All My Sons

Morgan King
English Comp 2
February 20, 2013
Necc

All My Sons
The play All My Sons, by Arthur Miller, is complex to say the least. Each character has a dilemma that they have a tough time getting through. At first, the story seems to basically be about a wealthy family that has lost a son in World War II, and the inability to move on from it. Kate, the mother, has the most trouble accepting it, but it also greatly affects the one of the characters, Chris. Chris is the son of Kate and Joe Keller, heir to Joe's business . Kate, Joe, Anne, and chris   have different dreams for what they want their lives to be like. Kate wants her missing son to come home so she can have her family whole once again; while Chris and Anne want their new love and marriage to be accepted. Joe seems to be content as long as he can support his family with the money he's making from his successful business. Everyone in this story has their own version of the American Dream, which makes the Kellers, as a whole, the protagonists. This American dream is what is responsible for what has happened to the Keller's. Everyone wanting their own ideal life pushes them to act against one another, creating their own web problems. All this pressure has each individual fighting for their own personal American Dream. With everyone focusing on themselves and the drive for their own specific dreams; they don't realize that the force of the dream itself   eventually tears them apart.
One factor that largely contributes to the situation would be society, where, and when this play takes place. Over all the social expectation of the american dream is the antagonist of the story. The American Dream has been something that has been around for a long of time. When World War II came around this dream seemed to die for most families. It didn't seem as important during the war because of what type of reality everyone was currently living in. Young men were drafted and taken away to war. Everyone worked harder...