Responsibility

Chris: "Everything was being destroyed, see, but it seemed to me that one new thing was made. A kind of...responsibility. Man for man"(Miller 31)

In this quote, you can tell that Chris had the up most respect for all of the soldiers that he was at war with because they all took responsibility for one another and for another’s actions. He completely admires this responsibility because the soldiers were all willing to risk their lives for one another and sacrifice themselves, due to a special connection they had with each other. These actions displayed by the soldiers move Chris, because he is able to see what it is actually like for people to take upon responsibility for one another. Due to the situation between his father and Ann’s father, Joe did not follow through with his promise of taking any extra baggage and shame that went along with sending out the faulty parts, instead no one takes responsibility and the wrong man suffers the consequences. But, the soldiers whom he fought with were so courageous that they were willing to give a life for each other while fighting for freedom, while, as his father was unwilling to take the shame of killing men to keep his family together.

Chris: "I felt wrong to be alive, to open the bank book, to drive the new car, to see the new refrigerator. I mean you can take those things out of a war, but when you drive that car you've got to know that it came out of the love a man can have for a man, you've got to be a little better because of that." (Miller 31)

This quote shows how Chris’ extreme guilt from leaving the war. He believes that he should have been one to die, not others, because of the great life that he is living back home. While those whom are still in war are suffering and taking responsibility for the actions of others and died due to them. A lot of Chris’ fortune has come from working in his father’s factory, which is the place where the faulty parts had come from and killed numerous men. Chris also feels guilty because he feels as though he should be the one taking the responsibility from his father’s action, because he was one to face war up close and can understand how much responsibility and courage it takes to fight and die for one another.

Sue: "Who is he to ruin a man's life? Everyone knows Joe pulled a fast one to get out of jail"(Miller 38)

Sue Bayliss is a true believer that Joe was indeed responsible for the deaths of the soldiers and the crashes of the airplanes. She feels as though he should be suffering the consequences just like Steve is, being in jail, if that she believes, that Joe should be the only one in jail due to it being his decision to ship the parts, while as Steve had no choice but to do so. If Joe were anything like the man earlier in the play, who said he was going to take full and complete responsibility if when the sent the faulty parts was to backfire, he would be the jail and would probably feel better about himself knowing that he did what he said he was to do, face the consequences and took the responsibility upon his family by protecting them, like the family oriented man he is.

"George: [...] 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." (Miller 46)

Here, Chris and George are talking about what they exactly believe happened with the faulty plane parts. Steve Deever ended up in jail due to the failed responsibility of his co-worker Joe. Joe had promised to take responsibility for the parts if they were to get caught, but he didn't. He faked being sick so he didn't have to own up to anything. This was wrong of him because he made a promise and then broke it. George is upset because all himself sticks his father in prison and Joe got a “free pass”, but he should have taken complete responsibility for his actions and come clean about the parts and his decision to ship them due to the sake of the business and his family.