The second key issue that Miller chooses to tackle was the Nuremberg Trials for war crimes and atrocities which was most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military and economic leadership of Nazi Germany; the major dilemma faced by most of the Courts was the conviction of the officers who committed war crimes but were convinced of their innocence as they were simply following their superior’s orders. Joe Keller’s business associate and the father of Ann and George Deever, Steve Deever is instructed to “weld, cover up the cracks in any way he could, and ship them out.” Joe satisfies any qualms Steve has by convincing him that he would “take responsibility” however during the trial he denied saying anything of the sort and was acquitted while Steve was sentenced to serve a jail term. While many would argue that Steve is blameless, he made the choice when faced with the moral dilemma to take the easy way out instead of ignoring choosing to serve his duty to his fellow man by ensuring that the cracked engine-heads were not sent out. Thus Miller could have introduced the character of Steve to show that while Joe was indeed culpable, “Half the Goddam country” was equally to blame.
During the writing of All My Sons the threat of communism due to the escalating tension between the United States and the Soviet Union led to suspicion and paranoia at the highest levels of government. The term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion was coined McCarthyism and the plot of All My Sons was set in this context. Arthur Miller brought in the characters of Frank & Lydia Lubey and Jim & Sue Bayliss. Both couples are neighbours of the Kellers and while Frank is there to inject some comic relief when the conflict between George and Joe Keller seems to be too much for the reader, Dr Jim Bayliss plays a more significant role in describing how the neighbourhood views the conviction of Joe and Steve. Jim knows what Keller did but accepts him, not out of cynical indifference to wrong, as his wife Sue does, but out of humanity. Perhaps in the way Miller depicts Jim Bayliss as tolerating and forgiving what Keller did, he hopes that the general public will give up McCarthyism and while not embrace communism, understand that the Soviet Union is trying to create an ideal system for humanity. The pardoning of Joe Keller by his neighbours would also allow the reader to mirror the character’s actions and be sympathetic with what Keller did.
The themes that present themselves throughout the novel of All My Sons play a significant part in insinuating how Miller wanted to present the character of Keller. The central theme that is closely intertwined with Joe Keller would be his responsibility to both society and his family. Joe values his family over everything else towards the end of the play he even states that “I’m his father and he’s my son, and if there’s anything else bigger than that I’ll put a bullet in my head!” It is not until Keller realizes that he in effect caused Larry, his son’s suicide that he comes to terms with the fact that the fighter pilots “ were all my sons" in one sense. At this point in the narrative is Keller finally able to see the wider consequences of his actions and see the effect that it has caused not only his own family but to society in general. However by presenting Joe as a man among men with a lack of education the reader is able to understand that perhaps the close-minded view of Keller is not entirely his fault alone and thus motivates the audience to see Keller in a kinder light.
The subsequent theme that presents itself in the course of All My Sons would be the notion of the different interpretations of the American Dream. The American Dream is described as being that of a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. Joe Keller was not born into a privileged household and even with a lack of any substantial education he manages to build up a factory and survive through the great depression. We find out at the end of the play that even though Keller had in essence achieved and was living the American Dream, it was not without sacrifices; Larry’s suicide and the death of the 21 pilots. Thus we are presented with the flaw of adhering specifically to the economic interpretation of the American Dream.
Above all, I feel that Miller wanted to present Joe Keller as a character who is motivated by self-preservation in order to show readers that especially in the Post-World War II context, people should not be so quick to accuse others of crimes that they themselves committed. He introduces Keller and we find that we are able to relate to him, as there are parts of him that we can find in the average “Joe”. Nonetheless when the truth is finally revealed we are quick to distance ourselves from this man that only a few paragraphs ago we deemed worthy of our respect. Perhaps by showing Joe Keller as a person who was not able to view the wider picture of our society, Miller hoped that the reader would realize that the next time we accuse someone else, we would have second thoughts about the matter at hand
Done by: Justin Ng
