In Arthur Millers’ play, All My Sons, Characters make choices to act depending on the needs of their family over societies laws. Joe, Kate Chris, Ann. In the play Joe Keller is one such character; in his attempts to save his family Keller foolishly sends off 120 cracked engine heads. In his defense he states, “ It was to late. The paper, it was all over the front page, twenty-one went down, it was too late. They came with handcuffs into the shop, what could I do? Chris. . . Chris, I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you. I’m sixty-one years old, when would I have another chance to make something for you? Sixty-one years old, you don’t get another chance, do ya?” ( Miller 70). Joe is telling us that the reason he sent the cracked parts was for his family so they could be successful. Joe did something in order to benefit his family even if it meant going against societies’ laws. Another decision made was when Chris, Joes’ son responds to the news. He believes that his father should have never sent out the cracked engines. He scolds his father, “ For me! Where do you live, where do you live, where have you come from? For me!- I was dying everyday and you were killing my boys and you did it for me? What the hell do you think I was thinking of, the Goddam business? Is that as far as your mind can see? What is that, the world-the business? What the hell do you mean, you sis it for me? Don’t you have a country? Don’t you live in the world? What the hell are you? What must I do to you? I ought to tear my tongue out of your mouth” ( Miller 70). Chris has chosen society over Family, he thinks his father never should have sent the cracked engines. So much for “ The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”
In my opinion I found the play very funny and gripping the different characters and their opinions resulted in a interesting reading. Throughout the play there was the question of family or society. Does family come first or the laws of society? In my opinion family is very important but society wins by a hair. If we didn’t have society and people didn’t follow the rules there would be chaos. No one would listen to anyone and people would be going around doing whatever they wanted. This is an example where society would be placed above family.
1 comment:
As you said this was a very hard decision to make- society versus family. I think that you make a very good point, that without laws the world would be complete chaos. It made me realize how different society would be without laws and I agree with you in that in the Kellers case society should have come before family.
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