Blog Question Response #2

In the play All My Sons there is one main character that has to make the immense decision of family over society, Joe Keller.  He is forced to make the decision between his sons future, and the lives of the pilots who fly with the parts that his company makes.  Keller decided that his son, Chris's future was worth more than the lives of many men in the army.  While Keller and Chris are fighting Keller admits, "Chris, I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you.  I'm sixty-one years old, when would I have another chance to make something for you?" (Miller 70).  Keller felt that his duty as a father was to create a better life for his son than he had.  Keller does exactly this, yet he forgets to show his son what is the "right" thing to do.  This decision is a very difficult one, yet Keller feels that he had only one option if he wanted to be a successful father.  In addition to Keller believing Chris's future was at the up most importance, he also thinks that his businesses reputation and success is more important than a humans life. While making the decision to send out the cracked parts he thought of his businesses future and reputation for each of the two possible situations. Keller, attempting to defend his decision tells "I'm in business, a man in business; a hundred and twenty cracked, you're out of business... you stuff is no good; they close you up, they tear up your contracts, what the hell's it to them?" (Miller 69).  Keller knew that if he didn't send anything that his business wouldn't make a profit, and the army would look to another company for their products; so he told Steve Deever, his partner, to weld the cracks and send them out anyways.  He did this so that his company could still make profit, even though it meant many men would die, and families would suffer.  Keller had a huge decision to make, and he choose to make his son's future better rather than making sure his products were safe.  Although his decision helped out his Chris, he wasn't happy with what his father decided. 

Keller was able to make this huge decision, yet I don't feel as if I can. The love that a parent feels for a child is like no other love in the world, and can sway and alter you ethics.  I feel that I'm not in the right position to make this decision because I have no children and I have never been in the terrible situation where I've had to choose between family and society.  I also feel that I'm incapable of making this life changing decision because I've never felt that type of pressure and I think during that moment you have to make the decision your random feelings and pressure can sway your choice.  In my life I hope that I never have to make the terribly hard decision of the future of my family over the well being of people I've never met.