depiction of american dream in all my sons

8/3/2019 Depiction of American Dream in All My Sons

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Depiction of American Dream in All My Sons

January 31st, 2010 | Author:Nabila Tanvir

All My Sons

In All My Sons, Arthur Miller has depicted the American Dreams by exposing some

fundamental tragedies in the lives of his protagonists. According to modern concept of tragedy,

the protagonists should be accountable for their deeds while facing any kind of moral dilemma,

they make some wrong decisions and choices for themselves which lead them on the verge of

worst kind of tragedy. Such critical thinking is also observed in several TV programs, movies

and other media sources where American dream is exaggerated to attract masses to move to

America but they have to encounter bitter realities of life (All My Sons Summary, 2010).

What are the American Dreams; these are to grow up with heaps of wealth and precious

properties! There are different interpretations of the American Dreams but it is the common gist

of it. But at the end of this play, All My Sons, the American Dreams are depicted contrarily
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where it is described how someone lives happily even after growing up, owing lots of property

and becoming prosperous financially. Joe Keller had become prosperous and auspicious in his

life financially but his life turned into a tragic life as the story moves towards a conclusive end,

Arthur Miller wants to convey two contradictory viewpoints in his play, All My Sons, the

American dream is bogus dream which is depicted only in very few and certain peoples life but

most of them suffer from some panic situations in life in spite of having money (All My Sons

Summary, 2010).

Arthur Miller has evoked some fundamental questions in his play, All My Sons what are

the individualistic social obligation, personal responsibility and dissimilarity between personal

and public matters. In the play, All My Sons, Keller performs his specific actions during the war,

he is depicted an individual who is accountable for himself and his family rather than for society.

Miller evaluates Kellers discriminatory worldview which affirms his belief; there is no value of

crimes which are committed for sake of the family (All My Sons Study Guide, 2010). The main

reason of conflicts which arises in the mind of Keller, who believes that Keller is not wrong in

his proclaims, there is nothing more valuable than the family rather than whole world where


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Keller lives, To cut yourself off from your relationships with society at large is to invite tragedy

of a nature both public (regarding the pilots) and private (regarding the suicides) (All My Sons

Study Guide, 2010).

Miller wants to show that it is not necessary to enhance some carefulness for others being

a family member, it is most important to develop an individuals responsibilities to the family

versus society at large. The family is also depicted as unit within the society and it is distorted or

damaged by the individualistic actions. Though All My Sons is related with the past but this past

helps to shape present and future of the individuals. It is inescapable to ignore or forget crimes.

The characters speak such words or dialogues in the pay which disclose the different secrets

about the current history of the Keller family. Arthur Miller displays how such past secrets of life

have influenced the lives of his characters in the play who keep themselves in past always (All

My Sons Study Guide, 2010).

Arthur Miller has manipulated the flow of the story in the most technical manner that

revelation of all secrets of the characters in play occurs on the same day. Such revelations are


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inevitable, causing the fatal consequences due to Denial and self-deception. The questions are

raised how we deceive ourselves and others? We choose things to spotlight on life but we also

need to refute some certain things for upgrading our living standards? What are impacts of denial

upon the psyche of family and certain society? Keller family history displays what factors causes

distortion and confrontation in the life. These factors include Larrys death and Kellers sense of

liability for the consignment of defective parts. In the whole play, the mother denies first while

she has to accept it and same case is with Keller himself. Such acts of denial and self-deception

are rooted in both characters who live in a state of self-deception, avoiding one of the realities of

life willingly in order to keep up the functional life-style of family (All My Sons Study Guide,

2010).

Chris is also characterized as an idealist who remains angry against the wartime

profiteering. Some people views that he is a man of scruples setting apart from the social

networks. Chris thinks to abandon all such scrupulous brooding who sends his father to jail. How

idealism are not sustainable in the practical world which is very complex. Miller wants to stress

upon the values of ideals or dreams by depicting such characters in his play how such ideals are

sacrificed according to the current circumstances (All My Sons Study Guide, 2010).


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Keller gives solid arguments during wartime how all his actions are so defensible in

maintaining good business practice. He always asserts himself as an ill-mannered and

uneducated person, boastfully taking pride in his financial success without any business

education. But gradually his well-flourished business is victimized of downfalls. Here Miller

takes this failure in comparison with loftiest politics and awkward system of capitalism which

enhance the value of materialistic pursuits rather than the moral sense. The dramatist raises the

question how rules of good business are exempted from moral and ethical norms & laws of the

certain society (All My Sons Study Guide, 2010).

Every character is delineated with different kinds of self-blames, Joe Keller doesnt miss

any chance to blame anybody and everyone for crimes of wartime and the main cause of his

partners imprisonment. When he has to encounter with truths of life, he finds faults in business

practice and US army and everyone he may have contacts. When he admits such blames after

self-recognition process, Larry had taken to his heart all such shameful blames and Keller

commits suicide in fits of despairs (All My Sons Study Guide, 2010).


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Chris feels culpable himself for the ongoing of the war and materialistic pursuits but when

the crimes are disclosed, he shifts his blame to his father side, blaming his father for his

incapability to imprison his jails. You may observe such several instances of deflected blame in

this play; very human impulse is reflected to demonstrate the actual relationships and powerful

role of characters which maintains self-respect and family honor (All My Sons Study Guide,

2010).

Miller reveals how such individualistic flaws can be interpreted with the economic

progress and business success in terms of American dream. Keller has sacrifices all other parts of

the American dream for just materialistic pursuits or financial growth only. He has given up the

main role of his life as head of family, the basic human nature how he has made sacrifices of

Steve and Larry. Miller points out the basic flaws of capitalist system which has no concerns

with cultural as well as social morals. Miller criticizes such system of capitalism which

encourages just greed for profiteering shares in the business stakes holders who may want to

sacrifice the human life and happiness. So American dreams are so attractive apparently but


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there is too much hollowness inwardly which splits up the social networks in fits of despair and

anger. But media and broadcasting sources have interpreted the American dreams in very

attractive manner which shatter down the people so badly that they are forced to kill themselves

(American Dream, 2010).

depiction of american dream in all my sons

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