This Student Edition of All My Sons is perfect for students of literature and drama and offers an unrivalled guide to Miller’s play. It features an extensive introduction by Toby Zinman which includes: a chronology of Miller’s life and times; a summary of the plot and commentary on the characters, themes, language, context and production history of the play. Together with over twenty questions for further study and detailed notes on words and phrases from the text, this is the definitive edition of the play.
As Miller’s first successful play on Broadway, All My Sons launched his career and established Miller as America’s social critic. A devastating indictment of war-profiteering, the play exposes the awful price paid by self-interest and greed fostered by capitalism. Set in 1947 in the Keller family’s home in the mid-west, a shattered apple tree stands as a reminder of the pilot-son, lost during the war. Joe Keller has evaded justice for his part in the deaths of pilots caused by faulty engine parts manufactured in his factory, but the family is unable to put the past behind them.