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BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA April 16, 2020 All My Sons Arthur Miller

« The success of a play, especially one's first success, is somewhat like pushing against a door which suddenly opens from the other side. One may fall on one's face or not, but certainly a new room is opened that was always securely shut until then. For myself, the experience was invigorating. It made it possible to dream of daring more and risking more. The audience sat in silence before the unwinding of All My Sons and gasped when they should have, and I tasted that power which is reserved, I imagine, for Contents: playwrights, which is to know that by one's invention Introduction 1 a mass of strangers has been publicly transfixed. Author biography 2-3

Arthur Miller All My Sons - 4 Introduction & Context

All My Sons - 5-6 » Themes

Notes 7 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_My_Sons]

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Author biography

Arthur Miller is considered Street Crash of 1929, and had to Willy Loman, an aging Brooklyn one of the greatest American move from Manhattan to salesman whose career is in playwrights of the 20th Flatbush, Brooklyn. After decline and who finds the values century. His best-known plays graduating high school, Miller that he so doggedly pursued have include 'All My Sons,' 'The worked a few odd jobs to save become his undoing. Crucible' and the Pulitzer enough money to attend the Prize-winning 'Death of a University of Michigan. While in Salesman won Miller the highest Salesman.' college, he wrote for the student accolades in the theater world: paper and completed his first the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Who Was Arthur Miller? play, No Villain, for which he won Drama Critics' Circle Award and the school's Avery Hopwood the Tony for Best Play. (The Playwright Arthur Miller attended work, in fact, swept all of the six the University of Michigan before Award. He also took courses with playwright and professor Tony categories in which it was moving back East to write dramas Kenneth Rowe. Inspired by nominated, including for Best for the stage. He earned Direction and Best Author.) widespread praise for Death of a Rowe's approach, Miller moved Salesman, which opened on back East to begin his career as a Marriage to Marilyn Monroe playwright. Broadway in 1949 and won the Pulitzer Prize along with multiple In 1956, Miller divorced his first Early Career & 'Death of a wife, Mary Slattery, his former Tonys. He received more acclaim Salesman' for his award-winning follow- college sweetheart with whom up, The Crucible, which Miller's career got off to a rocky he had two children, Jane Ellen reflected his unwavering refusal to start. His 1944 Broadway and Robert. Less than a month cooperate with the House Un- debut, The Man Who Had All the later, Miller married actress and American Activities Committee. Luck, garnered a fate that was the Hollywood sex symbol Marilyn Miller's public life was painted in antithesis of its title, closing after Monroe, whom he'd first met in part by his rocky marriage to just four performances with a 1951 at a Hollywood party. At Hollywood sex symbol Marilyn stack of woeful reviews. Focus, the time, Monroe was Monroe. The playwright died in Miller's novel about anti- dating Kazan, who had directed 2005 at the age of 89, leaving a Semitism, was published a year Miller's All My Sons and Death of a body of work that continues to be later. His next play, All My Salesman. When Kazan asked re-staged internationally and Sons, was a hit in 1947, running Miller to keep Monroe company adapted for the screen. for almost a full year on while he dated another actress, Broadway and earning Miller his Miller and Monroe struck up a Early Life and Education first Tony Award for Best friendship that turned into a Author. romance. Author Norman Miller was born in Harlem, New Mailer called their marriage the York, on October 17, 1915, to an Working in a small studio that he union of "the Great American immigrant family of Polish and built in Roxbury, Connecticut, Brain" and "the Great American Jewish descent. His father, Isidore, Miller wrote the first act of Death Body." owned a successful coat of Salesman in less than a day. manufacturing business, and his The play, directed by Elia Kazan, 'The Crucible' & mother, Augusta, to whom he was opened on February 10, 1949, at McCarthyism closer, was an educator and an the Morosco Theatre, and was Later in 1956, the House Un- avid reader of novels. adored by nearly everyone, American Activities Committee The affluent Miller family lost becoming an iconic stage work. (HUAC) refused to renew almost everything in the Wall The drama follows the travails of Miller's passport, and called him

