Firstly, Chris’s statement shows sign of naivety on his part, the major reason for Chris’s utterances is the fact that he thought Joe Keller was better than other men.
Chris’s views can easily be compared to a typical child viewing his father as a hero, who can do no wrong.
We can tell that Chris admires his father; this is acquired from evidence ranging from stage direction to dialogue.
“[With Admiration]: Joe McGutts”
Chris’s admiration for Joe blinds his judgement when it comes to matters relating to the situation his father was regarding the law.
This admiration of Joe from Chris plays negatively when the truth is out, this is because Chris is more hurt by the fact that the father he always held in high esteem turned out to be an indirect cause of death with reference to the twenty one dead pilots.
Chris’s statement also plays to a theme which Arthur Miller plays upon, which is the fact that tragedy can befall the common man, which in this case is Joe Keller. Keller has always been a common man, but Chris’s statement makes the readers and audience realise that for the very first time Chris has seen Joe for what he really his. And the consequence of this can lead to nothing short of a break in relationship.
‘You’re not even an animal, no animal kills his own, what are you?’
This other statement from Chris is his attempt to re-evaluate his father, and the position his father will or at that point in time, holds in his life.
He asks the question, ‘what are you?’ This is Chris’s ultimate realisation that he doesn’t know his father, or that what he has ever believed to know is either of little relevance.
Chris tries to understand the reasoning behind Joe Keller’s actions, but he cannot comprehend it due to the fact that his idealism and naïve view of the world cannot allow him to understand the basis of the actions of other people around him.
Chris’s confusion is shown in his speech in Act 2, page 158 (Penguin Classics),
‘What the hell do you mean you did it for me?’… ‘Don’t you live in the world? What the hell are you?’
His reaction can be directly linked to his statement of not seeing Joe Keller as just any ordinary person, but as his father, this involves the fact that Joe Keller has proved that the pressures of the American way of life, can affect the way people relate to each other and see each other, in this case it is the way Chris now sees his Father.