All My Sons Group

Question:


lola21
Student
College - Junior

What are the main themes of "All My Sons"?

Like....idealism, blame ,the American dream and sels-deception....

i need a brief info. on each one of them.

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Posted by lola21 on Saturday January 17, 2009 at 2:03 PM and tagged with all my sons, themes.

Answers:

  1. pmiranda2857
    pmiranda2857 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    American Dream: Joe Keller, a simple, blue-collar worker, who has made it to business owner,  sacrifices everything to maintain his version of the American dream.  He surrenders his integrity, he lies, he chooses to act outside of morality.

    Duty and Responsibility, Joe Keller tells us that he had no choice but to ship the faulty parts.  If he had pulled them and started over he would have lost the contract, resulting in his business failing, he felt compelled to honor the contract to secure his company.  He says he needed to take care of his family. 

    Choices and Consequences, Joe Keller makes a deadly choice and the consequences result in the deaths of several pilots and his own son, Larry.

    Guilt, Revenge and Punishment, Steve Deever is made out to be the bad guy by Joe Keller, who puts all the blame on him.  His son George, when he learns the truth, comes to the Keller's house seeking revenge.  Steve has been in prison, while Joe has been free.

    Death   Kate won't accept the death of her son Larry.  She desperately tries to maintain a false reality where Larry is still alive.

    Forgiveness and Atonement, Joe Keller commits suicide at the end of the play when he realizes that his decision resulted in his own son's death, also a suicide.  He wants Kate and Chris to forgive him.

    Idealism  Chris Keller, who believes that his father is an upright and honest man, discovers the truth, and is devastated.

     

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/all-sons/themes

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    Posted by pmiranda2857 on Sunday January 18, 2009 at 5:32 AM


  2. timbrady Teacher
    College - Senior

    eNotes Editor

    I would just like to add one additional thought to those that pmiranda has already posted and that is the totally unforgiving society that made a "mistake" impossible.  If there had been any forgiveness, and drop in the relentless demans to produce or go out of business, then none of what happened would have come to pass.  I think the pressure of a capitalist society, the demand that you succeed economically, is a character in some of Miller's play, perhaps most obviously this one and "Death of a Salesman."  It may help explain Miller's fascination with the Socialist/Communist model of the state.  

    Although a lot of the blame for what happens seems to fall on Joe, without the relentless pressure of the system, none of this would have happened, so one of the themes would be a cricitism of the capitalist system.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/all-sons/themes

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    Posted by timbrady on Monday January 19, 2009 at 10:11 AM