All My Sons by Arthur Miller

All My Sons

All My Sons is a 1948 play by Arthur Miller an American Writer. The play based upon a true story; which described how in 1941-43 the Wright Aeronautical Corporation based in Ohio had conspired with army inspection officers to approve defective aircraft engines destined for military use.

In ‘All My Sons’, Joe Keller remains as the prime figure and his wife Kate Keller having two sons Larry and Chris. Larry, who had been MIA for three years, had disappear due to war period and never come back. His childhood sweetheart Ann Deever now corresponded with his younger brother Chris and wants to get married to him. But, Kate cannot accept that Larry is not alive and thinks yet that Anne is ‘Larry’s girl’.

Apart from this the central event took place is that during World War-2 the shipping of damaged aircraft engine cylinder heads was not done by Steve Deever (father of Ann and George Deever; claimed guilty for the death of 21 pilots, was imprisoned for years) was actually not guilty of this shipping. The decision was taken by Joe Keller and had smartly imposed the crime on Steve; his partner. But, Kate was well-known of this and kept mum for this long as well before Larry’s disappearance his latter to Ann revealed that his death would not be any accident but he will up to crash his plane desperately to commit suicide under the guilt of his father’s wrong deeds. At the end Chris’ love for father turns into hatred. Steve also released from his guilt but Joe shoots himself under the revelation of his crimes.   

Through the play Miller bitterly criticises the American entrepreneurship and the politics which only systematise on the grounds of financial benefits and loses rather than humanity. A father did not come out from his business mindset and his son died for his worst strategies for making money out of 21 soldiers’ death. Before Joe shot himself said “Those all were my sons!”