All My Sons
In the play, All My Sons, written by Arthur Miller, Joe Keller is driven by his need for money, and his willingness to sacrifice friendships to achieve his goal. He is so consumed by money that he ultimately allows his partner to accept blame for the death of twenty-one men. Keller's priorities are proclaimed in his dialogs concerning his 'business', his desire for forgiveness, and his last spoken words to his son, Chris. Keller's selfish drive for wealth still occurs in today's world. During the war Joe Keller and Herbert Deever ran a machine shop which produced and distributed airplane parts. Keller's problems originated when the company came under intense pressure to meet high demand. "The night foreman came and showed him the cylinder heads..they were coming out of the process with defects. So Dad (Deever) went directly to the phone and called here and told Joe to come down right away. But morning passed. No sign of Joe. By this time he had over a hundred defective. The Army was screaming for stuff and Dad didn't have anything to ship. So Joe told him to weld, cover up any cracks in any way he could, and ship them out." When the Army learned a hundred and twenty defective engine parts were shipped to them, leading to t
he death of twenty-one of their men, the firm sent Deever to prison. Keller was acquitted of the charges and set free, eventually making lots of money. Years later George Deever, Herbert's son, returned from war to find his father in prison. After visiting his dad, George learned of his father's innocence. George confronted Joe Keller, and inevitably comes to understand Joe is the real person responsible for the deaths. Moreover, the question of forgiveness leads to Keller blaming his mistake not only on Chris but also his entire family. The theme of forgiveness is clearly expressed in a conversation between Keller and his wife Kate. "You wanted money, so I made money. Why must I be forgiven. You wanted money didn't you?...I spoiled the both of you. Should I have put him out when he was like ten, and make him earn his keep. Forgiven! I could live on a quarter a day myself, but I got a family." Joe is trying to convince others, specifically Kate, the idea that he does not need to be forgiven for the deaths of these men, because he made all of his money for his family. Keller later says, "He (Chris) don't understand money," broadcasting to everyone he knows what is best for his family even at the expense of twenty-one men. It is not until the end of the play that Joe accepts his role in these deaths and his misguided actions. Furthermore, the interpretation of the term 'business' to Joe Keller implies a unique meaning relating to the
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 976
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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