Abstract

ABSTRUCT

Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is one of his famous plays, yet it is Miller’s highly controversial play. Its contentious nature stems from the fact that Miller’s idea about man’s relationship with his society is extremely interpretive. Thus, the aim of this paper is to identify one of the major problems in this play, which is to which side man must commit his life, his family or his society. This paper shows that both sides are equally important, and man should not side with one on the expense of the other. Joe Keller, the main character in the play, believes that his family and his personal life are separable from his society. Thus, he considers the former more sacred. As a result, he devotes himself completely to his family and he subordinates his society accordingly. This matter allows him to import a shipment of defective cylinders to the Air Force of his country, and this causes the death of twenty-one pilots. When he is asked he answers that he does so because he wants to secure and guarantee the future of his family. Ironically, he does not know that he also causes the death of his son in the process. Thus, he is totally disillusioned and disappointed, and he commits suicide at the end of the play.