All My Sons - Miller's Version of the American Dream - Book Report/Review Example

Other March 7, Topic: Plays by Arthur Miller Introduction In All My Sons, Arthur Miller propounds the American Dreams by exposing some pertinent tragedies in the lives of the protagonists. According to modern concept of tragedy, the protagonists own responsibility for their deeds, good or bad, while encountering any type of moral dilemma. American dream is often exaggerated to draw the attention of the masses and to appeal to their emotions and in the process they have to encounter bitter realities of life. Families are the building blocks of the society. When the values that blend the family into a cohesive unit are lost disintegration begins. American dream remains shattered and an ordinary citizen has become directionless and directionless and his fountain of happiness is dry. Miller’s version of the American Dream as portrayed in “All My Sons” To highlight the life in tandem with American Dream, Miller employs a strategy that has two types of interpretations. Abundant wealth and good properties are two important aspects of the American Dream. Joe Keller achieves plenty and prosperity in his life but he encounters tragic situations as the story of the drama moves towards conclusion. Arthur Miller conveys the pair of opposites ingrained in the American Dream phenomena with the contention that it has benefited the miniscule minority of the population and majority of the people suffers from uncertainties and panic situations in life. Money alone will not bring real happiness to the American people. “Arthur Miller has evoked some fundamental questions in his play, All My Sons what are the individualistic social obligation, personal responsibility and dissimilarity between personal and public matters”(Miller,2010)This world is full of complexities and it is easy to talk about and preach idealism, but to translate those ideals into practical life, in all situations, is toughest of the options. Miller emphasises the merit of such ideals or dreams by showing his characters in that light, but also depicts how those ideals change, how the characters are obliged to take a different course of action as per the demand of the circumstances. The wise saying goes, ‘If perfect discipline is not available, carry on with the available discipline.’ Miller’s view of the tragic hero as portrayed Joe Keller is a tragic hero of the current age. A tragic hero need not be the one with flashing sword in his hand. “According to modern concept of tragedy, the protagonists should be accountable for their deeds while facing any kind of moral dilemma, they make some wrong decisions and choices for themselves which lead them on the verge of worst kind of tragedy.”(American Dream, 2010) Miller has adopted the model of plays of the Greek, in which a tragedy occurs. In such plays the protagonist (tragic hero) commits an offence, suffers the consequences and in the end dies. A tragic hero has many noble qualities but one tragic flaw. Joe Keller is one such tragic hero. He is willing to anything for the welfare and happiness of his family members whom he loves much. In one such incident of expression of love for Chris, he states, “...what the hell did I work for? Thats only for you, Chris, the whole shootin match is for you.”(16)He is an ordinary, hardworking individual, self-made and given to charitable acts. None should dislike him normally. The inherent flaw in his personality makes him act wrongly for a deal and he is forced to accept responsibility for the faulty supply he made with the cylinder heads. He commits suicide which is relevant from the moral order of governance of universe and allows his son, Chris to live free from guilt. Thus a good man, for a small individual cause of love for his family, sacrifices a bigger cause of the security. Apart from this evil, he is blemish-less. But his locked up guilt always torments him. Miller raises the question how we deceive ourselves and others in everyday dispositions and interactions. The past of the Keller family and the developments reveal the factors that cause distortion and confrontation in life. Some of the important factors are Larry’s death and Keller owns the liability for the consignment of defective parts. Mother and Keller compromise with their conscience as for denial as well as acceptance that indicate their trait of self-deception. They challenge the realities of life living in a state of self-deception and this they do consciously to keep the functional life-style of the family. That which is ideal needs to be practical as well. But this is not possible for Chris. This expression highlights his idealism “It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father, theres only one way to look at him. He knowingly shipped out parts that would crash an airplane.”