All My Sons: Plot Overview
All My Sons - Plot Overview
The Setting
- The story unfolds in the backyard of the Keller’s home in the suburbs.
- The year is August 1947, two years after the end of World War II.
The Characters
- Joe Keller - A self-made businessman tainted by a tragic business scandal.
- Kate Keller - Joe’s wife, still mourning the loss of her pilot son Larry, who was reported missing during the war.
- Chris Keller - Larry's brother, he has returned from the war and works in his father's business. He is romantically interested in Ann Deever.
- Ann Deever - Larry's former girlfriend and the daughter of Joe's business partner, convicted for the business scandal.
Act One
- Chris invites Ann to visit their home with the intention of proposing to her. Kate is not pleased as she believes Larry is still alive and will return home.
- Joe appears to have moved on from his scandalous past, where his company supplied defective cylinder heads for military planes resulting in the deaths of 21 pilots including Larry. A fact he denies.
Act Two
- Suspense builds when Ann's brother, George, arrives and accuses Joe of framing their father for the cylinder heads' fault.
- Joe maintains his innocence, but it becomes increasingly clear that Joe may have been responsible.
Act Three
- Ann reveals a letter written by Larry before his last flight, expressing despair over the responsibility of his family's company in the pilots' deaths.
- In the letter, Larry mentions his intention to commit suicide, which finally forces Kate to accept his death.
- Unable to bear the guilt and its consequences, Joe kills himself, leaving the family to grapple with the fallout of his actions.
Key Ideas
- Guilt and blame: The plot revolves around the blame and guilt associated with the cylinder heads scandal.
- Reality and Illusion: The tension between what characters choose to believe and the reality of their family's actions.
- The American Dream: Joe’s initial success represents the American Dream, but his ethical and moral failures lead to his downfall, revealing a dark side of this dream.