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to appear before the committee. created as they are in any other and personal issues that probed His 1953 play, the Tony Award- play in order to develop a the American psyche, though winning The Crucible, a coherent theme, which in this critical and commercial dramatization of the Salem witch case concerns the nature of responses to the work didn't trials of 1692 and an allegory human insight, of self- garner the acclaim of his earlier about McCarthyism, was destructiveness and violence productions. believed to be one of the toward others.'' Miller's plays have become reasons why Miller came under In 1962, Miller married Austrian American classics that continue the committee's scrutiny. Miller -born photographer Inge to speak to new generations of refused to comply with the Morath. The couple had two audiences. Death of a committee's demands to "out" children, Rebecca and Daniel. Salesman has had numerous people who had been active in Miller insisted that their son, screen adaptations, including a certain political activities and Daniel, who was born with 1985 TV version that starred was thus cited in contempt of Down syndrome, be excluded Dustin Hoffman, who also Congress. The contempt ruling from the family's personal life. starred in the previous year's was overturned two years later. The infant was institutionalized, Broadway revival. In 1996, a film Divorce and Marilyn's Death and Morath reportedly tried to adaptation of The Crucible hit bring him home as a toddler but theaters, starring Winona Miller and Monroe were married to no avail. Ryder, Joan Allen and Day-Lewis. for five years, during which time Miller penned the screenplay, the tragic sex symbol struggled Years later, actor Daniel Day- which earned him the sole with personal troubles and drug Lewis who married Miller's Academy Award nomination of addiction. Miller barely wrote daughter Rebecca, visited his his career. during their marriage, except for wife's brother frequently. Day- penning the screenplay of The Lewis eventually persuaded Death of a Playwright Misfits as a gift for Monroe. Miller to make further contact In 2002, Miller's third wife, The 1961 film, directed by John with his adult son, who had Morath, died. He soon was Huston, starred Monroe, Clark been able to establish a happy engaged to 34-year-old Gable and Montgomery Clift. life with outside support. minimalist painter Agnes Barley Around the same time Daniel's existence was unknown but fell into ill health before they as The Misfits release, Monroe to most of the public until after could walk down the aisle. On and Miller divorced. Miller's death. February 10, 2005, the 56th Monroe died the following year, Other Works anniversary of Death of a and Miller's controversial 1964 Salesman's Broadway debut, Miller's other plays include A drama After the Fall was believed Miller died of heart failure at his View From the to have been partially inspired by home in Roxbury, Connecticut, Bridge (1955), Incident at their relationship. Miller was surrounded by Barley, family and Vichy (1964), The criticized for capitalizing on his friends. He was 89 years old. Price (1968), The Creation of the marriage to Monroe so soon World and Other [https://www.biography.com/ after her death, although the Business (1972), The American writer/arthur-miller] playwright denied this. Miller Clock (1980) and Broken responded to his critics by Glass (1994). saying: ''The play is a work of fiction. No one is reported in In his later career, Miller this play. The characters are continued to explore societal

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All My Sons - Introduction & Context

When the young theater that stresses the 1947, the first night's notices playwright Arthur Miller began influence of the past on the were mixed--with the crucial writing All My Sons, he was present. exception of the New York Times, embarking on a project that whose Brooks Atkinson admired When the play was finished after would be either the beginning or Miller as a genuine new talent. five years of work, Miller asked the end of his career. His first As usual, the Times review his agent to send it to the and only play to be produced on swayed all the others, and All My director Elia Kazan. A former Broadway, The Man Who Had All Sons ran for 328 performances member of the Communist the Luck, was an unmitigated (quite respectable at that time) Party, Kazan had directed failure, lasting only four and won the New York Drama Williams's The Glass Menagerie, performances. A practical man Critics' Circle award for best and he would later direct the who had lived through the play of 1947, beating out Eugene genre-redefining A Streetcar depression, Miller decided to give O'Neill's The Iceman Named Desire and Death of a himself one more chance. If he Cometh (which at the time had Salesman (and would win did not have success with his been coolly received and would Academy Awards for Gentleman's next play, then he would quit the only become a landmark of Agreement and On the business and find "another line of American drama in retrospect). Waterfront). Kazan's career was work." tarnished in memory, however, Miller's success gave him financial In the meantime, Tennessee and his relationship with Miller stability, confidence, and the Williams had met great success was permanently severed when confirmation of Miller's identity with The Glass Menagerie in 1945, he chose to name names for the as a playwright. This success was a very personal and psychological House Un-American Activities necessary for him to take a risk play with poetic overtones. Commission during the Red with his next work, Death of a Miller's plays, on the other hand, Scare. But at the time, as a Salesman. are public works, with successful director with a talent [https://www.gradesaver.com/all- straightforward (though not for eliciting monumental my-sons] unpoetic) language, and which performances from his actors, address issues of the individual's and as someone who shared public persona and how people Miller's leftist politics, Kazan was act. But he learned from the perfect choice for All My Williams's success and set out to Sons. The cast included such write a more commercial play, a rising stars as Ed Begley (as drama that would "land" with Keller, later of Inherit the Wind), audiences, in the language of the Arthur Kennedy (as Chris, later Broadway business. He also creator of the roles of Biff chose to write a play in a realistic Loman and John Proctor), and style, a problem play in the Karl Malden (as George, later manner of Henrik Ibsen, evoking of Streetcar, Tea and Sympathy, a style he had not used in many and On The Waterfront). years. The work of Ibsen Luckily for Miller and for the influenced All My Sons structurally American stage, All My Sons was as well, for Ibsen had liberally a success. Opening at the applied the principle of Greek Coronet Theatre on January 29,

