ACT III

Act III opens with Mother nervously sitting on the porch, waiting for Chris to
return. It is 2 oclock in the morning. Jim joins her having returne from an
unnecessary emergency call. !ith his usual "itterness, Jim denounces society for
being too concerned with money materialism. Jim assures Mother that Chris will
come "ack for the simple reason that compromise is always mae # ideals are
compromised in the face of reality. !e iscover that Jim has always known of
$ellers guilt, "ut ha kept it to himself. In a sense, Chris is a younger version of
Jim. In his younger ays, Jim ha ieals of helping humanity "y oing research "ut
ha to compromise for the sake of his family.
As Jim e%its in search of Chris, $eller enters. Keller is no longer the open,
friendly neighbor we met in Act I. $eller emans Mothers sympathy an support.
In the conversation that evelops "etween the two, it is clear that $eller oesnt
unerstan the enormity of his crime an "elieves that all his actions were justifie
"ecause they serve a greater purpose # his family. $eller rejects Mothers plan to
amit his crime an preten to "e willing to pay for it in jail. &e says 'Im his father
and he is my son and if theres anything bigger than that, Ill put a bullet in my
head( # an inee he oes. $eller makes a fatal mistake in misunerstaning )arrys
"asic personality an priorities in life. !arry can be said to be the true idealist in
the play. &e coulnt face the fact that his father an Anns father ha cause the
eaths of 2* pilots. +herefore, he ecie to go on a mission he knew he woul never
return from, ,he pro"a"ly planne to crash his plane- an he aske Ann not to wait for
him.
Ann enters an she senses the tension. .he eclares that she will o nothing
concerning the case on one conition # she wants Mother to amit that )arry is ea
so that she can marry Chris. Mother, of course, refuses. As a last resort, Ann shows
Mother the farewell letter )arry wrote to her. Mother is in shock an horror.
Meanwhile, Chris enters an he informs Ann an Mother of his immeiate plans. In
moving to Clevelan, Chris is compromising just as Jim ha preicte he woul. /et
his conscience wont allow him to live in or "e a part of the $eller home. Chris loses
faith in mankin as well as in himself. &is ieals suenly seem empty in a society
that values iniviualism an capitalism. +his is a harsh criticism against society.
In final esperation, Ann pushes )arrys letter into Chriss hans in the hope
that it will give Chris a strong enough reason to jail his father. Chris fins it ifficult
to face what his father i "ecause it shatters the illusion he ha of his father as "eing
infalli"le # a person who cant "e wrong. $eller finally unerstans the monstrosity of
his crime after hearing an unerstaning the contents of )arrys letter. &e finally
reali0es the fact that the 2* ea pilots really mattere. +o Chris an )arry these pilots
were like "rothers # "but I thin# to him $!arry% they were all my sons&. +he play
ens with $eller committing suicie "y shooting himself. &is eath may "e
interprete in two ways. 1irst, just another means of escaping an avoiing ifficult
situations. .econ, a sign that $eller is overcome "y shame, sorrow an remorse at
the terri"le crime he committe. &e finally reali0es that there is something "igger than
the family an it2s social responsi"ility. &e fins the fitting punishment # a eath
sentence.
+he last wor of Mother to Chris # 'live( # gives us new hope that Chris an
Ann might fin happiness together an may "uil a "etter worl together.
'()(*A! T+(,(- I) T+( .!A/
1. The impact of war on the life of people3 the young ,Chris, !arry, Ann 0
'eorge- # as a result of the war they lost their chance to have normal life like
1rank who never went to war. An the old generations ,,other, Keller, -teve-
# they mae money as a result of the war, went to jail, "ut they also lost a son.
parents # chilren relationship # shattering of myths.
2. +he conflict "etween idealism ,Chris, !arry, Ann 0 'eorge-,
materialism ,Keller, -ue 0 ,other- an compromise ,Jim-.
Social responsibility ,Chris, !arry, Ann 0 'eorge- 4s. Family loyalty
,Keller 0 ,other .(
3. Reality Vs. Appearance. +hings arent what they seem to "e. +he play
"egins on a peaceful .unay morning, yet the night "efore the play starts there
was a storm that "roke the tree plante in )arrys memorial. +his storm is a
clue for the internal storm ,turmoil as a result of 2 things3 )arry reporte
missing, the case- in the $eller family. At the en, the family is "reaking just
as the tree "roke at the "eginning "ecause of the storm.
5. +he significance of $ellers suicie an the meaning of the title of the play.
Can "e interprete in two ways3 a eath sentence for a crime he committe, an
escape from reality an ina"ility to face the conse6uences of his actions.
5. ar profiteering 7 social criticism against people who mae money uring
the war while people got kille in the "attlefiel.
8. +he role of the minor characters in the play # to increase tension at certain
points in the play, to enhance the social criticism in the play.
Fran! # prepares the horoscope for )arry in orer to etermine whether )arry
got kille on 9ovem"er 2:
th
on mothers re6uest. &e iscovers that )arry is
alive while in reality he is ea. In aition, he is the true winner "ecause he
never went to war .
"ydia # was ;eorges love "ut he lost her to 1rank since he went to war .
#im # represents compromise. &e ha high ieals "ut he ha to give them up
"ecause he has a family to take care of. &e sym"oli0es the compromises we
have to make as aults who have responsi"ilities towars other people. At the
en of the play Chris will compromise too .
Sue # represents pure materialism. .he wants her hus"an to make money even
if he oesnt enjoy what he oes .
<. Meanings of names in the play. ,$eller = killer, Chris = Christ, Mother as the
tragic figure # she i everything to keep the family together, "ut her slip of the
tongue "reaks her family.- !ooby means a stupi, clumsy an la0y person.
The American 1ream
Miller points out the flaw with an economic interpretation of the American >ream as
"usiness success alone. Miller suggests the flaws of a capitalist who has no grouning
in cultural or social morals. !hile $eller accepte the iea that a goo "usinessman
like himself shoul cover the cracks in the cyliner heas, Miller critici0es a system
that encourages profit at the e%pense of human life. +here is an argument in the
?ayliss marriage over >r. ?ayliss2s esire to o unprofita"le research, "ecause his
wife wants him to make more money instea of oing what he enjoys an what will
help others. 1or .ue making money to support the family is more important than self
fulfillment.
Trademar#s of ,iller2s .lays
Miller eclare @In all my plays an "ooks I try to take settings an ramatic
situations from life which involve real 6uestions of right an wrong.@
The idealist who pays too much for his inability to compromise. All My Sons2
Chris $eller2s insists on reging up a past that hols un"eara"le truths.
The theme of man2s responsibility to his fellow man. +his was most strongly
e%presse in All My Sons, where one man2s gree haunts him in the worst possi"le
way 77 in the eath of his son.
The 'uilt of the survivor. Chris $eller, unlike his father, "ears no responsi"ility
for the eath of his "rother an other victims of the war. /et he is haunte "y the
fact that he2s alive while others ie.