“All My Sons” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” Major Themes

by Amanda LaMay

“Lie and lie at length”

Small business owners work tirelessly to be successful. For most, that effort is to benefit their families, providing financial peace of mind. But money and family rarely have a smooth relationship. That makes “All My Sons” and, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” particularly good theatricals to appeal with business owners and their families. They face struggles just like those blown up and dramatized in the plays, where capitalism and society end up causing great harm to families. Business people especially will engage with both plays’ exploration into the complications of money in family, the legacy of a broken home, and the priority of saving face.

These 50s revivals are perfect for the entrepreneur market, many of whom sink or swim by their public image just like characters in the plays. The Joe Keller character grapples with image issues at length in Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons.” It centers on Joe who believes that “earning money and reputation is the best thing he can pass along to his children (Werden 77).” Such beliefs seduce him to a little bit of wrongdoing when he faces possible financial ruin. His rationale “what could I do? I’m in business,” voice how easily people will cave to the cutthroat world of making money, where a bit of wrong often means a lot of cash. Justifying to himself how little harm would likely come of it, he makes the unethical choice, and in actuality, the worst possible harm results.

   Joe is like most people. He believes his own “goodness” despite acting reprehensibly, and cares more about seeming upright than being so. Human nature compels us all to seek approval, and these plays, at their very heart, are stories of people doing everything they can to be accepted. Broken families at the core, they desperately pretend everything’s okay, and maintaining that appearance requires them all to lie, and lie at length…..complete discussion