Joe Keller in All My Sons Essay -- Arthur Miller

How to Make Joe Keller Look BadKELLER Say, I aint got meter 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, for sure(to George) I mean except for that flu. (George stands perfectly 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 thought 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 sidereal 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 vei l that has been hiding Joe Kellers past in whole My Sons. Not only are these lines critical to the remainder of the plays events, 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 imparting the language to the interview 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 portraying each character to make them still feel convincing to the earreach. If directed effectively, Joe Kellers departure from all introductory characterization testament 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 livery. This section 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 r emainder of the play. This scene 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 realize 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.