We can tell from the title of All My Sons that the play is about family. We see three families onstage, and a fourth family – the disgraced former neighbors – emerges again and again in the dialogue. While Ann and Chris's plans to start a new family first give the story a drop of hope, the idea of marriage itself seems doomed by the complicated and compromised unions surrounding the young couple. Much more than a mom and dad plus 2.25 kids, All My Sons advocates a redefinition of family that extends beyond each of our own garden plots.
Questions About Family
- How do Joe and Kate work their magic on the Deever children?
- Do you believe that Larry defines family differently than his father does?
- Do you see any of your own family in the Kellers? The Deevers?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
For a moment, lured by the charms of Kate and Joe, George Deever wishes he could be a Keller.
In All My Sons, Miller argues for a redefinition of family.