Climax
All My Sons has a very traditional dramatic structure, with carefully
orchestrated action that reaches a climax. Although it may be argued
that each act has its own climax, with a particularly powerful one in
the second act, the final climax occurs in the last act, when Joe
finally realizes that he was responsible for the deaths of the American
fighter pilots, his ‘‘sons.’’
Conflict
Tension in drama evolves from conflict. In fact, conflict is virtually
mandatory in what is termed the dramatic moment, whether in a play or in
fiction. A good play generally evinces a sense of a deepening conflict
that heightens the emotional tension as the play works towards its
climactic moment. Conflict arises as a character strives toward a goal
and is met by an obstacle to that goal. The key conflict in All My Sons
develops as a result of Chris's desire to marry Ann Deever. Standing in
the way of his desire is his mother's ability to block the marriage; she
opposes the union because she cannot accept the death of her son, Larry.
If she accepts his death, then she must also face Joe's role in it.
Ironically, Chris tries to enlist his father's help in this matter. On
account of his love for Ann, Chris pushes his
family into facing truths that have tragic and destructive consequences.
Exposition
Exposition in drama is often more of a problem than it is for writers of
fiction. Somehow, information about past events and relationships must
be conveyed to an audience so that the action in the present can be
fully
understood. Because All My Sons is a realistic play in which all the
action occurs on the day in which the family crisis is met and
tragically resolved, Miller has few options for revealing Joe's
fraudulent past. The action strictly adheres to a normal chronological
order, allowing nothing like a flashback or the hallucinatory reveries
of the main character so brilliantly used by Miller in his next play,
Death of Salesman. Miller's chief device is the reunion, the
introduction of a character who needs to be told what has transpired
since that character's former estrangement. That character is Ann Deever;
inadvertently, she opens old wounds because of her familial relationship
with Joe's former partner, Larry. She also bears the truth of Larry's
death
in a letter that he had written to her. In this way she is like the
messenger of Greek tragedy whose task it is to bear in the pain of truth
that will force the tragic recognition in the main character.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowings of an impending disaster appear in the first act of All
My Sons. The memorial apple tree planted for Larry is destroyed during a
storm in the early morning hours, suggesting a dark force that has the
power to destroy the Keller family. Kate's response to the tree's
felling at first seems odd. She says that it should never have been
planted in the
first place. However, it is soon learned that she has desperately held
on to the hope that Larry, reported missing in action during the war, is
still alive. That she suffers from the emotional burden of her hope is
revealed by her sleeplessness and physical pain. In its way, even Joe's
role-playing game is a foreshadowing. Playing with Bert, they pretend
that the Keller home is a jail. This game suggests that Keller views his
home as a kind of jail. On account of what he has done, he can not
really be free.
