tragic character and tlie play a modern tragedy.

1 1.4 ALL MY SONS: A TRAGEDY

'Tile play 'All Sotis' deals witli tlie fate of Joe Keller. Tliougli uneducated and
a self-made man Keller 11as committed an atrocious act during Would War 11. Joe
Keller and Steve Deever are partners of a factory that ~nariufacturescylinder
lleads for aircrafts. During the war they get a contract from the army for supplying
to tlicm cylinder heads on an urgent basis. Steve Deever is informed by tlie
forc~nanin his factory tliat the cylillder heads that were produccd had hairline
cracks in them. Steve Deever calls up Keller to collie to the factory immediately.
Keller says that lie would be unable, to go to the factory as lie was down with flu.
Asking hiln to weld the cylinder lieads, lie assures Deever that lie would take full
responsibility for the damaged cj.linder heads. These daniaged cylinder heads cause
twenty-one planes to crash, killing their pilots. Both Deever and Keller are arrested
and convicted but at the trial Joe Keller denies responsibility and is exonerated as
the blanle shifts to Steve Deever who is imprisoned. The main action in tlie play
revolves around this tragic incident.
 lie ostensible harmony o f tlie house is disturbed three years later witli Ann's AN MY Sons:ADetailed Study
rrival to the Keller household in order to liiarry Chris Keller. Situation in the Keller
me worsens with the arrival o f George, Steve Deever's son and Ann's brother
l o comes to prevent Ann's marriage with Cliris. Kate believes Larry to be still
ive though lie had gone missing in action during the war. I t is this belief o f hers
iat enables her for three years to support her husband Joe Keller and be partner in
his crime t)y concealing her knowledge o f tlie case. George reveals the truth that
Keller was the main culprit, responsible for the death o f twenty-one pilots and
because o f him liis fatlier i s in jai I. When confronted by Chris to know whether his
fatlier was guilty, Keller justities l i i s action saying tliat he took the decision to ship
faulty cylinder lieads to tlie army to preserve his t)usiness and for tlie welfare o f his
family. Joe-Keller pursues the Ancrican Dreani of owning materialistic wealth -
a nice home. good job, financial security, car -all are done for tlie sake for the
family. Kcller says,

Kate Keller supports her husband's guilt by concealing her knowledge o f the terrible
crime lie had colnrnitted fearing tliat it rnigllt break the family unit. I t i s also ironic
that Keller's decision to act for liis son and his family is the cause o f estrangement
between him and Cliris. Keller's myopic world - view disallows him to see beyond
his famil). His claim that there is nothing bigger than his family cuts him o f f from
any kind o f relationship witli society which i s wrong.

The view; on morality o f both Chris and Larry Keller are a contrast to those o f his
parents. Chris i s disgusted when his father tries to justiljl his act, saying:

'For me! Iwas dying everyday arid you were killing my boys and you did i t
for me? What the hell do yoti think 1 was thinking of, the god dam business?
, ......... Don't you have a country? Don't you live in tlie world? ..... You're
not even an animal, no animal kills his own, what are you?...'(P.75,76 All

Larry's letter to Ann reveals that slia~liedby his father's involvement in fraud and
profiteering Larry i s compelled to destroy himself deliberately. It is a devastating
irony tliat Joe's attempt to work for the interests o f the family results in fraud and
the deaths oftwenty one pilots. The clash between tlie ideals o f fatlier and liis sons
finally results in the suicide o f Joe Keller.

Dernial on the part o f most o f the characters o f tlie play also contributes towards
making the play a tragedy. Joe Keller the chief character himself lied to everybody
including his family tliat 11e was not involved i n supplying defective cylinder heads.
Elis denial in the court despite the assurance given by him to his partner Steve
Deever at tlie time of the ship~iientlanded Deever in jail. To save her husband from
going to jail Kate herself lives in denial and self deception. She firmly believes that
Larry i s alive despite the knowledge o f l i i s death because she knows that Larry's
suicide i s tlie result o f her husband's crime o f killing the pilots. Her belief that Larry
is alive is beneficial for the peace and harmony in the family. Chris has a vague idea
o f his fiitlier's crime but i s unable to accept him as a criminal as he had always
looked ~ r to p llis father and idolised him.

Ann herself chose to deny the trutli tlie truth for three years only to save her
relationship with Chris. The facts oftlie case tliat Keller had nianipulated to prove
himself clean was also known to the neighbours but they pretended that he was
lioriest 'arid they accepted him back into their social life'. (P.167 'Arthur Miller'A
Critjcol Introhrcrion to fiventierh Cetirurv Atncricun Drarn~rC.W. E Bigsby)
 111 spite of bei~lguneducated, Joe Keller is a hardworking person and a successful
business man. An llonest worker and a friendly and polite person he likes to
socialise with everyone. But he lias a flaw or weakness. This in turn causes him to
act wrongly. His tragic decision to ship defective cylinder heads that killed twenty-
one pilots changes him into a despised character. His love for his family and his
unwi I l inguess to become bankrupt forces him to ship tlie faulty cylinder heads to the
army. His wrong decision was due to a 'tragic flaw' in his character that led Larry
to commit suicide which in turn caused him to commit suicide. Realising his guilt
that the pilots were all his sons, Keller shoots himself towards the end of the play,
creating for him synipathy in tlie audience.
Keller's act of suicide at the end of the play is tragic in a number of senses: he is
unable to cope with the estrangement between him and his son; at the same time
his deatli is designed to spare Chris any further embarrassment at what his father
has done, etc. The conflict between morality, denial of the characters, the guilt of
Lilling pilots who were all his sons and finally Joe Keller's realisation that there can
be no real forgiveness for his actions point towards the state of affairs in the
niodern world.
All Sons is considered a modern tragedy because of the creation of the chief
cliaracter as tragic and how his actions lead to several tragic consequences.

11.5 LET US SUM UP

In the first section of this unit we have discussed the structure and plot of All ivy
Sorrs while in the second section we get to know Miller's views on tragedy and
why the play A N Sons is primarily called a tragedy.

11.6 EXERCISE
1. How does George's arrival to the Keller household help in the development
of the plot in Act II?

2. How is Larry's letter instrunlental in forcing Keller to realise his guilt?

3. Does Kate know about Keller's guilt? If yes, nhy does she conceal the
facts from otliers?

4. What is kliller's view on tragedy?

5. Sons considered a tragedy?

Why is All MJ~

22