In the play All My Sons by Arthur Miller, many of the characters are forced to face a choice between society and their family. By far the most obvious example of this is of Joe Keller. During WWII when he was manufacturing parts for the military, he chose to weld over the cracks in the parts. Later, when Chris finds out that he in fact did this, Joe offers the explanation of family to Chris. Joe tells Chris, "For you, a business for you!" (70). Joe believes that he can rectify the fact that his choice led to the deaths of 21 men with the fact that he did it to provide a comfortable living for his family. Another example of how a character must choose between society and family, is Chris' decision to take his father to jail. He is doing what society would condone as the "right thing" to do, but it drives his father to commit suicide. Chris is willing to break up his family in order to have a clear conscience, but his mother, Kate, knows what it will do. She says, "How long will he live in prison?- are you trying to kill him?" (84). Kate knows that Joe will not be able to live with himself alone in prison, and she ends up being correct, as shortly after she says this, Joe shoots himself. Throughout the play All my Sons, the characters must decide between the values of society and the lively hood of their families, and they must find a way to live with the consequences of the choices they make.
In our everyday lives, we too must make decisions like this. In my opinion, there are varying circumstances that determine whether or not a person should do the things that society condones, or the things that will benefit their families. Through experiences, our ethical code is revised and changed, gradually getting better and better. From this ethical code, a person must decide when to side with their family vs. society. An person must also take into account the consequences of their actions. When an action hurts others, like Joe Keller's decision to cover up the cracks in the parts, this action cannot be condoned by saying that it was done for family. One should not place themselves ahead of others, although, in our world today, that is the norm. In this way, we can decide when it is right to place family ahead of society or vice versa.
1 comment:
I agree with your veiw entirely, as i also believe that the decisions one makes depend upon the circumstances one is in. Joe Keller's decision ended up hurting people beyond his family for personal gain. I believe that this is the point at which society's welfare should be taken into account, which is an opinion i'm glad you share.
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