AMS Superquotes Act 3

‘These private little revolutions always die. The compromise is always made.’ - Jim, p.74

the system always wins

futility of idealism

proleptic of Chris’s moral volta

diminishes and ridicules hope of change

‘You wanted money, so I made money. What must i be forgiven? You wanted money, didn't you?’ - Keller, p.76

must = modal verb of necessity, looks for purpose rather than morality,

functionality/practicality similar to Chris at end of play, passing on of corrupt ideology through generations as symbol of inherited evil in society.

evading responsibility by blaming Kate as a microcosm for society passing blame to dilute action

‘I'm a father and he's my son, and if there's something bigger than that I'll put a bullet in my head!’ - Keller, p. 77

insatiability

at the top the only way to go is down

proleptic

consequences of greed and incessant pursuit of the American dream

Keller dies small, afraid to end up like little man Steve who lives in jail

‘To him the world had a forty-foot front, it ended at the building line.’ - Keller (about Larry)

self-reflexive

moral myopia

Miller’s critique of individualism

changes in morality that happen during conflict

Larry’s life ended because of Keller’s building line

‘I have no strength to think any more.’ - Mother, p.76

she is surrendering to Joe’s fate

stopping being the maternal glue of the household

the reason she has been so exhausted us because of the strength it took to fight of the desire to avenge her son, trying to justify her husband’s actions in her head has torn her apart.

‘I’m not going out of her on my own. There’s no life for me that way.’ - Ann, p.78

societal expectation

patriarchal dependency on marriage

‘That’s your life, that’s your lonely life.’ - Kate (about Ann), p.78

intergenerational cruelty/ resentment

selfishness of older generation

pushing Chris’ future away to keep her family together

‘I could jail him! I could jail him’ - Chris, p.80

social responsibility

modal possibility, choice

flexibility of morality = superficial, Chris lends himself a higher level of purity in order to distract from his own faults

‘I was made yellow in this house because I suspected my father and I did nothing about it’ - Chris, p.80

evading responsibility like his father

hypocrite

blaming his cowardice on his environment, deflection but also representative of the influence of older generations on the mentalities of their children and the importance of role models

‘I’m practical now. You made me practical.’ - Chris, p.80

pragmatism and materialism

he has become his father - evading responsibility

‘This is the land of the great big dogs, you don’t love a man here, you eat him!’ - Chris, p.81

animalistic imagery - competition, violence, primal lack of responsibility, atavistic abandonment of morality in times of chaos and uncertainty

gruesome imagery in contrast to his earlier euphemistic language, he has resorted back to wartime savagery

‘This is a zoo, a zoo!’ - Chris, p.81

capitalism is animals in cages and Miller is on the outside laughing at them

prison bars

‘It’s dollars and cents, nickels and dimes; war and peace it’s nickels and dimes, what’s clean? Half the Goddam country is gotta go if I go!’ - Keller, p.82

joe = microcosm for America, saving them

comparing abstract to concrete to make sense of it

war and peace are small change to him, irrelevant because he has a successful livelihood either way

he only values things for their economic opportunities

‘Chris, a man can’t be a Jesus in this world!’ - Keller, p.83

a Jesus - becomes more about the defining actions and the journey a person takes to reach divinity - sacrifice, responsibility community and Joe rejects these principles, never fully understanding the depths of his hamartia

‘I can’t bear to live anymore.’ - Larry letter (keller reading), p.83

keller reading is proleptic

futility, depression

disillusionment with America

using Joe as scapegoat

wanting an aspect of certainty

‘Every day three or four men never come back and he sits back there doing business.’ - Larry letter (Keller), p.83

‘But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were, I guess they were.’ - Keller, p.83

‘The war is over!’ - Mother, p.84

‘Larry didn’t kill himself to make you and Dad sorry.’ - Chris, p.84

‘Don’t take it on yourself. Forget now. Live.’ - Mother, p.84