Miller's play is very similar with respect to its main theme. Joe Keller also makes an economical decision at one point in his life: being in charge of the military equipment of the Air Force planes during the Second World War he provides the army with 121 defective cracked cylinder heads. As a result, twenty one of the planes crash and all the pilots die. Thus, faithful to the American Dream of prosperity and wary of his family's finances, Joe knowingly ignores the possible consequences of his act. Years after this tragedy, Joe is still in denial, refusing to acknowledge any personal responsibility or guilt. Thus, the structure of the play is almost identical with that of the short story previously discussed. Joe refuses to take responsibility in two situations, not just one: first for the pilots, and then for the death of his own son, Larry who commits suicide out of shame for his father's immoral act. The self-interest and selfishness are also present in Miller's play. Relatedness is also present: the man and wife relationship was the main issue in the short story, here that between father and son is the central one. The weight of Joe's guilt is so great that it cannot be admitted by himself or his wife; it is almost the equivalent of a father killing his son: "As long as you live, that boy is alive. God does not let a son be killed by his father."(Miller, 75) the responsibility is even greater when the meaning of the title is disclosed: not only is Joe guilty for the death of his son, but he is also responsible for the death of the other pilots, who were all the sons of someone: "I think to him they were all my sons."(Miller, 79) Thus, moral responsibility is held...
In both texts, the wrong performed by the main characters is not an open, direct crime, but one committed out of self-indulgence and the refusal to take responsibility.
In Long Time since Yesterday, P.J. Gibson analyzes the lives of five accomplished Afro-American women, who reunite after many years at the death of their suicidal friend, Janeen. Just as in Miller's play, the atonement for guilt is no less than suicide. The annihilation of the self is the only way towards redemption. Janeen, is hooked on the past, unable to accept her own "yesterdays": "Janeen: I ask myself if I've lived, if I ever felt anything and... The times I felt, truly enjoyed... seems so long ago, those yeserdays.... Those were the good times."(Gibson, 24) Thus, in all the three stories, the protagonists are faced with the dilemma of having to choose between that which is logical and economical and the moral principles. The resolution of the conflict comes about only when the moral order is reestablished and the guilty persons finally take responsibility.
Works Cited
Hammond, Susan Hazen. The Kidnapped Wife and the Dream Helper.
Gibson, P.J. Long Time Since Yesterday. New York: Samuel French, 1985.
Miller, Arthur. All My Sons. New York: The Modern Library, 1987.
