In All My Sons, the author uses the letter to allow a dead character, Larry to enter the play. Even though, Larry has a non-speaking role, the impact that his character has on the rest of the characters and the reader is great and shocking.

"I can't bear to live anymore ..... If I had him there now I could kill him" Pg 79

This quote from Larry shows us that, he was so appalled by his father's actions that he could not handle it anymore and wanted to kill himself. He had so much anger and hatred towards his father that he could also kill him too. This allows the audience to be able to relate to the characters more as now they know the truth about what was going on. The audience would pity Kate as she has lived in denial for so long about Larry's death and after three and a half years, has to face the truth. They would also pity Chris as he would be in shock and would be quite confused about how to react to his father's actions.

"The letter" allows a shocking and dramatic climax of the play to be created. Three and a half years before the events of the play, Larry Keller writes to his wife Ann to inform her of his father's actions. In the letter he told her that he had read of his father's arrest and that he was planning suicide. Since then, Ann told no one about that letter until she reveals the truth at the end of the play. This is when the climax of the play is reached. Throughout the whole play, Miller carefully keeps everything about Joe Keller's business and Larry's existence a mystery.

For example, he used the character Kate, to convince the readers that Larry might still be alive. Kate convinces herself that Larry is still alive as for her to believe that Larry is dead would be to believe his death was a punishment of Joe's crime. This shows that she is also trying to accept Joe's crime and is having a tough time doing so as even after three years, she still has not.

"Because if he is not coming back, then I'll kill myself" Pg 20

This quote from Kate shows us how strongly she is in denial of Larry's death, which at the point the audience does not know about. Also, she does not want to think about her husband's crime even though she has accepted it. It is reflected through the fact that Kate even says that she would take her own life if what she believes is not true. At that point of time, the audience would be in doubt to whether Larry is still alive. The author continuously builds up the doubt throughout the whole play and abruptly at the end of the play; Miller drops the bomb on everyone that Larry committed suicide. It kills all glimmers of hope that Kate has that Larry is alive. The letter is used to reveal the truth and the climax of the play is reached. The audience would be stunned, as they would not have saw it coming.

The truth that the letter reveals forces Joe Keller to take responsibility of his crime of shipment of defective parts. He was living in a state of self-deception, willfully ignoring the truth so that the family can continue to function in acceptable ways. When he finally does accept blame, after learning how Larry had taken the blame and shame on himself, Keller kills himself.

"I'm in business, a man is in business; a hundred and twenty cracked .... You're out of business" Pg 67

At first Joe deflected blame by blaming the army, business practice and that he wanted the best for his family. Miller uses this very human impulse is used to great effect to demonstrate the true relationships and power plays between characters as they try to maintain self-respect as well as personal and family honor. The audience would not feel much sympathy for Joe as he has been blaming everything around him for the past three and a half years except himself. Only now, after so long when the truth is revealed he finally accepts. However, even after that he still is not able to live with the shame and kills himself eventually.

In conclusion, Miller uses "the letter" mostly to bring back the past. Miller shows how these past secrets have affected those who have kept them. The truth that "the letter" reveals is unavoidable. No matter what, they were going to come out at some point and it is through Miller's manipulation of the information throughout the whole play that the truths are all revealed on the same day. While the truth that is revealed is unavoidable, so are their fatal consequences.