(29)Though he is characterised as an idealist and he resents the wartime profiteering, some people consider him to be a man of scruples setting apart from the social networks. Autobiographical elements in the play Howsoever intelligently the author may like to sweep under the carpet; it is not possible for him to avoid the biographical elements in his writings. Arthur Miller (1915-2005) is no exception to this rule. He was born in a business family, his father was a women’s apparel manufacturer in New York City who lost everything in the Great Depression of the 1930s. In his adulthood, when a youth expects to live a carefree life, Miller suffered in poverty. He realises how vulnerable is the human existence, the middle-class life in particular, in this world impacted by materialistic civilization. After graduating, he takes up employment in a warehouse to earn money to attend University of Michigan.The play, All My Sons, is a plot related to a businessman, determined to succeed, not matter what the cost is. The hero of the story wants prosperity not only for himself but for his children. He wishes to make sufficient provisions for their future welfare. This aspect of the character relates to the experiences of his life. When his father suffers loss in the business, Miller faces the consequences of the financial problems of his father. He desires to take every care and precaution to secure the future of his children. Arthur Miller found the idea for Joe Keller’s crime in a real-life story, which occurred during the II World War. A manufacturer intentionally supplied defective parts for tanks. This resulted in mechanical failures that had led to the deaths of many soldiers. The anomaly was discovered and the manufacturer was convicted. Miller throws light on the morality of the man with a narrow and selfish vision that would benefit his immediate family above his wider responsibility for those who make the ultimate commitment—their life itself—relying on the quality and integrity of his products. Miller’s vision of the future: Miller’s vision of the future weaves around the theme of sacrifice, individual as well as collective. Several facets of sacrifices are depicted in the play and they can be compared to an octopus growing in all the directions. Essential difference between the authentic sacrifice and sacrifice done with motivated desires is the noteworthy feature of the play. The backgrounder information of this play is, the aftermath of depression in the economic front, and the consequences of Second World War left a deep imprint on the life of Americans. They wished to live in peace, well-settled with stability and live in idyllic suburban surroundings. Miller propounds this vision through his characters. He links the strengths and weaknesses of his characters to the economic progress and business success in relation to American dream. For example Keller is willing give up all types of sacrifices that have a moral bearing, for fulfillment of the materialistic pursuits. This is the danger sign for the future of America. Miller elucidates how such individual aggrandisement for wealth can be reacted to the economic progress and business success in tandem with American dream. In the character of Keller, Miller has captured a mini-America. He is interested in nothing but his business pursuits to achieve monetary gains. He has given a go to the main role of his life as head of the family, his moral obligation to set standards for the family members. He “is a man who loves his family above all else, and has sacrificed everything, including his honour, in his struggle to make the family prosperous.”(All my….)This according to Miller is the major flaw of the capitalistic system which has no consideration for human life and happiness and inner contentment, is in for serious societal ailments. Greed and profiteering will not bring prosperity to the nation in the real sense. America suffers from hollowness within. The media and broadcasting sources have played to the gallery by eulogizing a great picture of American dreams and when people see that they are unable to fulfill those dreams, they are frustrated and they kill themselves. Keller, in the end, did the same. Miller visualises a social order that develops in tandem with the economic development of the country. Communities need to move in the right direction of progress and happiness. A man cannot enjoy life in the true sense with economic prosperity and mobility and with the comforts that are derivatives of the industrial revolution. In All My Sons Miller portrays the life of a typical American family trying to come to terms with life after the II World War. The struggles of duality of each character their complacency and prosperity, the impact of thriving business on them is shown. The net result of hype from all ends ends with Keller shooting himself. The panic situations impact the individual in strong measure and the concerned individual finds no escape but to terminate his life-force, which he thinks is the only alternative left for him. Conclusion: Reality about America as shown in the print and electronic media and the real America are poles apart, according to Arthur Miller. Means are as important as the ends. The approach of taking care of means only with the hope that the ends will take care of themselves is fraught with great danger. Taking advantage of the situation to the detriment of others is no good business. Miller poses the question, at what cost the American dream has been achieved? This success is like the malignant tumor in the American body. Everything stands corrupted from politics to business. He has analysed with rare insight the American family and community, the level of its usefulness, the grave pitfalls, through the characters of the play. He makes the reader realise their depth and importance. The domestic drama needs to be viewed from paradigm of sociological and moral impacts on the society. Works Cited Miller, Arthur. All My Sons (Hereford Plays).Heinemann; 1 edition, 25 Oct 1971.English, Print All My Sons, retrieved from:www.universalteacher.org.uk/gcse/allmysons.htm American Dream, 2010, retrieved from: http://www.sacredswans.com/AmericanDream.pdf Miller, 2010, All my Sons by Arthur Miller, retrieved from: http://pdfdatabase.com/download/all-my-sons-pdf-1438948-html Read More

