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Characters · 10
Ann Deever
Ann Deever plays a crucial role in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, entering the Keller home as the former girlfriend of the missing Larry Keller and the current love interest of Chris Keller.
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Chris Keller
Chris Keller is the moral center and tragic hero of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.
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Frank Lubey
Frank Lubey is a minor yet thematically significant neighbor in Arthur Miller's All My Sons.
character
George Deever
George Deever is Ann's older brother and the son of Steve Deever, who is serving time for sending out faulty cylinder heads that led to the deaths of twenty-one American pilots during World War II.
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Jim Bayliss
Jim Bayliss is the Kellers' next-door neighbor and the local doctor, acting in All My Sons as a sardonic moral observer who witnesses the play's central tragedy from a telling distance.
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Joe Keller
Joe Keller is the main character and moral center of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.
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Kate Keller
Kate Keller is the matriarch of the Keller household and one of the play's most psychologically intricate characters.
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Larry Keller
Larry Keller is the absent yet ever-present core of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.
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Steve Deever
Steve Deever is a crucial but absent figure in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, never seen onstage yet influencing every scene.
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Sue Bayliss
Sue Bayliss is a supporting character in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, known for her sharp tongue and realistic perspective, which contrasts with the more idealistic characters in the play.
character
Key quotes · 10
“Once and for all you can know there was a man here who never worked a day in his life for himself.”
This line is delivered by Joe Keller near the climax of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947), directed at his son Chris Keller during their heart-wrenching final confrontation.
Joe Keller
“A man can't be a Jesus in this world!”
This line is spoken by Joe Keller, the protagonist of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947).
Joe Keller
“Chris, a man can't be a saint in this world.”
This line is spoken by Joe Keller to his son Chris in Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947).
Joe Keller
“What the hell are you? You're not even an animal, no animal kills his own, what are you?”
This intense accusation comes from Chris Keller aimed at his father, Joe Keller, in Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947), during the pivotal confrontation in Act Three.
Chris Keller · Act Three
“Larry was your son too, wasn't he? You know he'd never tell you to kill yourself.”
This line is delivered by Chris Keller to his father, Joe Keller, just before the climax of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947).
Chris Keller · Act Three
“There's nothing he could do that I wouldn't forgive. Because he's my son.”
This line is delivered by Kate Keller, the mother in Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947), referring to her son Chris, but it also shows her unwavering support for her husband Joe.
Kate Keller · Act Two
“You wanted money, so I made money. What must I be forgiven?”
This line is delivered by Joe Keller, the father figure at the heart of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947), during a crucial confrontation — likely in Act Two — as the reality of his wartime actions bears down on him.
Joe Keller · Act Two
“I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were, I guess they were.”
This heartbreaking line is delivered by Joe Keller near the climax of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947), after he finally reads the letter his son Larry wrote to his fiancée Ann before his death.
Joe Keller · Act Three
“I'm in business, a man is in business; a hundred and twenty cracked, you're out of business.”
This line is delivered by Joe Keller, the patriarch and moral center of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947).
Joe Keller
“I'm his father and he's my son, and if there's something bigger than that I'll put a bullet in my head!”
This heart-wrenching statement is delivered by Joe Keller, the father figure of the play, in Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947).
Joe Keller · Act Two
Symbols · 5
Larry's Letter
In Arthur Miller's All My Sons, Larry's letter to Ann Deever, written before his death, reveals his plan to undertake a suicidal mission after discovering his father's crime.
The Broken Tree
In Arthur Miller's All My Sons, the apple tree planted in memory of Larry Keller symbolizes the family's shared denial — their effort to keep their deceased son "alive" to avoid confronting their moral failures.
The Cracked Cylinder Heads
In Arthur Miller's All My Sons, the cracked cylinder heads symbolize the destructive nature of self-deception and the moral emptiness of putting profit above human life.
The Horoscope
In Arthur Miller's All My Sons, horoscopes represent a troubling human tendency to find solace in fate and superstition instead of facing moral responsibility.
The Keller House
In Arthur Miller's All My Sons, the Keller house and its yard symbolize the misleading comfort of the American Dream and the façade of domestic normalcy built on moral decay.
Literary devices · 12
Irony
Irony runs deep throughout the play.
Symbolism
The apple tree planted in memory of Larry serves as the play's main symbol.
Dramatic Monologue
Joe Keller’s lengthy self-defenses play out like dramatic monologues, even if they aren’t labeled as such.
Metaphor
Miller develops the play using the metaphor of the family business to represent America itself.
Allusion
The title hints at a double meaning that only becomes clear at the climax of the play.
Pathetic Fallacy
The storm that takes down Larry's memorial tree before the play starts is a striking example of pathetic fallacy: nature reflects the emotional and moral chaos the characters are about to experience.
Juxtaposition
Miller contrasts the warmth of home life with the moral horror underlying it.
Anaphora
Miller employs anaphora during emotionally charged moments to give the characters' speech a powerful, almost chant-like quality.
Elegy
The play carries a deep sense of mourning for Larry Keller, a character who never appears but whose absence influences every scene.
Paradox
The play presents a paradox at its moral center: Joe Keller committed his crime out of love for his family, yet that same love ultimately tears the family apart.
Narrative Poem
Though All My Sons is a play, it follows a narrative style reminiscent of Ibsen, focusing on past revelations.
Motif
The motif of 'the business' — who built it, who will inherit it, and what it cost — recurs throughout the play, symbolizing Joe's entire moral universe.