Minor Charactors Essay, Research Paper

There are many minor characters in Arthur Miller s play, All My Sons. For instance there is Bert, a eight-year-old boy, who visits Joe Keller twice during the course of the play. there is also Frank and Linda Lubey, neighbors of the Keller s. This couple bought Ann s house after she moved out. There is also Dr. Jim Bayliss and his wife Sue, who are friends of the Keller s. The

last minor character is George Deever, Ann s brother. Out of all of these actors only two of them have and important impact on the course of the play. They are George Deever and Frank Lubey. Both characters have minor parts, meaning they are only seen very infrequently. The reader only meets George in the second scene and he is gone by the third scene, and Frank is only seen very sparsely throughout the play. Frank Lubey is a very important character because of what he represents to Kate Keller. To Kate, Frank is one of the few reasons to believe her son Larry is alive. Larry was reported MIA during World War II, which was three years ago according to the play. Frank Lubey believes in the stars and fate and favorable days. He tells Kate through out the play that a man can not die on his favorable day. Frank sets out to find out if November 25th (the date Larry was reported MIA) was one of Larry s favorable days.

By the end of the play Frank figures out that November 25th was one of Larry s favorable days. When Kate hears that the stars are telling her that her boy is alive, nothing will dieter her from believing it. Though Chris, Ann and Joe plead with her to let Larry go, she will not believe it.

Frank s major part in the play was to make a horoscope for Kate Keller, in hopes of seeing if Larry could still be alive some where in the world. With out Frank Lubey making the horoscope, every single character in the play would be against Kate s belief that Larry was alive. Because Frank also agrees with her, Kate has almost solid proof, for herself, that her boy is alive.

Kate is a very stubborn woman because no matter what anyone says, she will never let go of what she believes in. Because Frank also believes, with Kate that Larry is a alive, Kate will continue to believe because someone else shares her belief. In any case, when arguing a point or a belief it is

easier for a person to have at least one other supporter. In this case Frank is Kate s supporter and because of his support Kate will continue to go one torturing herself until she dies.

Another Minor character who has an important role in the play is George Deever, Ann s brother. George is seen by the reader in the end of the second act. He is picked up from the train station by Dr. Jim Bayliss. When Jim returns with George, Jim tells Chris:

I asked him to wait in the car. Listen to me now.

Can you take some advice? don t bring him in here…He s

come to take her [Kate] home. You know what that means.

Fight it out with him some place else. Pg.401

George comes back home not only to get his sister back, but to confront Joe about his involvement in George s father s jailing. George comes back and does confront Chris and Joe. after George leaves, Chris question his father, Joe, who then confesses to his son that he was responsible for the shipping of one hundred and twenty cracked cylinder heads and that George s father was just following his orders. George has a major role in the play because he brings back Joe s terrible past which eventually pushes Joe to suicide.

Both of these characters, though minor, have very major roles in the play. With out both of these characters the play could not take that path that it needed to take. without Frank, Kate would not have been able to hold on to her hope. With out George, Frank s past would never been brought to the surface and Chris would never been able to push his father to his inevitable

demise.