Bridging Text And Context: "All My Sons"

Bridging Text And Context: p.117- A

The play "All My Sons" was written by Arthur Miller, an American playwright, whose family lost everything in the Wall Street Crash. Miller usually wrote about personal responsibility and the danger of moral corruption by materialism and greed.

In the play, the main character is Joe Keller, an American businessman, who feared losing his factory during the war. Therefore, he surrendered to his greed for money and sold cracked cylinder heads to the Army, which led to the death of 21 pilots. Keller didn't take responsibility for his actions, he excused his actions by saying that he did it for his family. He was morally corrupt, caused by his greed and the fact he started from nothing.

Keller believes that he is only answerable to his family and his war crimes should be justified because he did it to save his family from ruin. Chris on the other hand, believes in social responsibility, that we must care about society and that we are responsible for the all people of society.

Only at the end of the play Keller understands that he was responsible for the death of his son and of the pilots.

The background information helps us understand the play better and the playwright's connection to the play. In his life, Miller lost everything he has(gr.-had) and in the play Keller feared to lose everything, we realized what this fear can make a person do. In addition, I understand the difference in(ww.-between) Chris's and Joe's attitude towards social responsibility. 

Excellent
(100)
Daphna