Joe Keller in All My Sons Essay -- Arthur Miller

How to Make Joe Keller Look BadKELLER Say, I aint got time to get sick.MOTHER He hasnt been laid up in fifteen years.KELLER Except my flu during the war.MOTHER Huhh?KELLER My flu, when I was sick duringthe war.MOTHER Well, sure(to George) I mean except for that flu. (George stands utterly still) Well, it slipped my mind, dont look at me that way. He wanted to go to the shop but he couldnt lift himself off the bed. I thinking he had pneumonia.GEORGE Why did you say hes never-?KELLER I know how you feel, kid, Ill never forgive myself. If I couldve gone in that day Id never allow Dad to touch those heads.GEORGE She said youve never been sick.MOTHER I said he was sick, George.George (going to Ann) Ann, didnt you hear her say-?MOTHER Do you remember every time you were sick?GEORGE Id remember pneumonia. Especially if I got it just the day my partner was going to patch up cylinder headsWhat happened that day, Joe? In the above lines, Arthur Miller pulls back the veil that has been hiding Joe Kellers past in All My Sons. Not only are these lines fine to the remainder of the plays planets, but many of the characters also switch emotions almost instantly. With the significance and delicateness of these lines at stake, a director has the responsibility of conveying the actors line to the audience with only a few pre-existing stage directions as aid. One major way to convey these lines is to remain consistent with how he/she is depiction each character to make them still feel convincing to the audience. If directed effectively, Joe Kellers departure from all prior characterization will be even more noticeable. In addition to other possibilities, the... ...l be no happy ending. The chaos George brought into Act II will only magnify after this speech. This branch is in essence, the loss of stability in the Keller family. Keller is reduced to a shell of his former self as the audience takes on the beliefs of Chris through the remainder of the play. This sentim ent will hopefully result in frustration towards Keller so that his Youre a boy, what could I do (Miller 2.646) speech does not merit much pity. We acquit that although Keller was misunderstood, he lived a lie too long. At the plays end, this scene acted from my viewpoint should give the audience the feeling that even though Kellers suicide is tragic, it is these lines that killed him. Works Cited Richardson, Gary A. and Stephen Watt, eds. American Drama Colonial to Contemporary. Cambridge. MA Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 2003.