Making the Disintegration of the Keller Family Compelling in Arthur Miller's All My Sons

How does Arthur Miller make the disintegration of the Keller family compelling for the audience?

The disintegration of the Keller family is clearly apparent from the beginning of the performance with all the lies and fabrication between Keller, Chris and Mother and all the secrets they are hiding from one another. The spuriousness of mother also plays a key role in the putrefaction of the Keller family and the quixotic views of Chris and his opinion of himself being morally pure, but he turns out to have a murderer for a father. Miller’s criticism of the stereotypical American family being materialistic and willing to do anything to make them money, even in Joe Keller’s situation with jeopardising his own son’s life by making malfunctioning aeroplane parts, which implies to the audience that Miller heavily criticises the American Dream, and how it makes humanity corrupt and very greedy

Guilt and clandestine behaviour are major elements in the disintegration of the Keller family. Secrecy is defined in the opening stage directions with the Kellers house. The house is exemplified as having a; “secluded atmosphere”. The adjective; “secluded” suggests that the Kellers don’t want prying eyes and unwanted questions which suggests that they are cloaking a dark secret that they do not want to be divulged. Keller is shown to have little feeling of contrition, however he shows some remorse when he says he has; “never been ill” which suggests to the audience that he is guilty and he was not actually; “ill” when the faulty parts were shipped. Furthermore, towards the end of the play Keller begins to show how remorseful he feels, this is delineated when Chris turns against him and Keller starts “pleading” with him. The noun; “pleading” shows a...

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...ore pain. Mother acts blinkered to the truth when Jim tried to draw the truth from her. Mother acts as being unaware and asks; “tell him what?” which to stop the truth getting out and ruining their reputation. When Jim says; “it takes a certain talent… for lying” which suggests to the audience that Mother is corrupt, which also implies Miller believes America to be corrupt.

In conclusion Arthur Miller makes the disintegration of the Keller family very dramatic and compelling for the audience, through the portrayed feelings of sorrow for Keller because he was trying to do what was best for his family. However, by the end of the play his family who he sought to protect eventually turned against him, driving him to suicide. Miller makes us feel least sorrowful for Mother because we blame her as she was very manipulative and emotionless when Keller committed suicide.