All My Sons (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Arthur Miller
- First Published: 1947
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The late 1940’s
- Setting: An American town
- Genres: Naturalistic literature, Drama, Psychological drama
- Subjects: Values, Family or family life, United States or Americans, Parents and children, Pragmatism, Suicide, 1940’s, Guilt, Yards or backyards, Fathers, Veterans, Ethics, Success or failure, Idealism, Factory management
- Locales: New York, NY, East (U.S.)
Characters Discussed
Joe Keller, a middle-aged factory owner of working-class background. He is a plain, inarticulate man with a certain peasant shrewdness. His values are simple: work and family. His purpose in life is to pass on his business to his surviving son, Chris. His moral simplicity, however, is his undoing. During World War II, he knowingly authorized the shipment of cracked cylinder heads to the Army air force; the defective parts caused the deaths of twenty-one pilots. Although imprisoned and brought to trial, he avoided conviction by shifting the blame to his...
[The entire page is 1412 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
Related Topics