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All My Sons - Themes

Relatedness be corrupted and damaged by denies the first while accepting the actions and denials of its the second, and Keller accepts Arthur Miller stated that the issue individuals, a small-scale example the first while denying the of relatedness is the main one of the way individual actions can second. The result is that both in All My Sons. The play introduces corrupt society. characters live in a state of self- questions that involve an deception, willfully ignoring one individual's obligation to society, The Past of the truths so that the family personal responsibility, and the All My Sons is a play about the can continue to function in distinction between private and past. It is inescapable--but how acceptable ways. public matters. Keller can live with exactly does it affect the present his actions during the war because and shape the future? Can Idealism he sees himself as answerable only crimes ever be ignored or Chris is described by other to himself and his family, not to forgotten? Most of the dialogue characters as an idealist, although society as a whole. Miller criticizes involves various characters we do not see this trait in action Keller's myopic worldview, which discovering various secrets aside from his angry response to allows him to discount his crimes about the recent history of the the wartime profiteering. Yet the because they were done "for the Keller family. Miller shows how others define him by his idealism, family." The principal contention is these past secrets have affected setting him apart as a man of that Keller is wrong in his claim those who have kept them. The scruples. Chris decides that he that there is nothing greater than revelation of the secrets is must abandon these scruples to the family, since there is a whole presented as unavoidable--they the cause of practicality when he world to which Keller is were going to come out at some is faced with the prospect of connected. To cut yourself off point, no matter what, and it is sending his father to jail. Is from your relationships with through Miller's manipulation of idealism sustainable in a fallen, society at large is to invite tragedy the catalysts that the truths are complex world? If ideals must be of a nature both public (regarding all revealed on the same day. sacrificed, is there any the pilots) and private (regarding Whilte the revelations are supervening ideal or principle to the suicides). unavoidable, so are their fatal help us decide which ideals The Nuclear Family consequences. should be sacrificed in which circumstances? The reverse side of Miller's Denial and Self-Deception relatedness argument is his How do we deceive ourselves Business downplaying of the family as the and others? We select things to Keller argues that his actions nucleus of society. Somehow focus on in life, but do we also during the war were defensible as people are to feel a more general need to deny certain things in requirements of good business caring for others that is not drawn order to live well? What toll practice. He also frequently off by family obligations. What, does denial take on the psyche, defines himself as an uneducated then, is the place of the family in the family, and society? Two man, taking pride in his the larger social system? main facts about the Keller commercial success without Discussions of the family serve family history must be traditional book learning. Yet, his mostly to contrast characters' confronted. One is Larry's sound business sense actually opinions about an individual's death, and the other is Keller's leads to his downfall. This failure responsibilities to the family responsibility for the shipment is connected with Miller's leftist versus society at large. The family of defective parts. Mother politics and the play's overall is also presented as a unit that can

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criticisms (shared by some examples of the many instances Dream of healthy communities conservatives) of a capitalist of deflected blame in this story, with thriving families, whether or system that encourages and this very human impulse is not capitalism is the economic individuals to value their business used to great effect by Miller to system that leads to this happy sense over their moral sense. demonstrate the true life. Economic mobility alone can How could rules that govern relationships and power plays be detrimental--consider business be exempt from the between characters as they try George's abandonment of his moral norms and laws governing to maintain self-respect as well hometown for big city success. the rest of society? as personal and family honor. There is a rift in the Bayliss marriage over Dr. Bayliss's Blame The American Dream desire to do unprofitable Each character in the play has a Miller points out the flaw with a research, because his wife wants different experience of blame. Joe merely economic interpretation him to make more money Keller tries to blame anyone and of the American Dream as instead of do what he enjoys and everyone for crimes during the business success alone. Keller what will help others. war, first by letting his partner go sacrifices other parts of the [https://www.gradesaver.com/all- to jail. Later, when he is American Dream for simple my-sons/study-guide/themes] confronted with the truth, he economic success. Has he given blames business practice and the up part of his basic human U.S. Army and everyone he can decency (consider the pilots) and think of--except himself. When a successful family life--does he he finally does accept blame, after sacrifice Steve or Larry? Miller learning how Larry had taken the suggests the flaws of a capitalist blame and shame on himself, who has no grounding in cultural Keller kills himself. Chris, or social morals. While Keller meanwhile, feels guilty for accepted the idea that a good surviving the war and for having businessman like himself should money, but when the crimes are patch over the flawed shipment, revealed, he places the blame Miller critiques a system that squarely on his father's shoulders. would encourage profit and He even blames his father for his greed at the expense of human own inability to send his father to life and happiness. The challenge prison. These are just a few is to recover the full American

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