All My Sons

All My Sons is a play by Arthur Miller, first performed in 1947. Based on a true story, All My Sons tells the story of a munitions factory owner who is accused of producing defective engines for aircraft. The play received many awards, ran for 328 shows on Broadway, and has been twice adapted as a film.

This guide is based on the 2015 Penguin Classics edition of Miller’s Collected Plays.

Plot Summary

Joe Keller is an American businessman who lives on the outskirts of an unnamed American town, where he owns a munitions factory. As the play opens, in August 1946, he is reading a newspaper in his backyard. The previous night, strong winds blew down an apple tree that was planted to honor the memory of Larry Keller, Joe’s son. Frank Lubey lives next door to the Keller family. He arrives in the yard, having been asked by Joe’s wife Kate to make a horoscope for Larry, who vanished in 1943 while flying aboard a military airplane in World War II. Frank plans to determine whether November 25, the day Larry disappeared, was a fortunate day. Kate believes that the blown-down tree could signify that Larry will return.