Question 2
Either
A: In what ways and with what effects is the Keller home presented as a 'Jailhouse'?
- The first and most palpable sense of this is in the exchanges between Joe and Bert in Act One. Joe has presented the fantasy that the basement/ cellar of his house is a jail and that Bert and his friends should be vigilant in their pursuit of law- breakers. The ironies are clear but this is all part of Joe's strategy to play a convincing role as a good community member. Has he convinced himself of this or anyone else?
- Kate hates the whole performance: why and is she right to do so?
- Both Joe and Kate have imprisoned themselves in delusion: that Joe isn't suspected of guilt, which he is; and Kate into believing that Larry is alive and will be returning.
- More complex than either, Chris is imprisoned by his mission to believe his father is innocent but is emasculated and finally exposed by George as a failure in this.
- Jim, who admires Chris's idealistic altruism and aspires to something of the same, is imprisoned by Sue's ambitions for money and affluent material status.
Or
B: How does Miller develop the dramatic tensions here and which character of the three evokes the greatest sympathy in you?
George So Joe told him...... on the phone he told him to weld, cover up the cracks in any way he could, and ship them out.
Chris Are you through now?
George (surging up at him) I'm not through now! (Back to Ann) Dad was afraid. He wanted Joe there if he was going to do it. But Joe can't come down... He's sick. Sick! He suddenly gets the flu! Suddenly! But he promised to take responsibility. Do you understand what I'm saying? On the telephone you can't have responsibility! In a court you can always deny a phone call and that's exactly what he did. They knew he was a liar the first time,…
