Subsequently, Miller also casually slips in phrases that Keller says in casual conversation that show how passionate and considerate Keller is towards his family. When speaking to Anne about Stephen, he says, with “a commanding outburst in high nervousness” that “A father is a father!” This shows how important family is to Keller, however, the “commanding outburst” and “nervousness” also suggests that Keller has a hidden motive, and Chris’ presence may have influenced his body language, which suggests that Keller has done something wrong to be able to lose his son. This plays on the audience’s sympathy positively, because the audience can empathise with Keller’s love for his family and recognize his individual situation.
Thirdly, Keller suggests that Stephen is a helpless coward in a conversation with his son, George, and offensively gives numerous examples in his defence. Keller mentions that Stephen “damn near blew us all up with that heater he left burning for two days without water.” Emotive words such as “damn”, “blew” and “burning” all have negative implications, giving the impression that Keller was the brains behind the business. The fact that Keller was also “driving in, but restrained” suggests that he wants to inflict his own ideas and beliefs onto George, but knows that he must restrain himself, giving the same implication that Keller has something to hide. However, this could also be considered as a defensive, rather than an offensive conversation, as George uses a rather accusational tone towards Keller and is “studying him” thoroughly.
Finally, Chris holds great admiration for Keller, but is destroyed once he learns of his father’s terrible secret. When the realisation finally hits, Chris stutters “in a broken whisper”, “Then... you did it?” The ellipsis shows the amount of thought that went into the phrase, suggesting that he doesn’t want his father to be guilty but at the same time, wants to find out the truth. Keller begins to become “afraid of him, [with] his deadly insistence” suggesting that his son is his biggest asset but also his biggest downfall. This also shows, once again, that “nothing is bigger than family” to Keller. This conflict of ideologies, Chris with his morals and ethics, and Keller with his persistent cherishing of his family no matter what the cost, creates a disequilibrium within the play. At this point, the audience begins to sympathise with Chris rather than Keller, which diminishes Miller’s slow build up of Keller’s respectability, providing more of a tragic ending to Keller. However, this tragic ending can also be interpreted as a chance to further sympathise with Joe, as his world comes crashing down around him.
Ultimately, Keller commits suicide at the end of the novel, resulting in the tragic downfall of Keller. He says, “I think to him they were all my sons.” This line shows the realisation of his wrongdoings. His morals and ethics are finally shown, as he stares blankly into the piece of paper in his hand. His suicide could represent Keller as taking his responsibilities rather than hiding from them, however, it could also suggest that Keller was a coward and he was merely running away from the problems that he was to face if he did not accept his offences.
Evidently, his defensive stance when talking to George, his conflict of beliefs with his son, and his ultimate sacrifice all have a large part to play in Miller’s manipulation of the audience’s sympathy. Keller was a coward and used scapegoats or escapism to run away from his problems, giving the ultimate impression to the audience that Keller as a human is not to be sympathised with. However, his growth as a character and his self-understanding both provide a suitable route to empathise with him, truly showing that the audience can choose whichever interpretation they prefer.
