“I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing – his sense of personal dignity…..the underlying struggle is that of the individual attempting to gain his ‘rightful’ position in his society….” This statement, by Arthur Miller, means that when a person is willing to sacrifice his very own life for something or someone else, to protect or shelter one thing, it brings to mind what tragedy really is. Arthur Miller proves this point in his play “All My Sons.”
In the play “All My Sons,” the main character, Joe Keller, is a father of two sons. Everything Joe had done in his life was for his two sons, Larry and Chris. He raised them with much love and care, and taught them good morals and beliefs. He tried to be the best father he could. Joe believed that his rightful position in his society was to be a good husband and a good father. Yet he performed horrible acts to keep his family financially and mentally stable. The reason why he committed such a terrible crime was because he did not want his business to fail and close down. He believed that his priority was to support his family financially, therefore taking consequential actions to keep his business running. He also believed that if he admitted to the crimes that he had committed, his sons would lose all respect for him and that he would not be in his “rightful” position in his society. But when Joe’s first son is “missing in action” in the war, Joe cherishes his last son, Chris. He planned to hand over the business to Chris and give him anything he wanted. “…Because what the hell did I work for? That’s only for you, Chris, the whole shootin’ match is for you!”(215) “For you, a business for you!”(274).
The Essay on All My Sons Joe Actions One
The quotation "We are the cause of our own obstacles,' by Meister Eckhart is very representative of how life is. The quotation means that the problems in one's life are caused by that person's actions. I partially belief this statement because I belief that yes, your actions affect you, they also affect other people as well, causing problems for them that they did not bring on themselves. If I ...
Joe worked really hard at his business, and it was all for his son, Chris. He felt his role in life was to build a business that his son could take over once he got too old to run it. His love and hope for Chris blinded his ability to make a thoughtful and rational decision regarding faulty parts from his factory. This resulted in the death of several pilots who were fighting in the war. But the love that Chris received from his father blinded him as well, and so Chris strongly believed that his father had no part in those deaths. However, at the end of the play, Chris’ realization that his father was guilty brings about anger and resentment. The strong and powerful bond between father and son had been lost and the respect that Chris had for his father faded to disappointment.
Joe had lost everything that he lived and worked for. He had lost the one secure thing he laid his life down for, which was his last son, Chris. His sense of personal dignity had been lost, and his guilty conscience led him to commit suicide. This is the tragic feeling that is brought into mind when a person is willing to lay down his life to secure one thing to attempt to gain his “rightful” position in his society.
