All My Sons by Arthur Miller (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of All My Sons with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of All My Sons by Arthur Miller, an exploration of life in post-war American society. The play centres on the lives of the Keller family, whose eldest son Larry has been missing since the war and is generally presumed dead, although his mother Kate refuses to abandon hope that he is still alive. Meanwhile, Joe Keller, her husband, is struggling with a secret he has carried since his business partner was arrested and sent to prison during the war, and these tensions eventually come to a head when their younger son, Chris, declares his intention to marry Larry’s ex-girlfriend Ann – the daughter of Joe’s jailed ex-colleague. Arthur Miller is considered one of the most influential dramatists of the 20th century, and All My Sons was one of his best-known plays. It remains popular today, and new productions of the play are frequently performed.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:

• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Apr 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9782808016599

Book preview

AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHT

Born in Harlem, New York City in 1915.

Died in Roxbury, Connecticut in 2005.

Notable works:

Death of a Salesman (1949), play

The Crucible (1953), play

A View from the Bridge (1955, revised 1956), play

Arthur Miller is one of the most celebrated figures in the world of 20th-century drama, and his four major works remain a part of the theatrical canon across the globe. Born into a modestly wealthy home in New York, Miller supported himself early in his career with work writing radio plays and at other menial jobs; he was in his early 30s before he reached his current level of renown with the play All My Sons. His life was marked by a certain degree of celebrity, having been called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee at the height of McCarthyism and having been married tumultuously to Marilyn Monroe (American actress, 1926-1962). The troubles that plagued their relationship were chronicled in his 1968 play The Price.

Despite having written only 17 plays throughout his career, none of which matched the success of his early, now canonical works, Miller enjoyed a long and multi-faceted career as an essayist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Throughout his life, Miller’s works never strayed far from the concerns that first brought him to the stage: he continued to question the rising tides of nationalism, xenophobia, and modernisation in his post-war country, and his eye remained ever-fixed on the average person fighting for a small, dignified life even in worlds of chaos.

A POST-WAR