“All My Sons” (1947) by Arthur Miller

I just finished this one, after (maybe) two months, which is bad actor 101 because if I say I love plays so much why did it take so long? Partly, it felt like eating veggies, but that’s one part. This play is so well written, it’s entertaining, and it’s philosophical. It’s my favorite kind of play. It’s my favorite “kind” because it’s one of the plays I read in High School in 2016. I remember it since then. I remember the lines I performed with my scene partner, Maria Paula. I was Joe, She was Kate. I also remember when Emma Cuba said, after we showed, that I was a really good actor. Won’t ever forget that. lol.

Anyway the other part is, I think it took me so long to finish it because I’m stressed. Still learning how to balance life. Pay bills. On time. I’ve had chances to submit tapes for some things and that has taken up my time, as well as the job at City Theatre. All good problems to have, you know; kind of like spinning plates while smiling. At least I get to spin them. I had to finish first (my Brain’s favorite phrase), the ADHD Magazine that I’ve had and that, really felt like eating vegetables. Repetitive qualifying phrases and the same “consult your provider” paragraph at the end. Tough. Believe it or not, I was actually so stressed about finishing the magazine, that I didn’t realize how short this play was. I could’ve finished it first. Anyway…

There are moments of this one that feel melodramatic, and the whole premise feels so far away in time that it seems almost improbable. In my imagination, I mean. Obviously, I don’t know what this country looked like during WW2. There are just some moments that remind me of a soap opera. Like it’s drawn out or something. Maybe that’s the point? Maybe Miller is trying to reel us in with familiar stage directions and reveal sequences. It’s so smart, though. As I write this, it’s dawning on me that I can’t really criticize a play I took almost 2 months to read. Also, this isn’t a critical blog. To be clear: I want to connect deeper with Miller’s work.

Wait—what if I could make money critiquing plays? Then, wouldn’t this be great practice?

Anyway, I think the best things about this play are the same from my last blog. The spiritual nudges and references, the realistic dialogue, and all the philosophy. I like how the characters understand poverty without ever saying that exactly. Maybe, the Great Depression was always in the room for this generation. I could be stealing that phrase from part of a discussion we had as a class back in 2016. The Kellers come from poverty, at least Joe and Kate have, and Joe has, thanks to a horrific war, amassed a sizable wealth and business. This may explain why the set of this play is a large house with a nice property. Now, their wealth specifically comes with having caused American casualties during the war, from shipping damaged airplane parts, which puts Joe in an awful emotional place. He has to keep up the pretense of innocence to avoid jail, but has to live with the guilt of killing young men in the war. Young men like one of his own children, who disappeared during his service in China. In court, Joe has had to deny responsibility and manages to fault his underling employee for the damaged products, which would later cause U.S. planes to crash. So, what’s the point? Joe in the last scene kills himself when he realizes his son killed himself shortly after reading that defected parts, from Joe’s factory, were responsible for U.S. Pilots’ deaths.

Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is the money worth the death?

I’m not at all aware of why Miller wrote this. I imagine his politics were, at this point in his life (1947), beginning to get more “communist-seeming.” I think he denied that he was and I don’t care either way. But, I need to figure out the why of some of his ideas. They are bold and feel subliminal at the same time. I know that his next play will definitely “look” anti-capitalist, eventually. I’m throwing buzz words around because I need to do more education on all of this stuff. Really, I want to read about Arthur Miller through some of his biographies that are popular. I know he is an important playwright to read. But, even with it feeling like an academic requirement, or like the precursor to All My Children—Wait! Is that where they got it from?! Damn, I’m good—this play is gripping.

My favorite scene is when Anne’s brother comes to pick her up. George is the kind of conflicted, tortured, angry, and edgy guy that I dream of playing. It’s such a good scene, and the relationship he has with Kate made me tear up. The suspense Miller creates is addicting. The way he describes characters as archetypes that feel real to me, in my imagining of an American town, that is different, but similar to my own. It’s an urban middle-class kind of vibe that is very real. You’re not exactly poor, but you know being poor so you’ll do anything it takes to keep your status. It’s amazing that he can marry this modern setting with such strong story telling. It’s also amazing to think that as the story unfolds, it stops feeling like a mystery, and reveals itself as a character study. Why did Joe do these immoral things for the sake of a business empire? How can Kate put up this? How could anyone deal with the guilt of knowing a mistake they made here killed people over there? At what point does denial stop working? I think at this level of my understanding of Miller, just the thrill of reading his dialogue is enough to excite me about this play, and his work overall.

I know, I’m scratching the surface still. Death of a Salesman is next. Man, I’m excited! I hope it wont take as long. Here are some great quotes from All My Sons, and thank you for reading:

Chris: For me! Where do you live, where have you come from? For me!-- I was dying every day and you were killing my boys and you did it for me? What the hell do you think I was thinking of, the Goddamn business? Is that as far as your mind can see, the business? What is that , the world-- the business? What the hell do you mean, you did it for me? Don't you have a country? Don't you live in the world? What the hell are you? You're not even an animal, no animal kills his own, what are you?

Jim: ...he'll come back. We all come back, Kate. These private little revolutions always die. The compromise is always made. In a peculiar way. Frank is right-- every man does have a star. The star of one's honesty. And you spend your life groping for it, but once it's out it never lights again. I don't think he went very far. He probably just wanted to be alone to watch his star go out.

Chris: Do I raise the dead when I put him behind bars? Then what'll I do it for? We used to shoot a man who acted like a dog, but honor was real there, you were protecting something. But here? This is the land of the great big dogs, you don't love a man here, you eat him!

Mother: You want to live? You better figure out your life

Rolling Ferro