Blog Question #1

In the play All My Sons, it is necessary for many of the characters to make life-altering decisions between family and society. Joe Keller is forced to choose whether or not to send out cracked cylinder heads. Sending them out would keep business running as usual, but would result in the crashing of airplanes. Not sending them out, however, would create a good moral standard for his children, but would halt business significantly. Keller chooses to send out the cylinder heads. He chose the greater society over his family.

Personally, I think it depends on the context of the situation whether or not family is greater than the society. If you know for a fact that your family is a clan of mass-murderers stalking and killing random people, then it's obviously a good thing to turn them in. It wouldn't be easy since they're your family, but it would be a good thing. However, if you knew that one of your parents was beating your sibling, choosing whether or not to turn them in would be an even more strenuous decision to make. What good does turning in a parent do for the greater society in that situation? The doubts go on and on, and it could eventually result either way. Overall, I think that family is extremely important, but if they're hurting the society drastically, it's better to think of society first.