Thats only for you, Chris, the whole shootin match is for you.”(16)He is an ordinary, hardworking individual, self-made and given to charitable acts. None should dislike him normally. The inherent flaw in his personality makes him act wrongly for a deal and he is forced to accept responsibility for the faulty supply he made with the cylinder heads. He commits suicide which is relevant from the moral order of governance of universe and allows his son, Chris to live free from guilt. Thus a good man, for a small individual cause of love for his family, sacrifices a bigger cause of the security.

Apart from this evil, he is blemish-less. But his locked up guilt always torments him. Miller raises the question how we deceive ourselves and others in everyday dispositions and interactions. The past of the Keller family and the developments reveal the factors that cause distortion and confrontation in life. Some of the important factors are Larry’s death and Keller owns the liability for the consignment of defective parts. Mother and Keller compromise with their conscience as for denial as well as acceptance that indicate their trait of self-deception.

They challenge the realities of life living in a state of self-deception and this they do consciously to keep the functional life-style of the family. That which is ideal needs to be practical as well. But this is not possible for Chris. This expression highlights his idealism “It’s wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father, theres only one way to look at him. He knowingly shipped out parts that would crash an airplane.”(29)Though he is characterised as an idealist and he resents the wartime profiteering, some people consider him to be a man of scruples setting apart from the social networks.

Autobiographical elements in the play Howsoever intelligently the author may like to sweep under the carpet; it is not possible for him to avoid the biographical elements in his writings. Arthur Miller (1915-2005) is no exception to this rule. He was born in a business family, his father was a women’s apparel manufacturer in New York City who lost everything in the Great Depression of the 1930s. In his adulthood, when a youth expects to live a carefree life, Miller suffered in poverty.

He realises how vulnerable is the human existence, the middle-class life in particular, in this world impacted by materialistic civilization. After graduating, he takes up employment in a warehouse to earn money to attend University of Michigan.The play, All My Sons, is a plot related to a businessman, determined to succeed, not matter what the cost is. The hero of the story wants prosperity not only for himself but for his children. He wishes to make sufficient provisions for their future welfare.

This aspect of the character relates to the experiences of his life. When his father suffers loss in the business, Miller faces the consequences of the financial problems of his father. He desires to take every care and precaution to secure the future of his children. Arthur Miller found the idea for Joe Keller’s crime in a real-life story, which occurred during the II World War. A manufacturer intentionally supplied defective parts for tanks. This resulted in mechanical failures that had led to the deaths of many soldiers.

The anomaly was discovered and the manufacturer was convicted. Miller throws light on the morality of the man with a narrow and selfish vision that would benefit his immediate family above his wider responsibility for those who make the ultimate commitment—their life itself—relying on the quality and integrity of his products. Miller’s vision of the future: Miller’s vision of the future weaves around the theme of sacrifice, individual as well as collective. Several facets of sacrifices are depicted in the play and they can be compared to an octopus growing in all the directions.

Essential difference between the authentic sacrifice and sacrifice done with motivated desires is the noteworthy feature of the play.

Read More