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Essay Name       : 942.txt 
Uploader         : 
Email Address    : 
Language         : English
Subject          : Art
Title            : All My Sons
Grade            : 95%
School System    : Southern Illinois University
Country          : USA
Author Comments  : Review of the play
Teacher Comments : 
Date             : 09/15/96
Site found at    : Web Search
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	The play titled All My Sons written by Arthur Miller seemed to be an ordinary story but in actuality held a deep hidden meaning.  I feel that it was not rally on the surface, but once you analyze it more closely, it could be easily found.  The author wrote the play in a sense that seemed to relate more to the working class, perhaps do to his own life.  This made it equally more compelling to myself since my family to worked hard to support us when we were younger.  I feel that researching the hidden meaning of this play is what interested me the most though, and I will attempt to explain this more in depth in the following paragraphs.
	All My Sons starts out as most books and plays I have read before.  All the characters are just sitting around talking about the days events.  I personally feel that this is an instant ingredient that makes me lose interest.  The way all the characters are just sitting around talking to friends and laughing seems like a bad Brady Bunch episode.  I felt that the start was very slow and it was hard for me to continue.  I don’t think that all the talk between these characters is necessary although it does give one a brief introduction to how each member acts or their personality in the play.  I just got the feeling that it was drug out and could have been brought to a close sooner than it did.
	Approaching the middle of the play, I felt that it really started to pick up and grab my interest.  The objects or props the author used also help make the play more interesting and easier for me to visualize.  The tree I felt was exceptionally useful and important.  The fact that the tree was planted on the day the Kellers son was pronounced missing made it this symbolic item.  The mother seemed to have this belief throughout that Larry was coming back. I believe the life of the tree reminded her of him in a more physical sense.  As we learned in the first scene the tree was blown down the night before do to a large thunderstorm.  Mrs. Keller, who for the past four years keeps faith that her son is coming home, is now totally heart broken about what happened to Larry’s tree.  The tree being destroyed takes on more meaning now in the middle of the play.  Annie is coming and Chris is planning on asking her to marry him.  Annie being Larry’s old girlfriend, this shows how he is being forgotten by the others.  I think this was the purpose of the tree to show how all must end and go at some time.  Arthur Miller is showing the audience that with the destruction of this tree, all must be forgotten.  
	The previous accounts play up to the central meaning by the author I felt.  He was trying to convey to us that life is precious and we can’t live our lives in the past.  I think this is what most of the events in the play were telling the audience.  This became more apparent as I approached the end of the play.  By now I was so engrossed in finding out what happened I could not put it down.  The facts were on the table as the play gradually comes to a close.  Chris was marrying Annie no matter what anyone said.  The mother still unaware kept spouting on about Larry.  She wanted to live her life in the past but all the others felt they must live their own lives.  The other characters all felt that they should live for today.  The only other character on Mrs. Kellers side seems to be George. He forbids Annie to marry Chris because of the things which happened in the past between their fathers and the business.  George is very firm and says they should not do this cause of the past.  Mr. Keller, Chris, and Annie all seemed to be against George and Mrs. Keller trying to convince them to live for today not the past.  The final evidence of this is when we learn the true story behind the murders of the pilots during the war.  Chris can’t seem to fight his feelings but he does not know what to do, so instead he lets things lye.  Annie just wants to get on with her life and Mrs. Keller wants everyone to forget about it as well.  We learn that even Mrs. Keller thinks what happened in the past no longer matters.  I think she too now wants to forget the past.  Could she have learned from the other characters?  I could not really tell from the ending.
	The play I felt was written from a point of view that could be easily understood by anyone who has had a family who had to work hard to support them.  I did think what happened in the end of the play was wrong, but how would one solve this problem?  I am not sure what the solution would be.  The play made you think of how hard things can be and how you should not live your life in the past.  I think like the ending of the play shows, if you live your life in the past, disaster can only come from it eventually.
 
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