All My Sons (Themes)

Themes

American Dream

In a sense, All My Sons is a critical investigation of the quest to achieve material comfort and an improved social status through hard work and determination. In the Horatio Alger myth, even a disadvantaged, impoverished young man can attain wealth and prestige through personal fortitude, moral integrity, and untiring industry. Joe Keller is that sort of self-made man, one who made his way from blue-collar worker to factory owner. However, Joe sacrifices his integrity to materialism, and he makes a reprehensible decision that sends American pilots to their deaths, something he is finally forced to face.

Atonement and Forgiveness

Paradoxically, Joe Keller’s suicide at the end of All My Sons is both an act of atonement and an escape from guilt. It stems from Joe’s realization that there can be no real forgiveness for what he had done. The alternative is confession and imprisonment. Death offers Joe another alternative.

Forgiveness must come from Kate and Chris. The letter written by Larry reveals that he deliberately destroyed himself during the war, profoundly shamed by his father’s brief imprisonment for fraud and profiteering. It is a devastating irony that Joe’s initial attempt to do right by his family — resulting in fraud and the deaths of twenty-one fighter pilots — leads to destruction of his world.

Choices and Consequences

All My Sons employs a pattern that is fundamental to most tragedies. Protagonists in tragedy must, in some degree, be held accountable for their actions. When faced with a moral dilemma, they often make a wrong choice. Joe, at a critical moment, elected to place his family’s finances above the lives of courageous American soldiers.

The revelations that lead up to Joe’s tragic recognition of guilt and his suicide, the final consequences of his choice, are essential to All My Sons. There is a sense of anake, or tragic necessity, that moves the work along towards its inevitable moment of truth and awful but final retribution.

Death

The key in the tragic arc of All My Sons is Kate Keller’s refusal to accept the death of her son, Larry. Initially, prone to false hopes, it seems that she is in denial; finally, it is revealed that her need to believe that Larry is alive allows her to avoid the terrible consequences of her husband’s deeds. She realizes that if Larry is dead, then Joe is responsible for his death — something Larry himself confirmed in his letter to Ann. All along, Kate knew her husband’s guilt but desperately avoided it, knowing that it would destroy her family.

Duty and Responsibility

Joe Keller’s sense of duty and responsibility is to the material comfort of his family and the success of his business. At a weak moment, under pressure, he puts these values ahead of what should clearly have been a higher duty, his obligation to human life. His fear of losing lucrative government contracts — essentially his greed — blinded him to the murder he was committing.

Ethics

Joe’s decision to send defective parts is not merely a result of skewed values, it is a serious breach of ethics. Joe does not fully comprehend how serious a breach it is. To him, success is more important than anything else, including human life and the good of his country. By setting up this ethical situation, Miller clearly questions the implications of a value system that puts material success above moral responsibilities to others.

Guilt and Innocence

In All My Sons, there are hints that Joe is troubled by his guilt — even before his eventual suicide. His suspicions of Ann and George Deever reveal his fears of being forced to face the truth. Even when he attempts to atone for his guilt by helping his former partner, Steve Deever as well as Deever’s son, George, his offer seems rather lame given the enormity of his guilt. There is no way he can atone for the deaths of the American fighter pilots, however, something that he finally realizes.

Punishment

Joe’s death at the end of All My Sons is paradoxically both punishment and escape. In one sense, Joe can do no less than pay for his crime with his life. It is not an empty gesture. It is made abundantly clear from the play’s beginning that Joe is a man who is full of life and cherishes his roles as both husband and father.

When the truth comes out, Joe has to face not only a return to prison but also the alienation of his remaining son and the destruction his family. Death offers the only escape from that pain. It may also be seen as a sacrificial act, one which saves Joe’s son, Chris, from further humiliation.

Revenge

Fueled by his anger over Joe’s guilt, George Deever comes to the Keller’s house seeking revenge and retribution. He is a major catalyst and intensifies the emotional tension of the play. For a moment, Kate’s friendliness and warmth placate him. When, towards the end of the second act, Kate inadvertently confirms the probable truth of his father’s accusations, George’s anger returns. Joe is then forced to reveal his fraudulent and deceitful actions.

Topics for Further Study

• Research the problem of profiteering during both World War II and the Cold War. Was it a prevalent phenomenon? What forms did it take (e.g., cost overruns, ridiculous pricing, fraudulent claims)? Describe the worst case you can find from your research.
• Trace the influence of either Henrik Ibsen or Anton Chekhov on All My Sons.
• Investigate Miller’s role in the investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), including his contempt conviction and eventual exoneration. Do you agree with Miller’s position? Give reasons for your answer.
• Determine the influence of the politics of the left, including socialism and communism, on the American theater and cinema during the 1930s and 1940s.