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.
