IN ALL MY SON
PLAYWRIGHT
Arthur Miller- Jewish American Writer
(1915-2005)
T
Arthur Miller’S Major Works
All My Sons ( 1947 )
Death of a Salesman ( 1949 )
The Crucible ( 1953 )
A view from the Bridge ( 1955 )
The Misfits ( 1961 )
After the Fall ( 1964 )
The Archbishop’s Ceiling ( 1977 )
INTRODUCTION
Arthur Miller, the playwright, found the idea for Joe's crime in a true story, which occurred during the second world war: a manufacturer knowingly shipped out defective parts for tanks. These had suffered mechanical failures which had led to the deaths of many soldiers. The fault was discovered, and the manufacturer convicted. In All My Sons, Miller examines the morality of the man who places his narrow responsibility to his immediate family above his wider responsibility to the men who rely on the integrity of his work.
Like other works by Arthur Miller, All My Sons is a critique of an over zealously capitalistic society. It shows what happens when humans are ruled by greed. It demonstrates how self-denial cannot last forever. Arthur Miller's characters bring these themes to life, and bring forward the man versus self and man versus society conflicts.
THEME OF THE PLAY
The major theme of the play All My Sons is the conflict between self-interest and the wider responsibility that people owe to the society in which they live. This conflict is mostly enacted through the characters of Joe, Chris, and the now-dead Larry. Joe has put all his energies into making money and building up his business. He was determined to keep his factory production line running, even when it caused the deaths of twenty-one pilots through faulty airplane parts.
CHARACTERS