Considering the marriages of: Joe and Kate, Sue and Jim, Frank and
Lydia.
JOE AND KATE KELLER:
- They have an amicable marriage and have been together for a
long time. There is love in their marriage, yet there are selfish
motives which keep them together. According to Stephen
Centolla, Joe and Kate are “uncomfortable together because of
their shared guilt and shame.”
- In keeping their secrets, Joe is over-confident and Kate is
anxious, which is the cause of much conflict in the play.
- They live in fear of bad news; about the death of their son and
the crime they have conspired to deny - the two becoming
inevitably connected in their minds.
- Kate understands Joe and knows deep-down that Joe is
responsible for the death of the twenty-one pilots and by relation,
the death of their son, Larry. Her nightmares are not so much
premonitions or re-enactments of Larry’s fate; rather they are
dark, shadowy summaries of the information she withholds.
- Kate appreciates all that Joe has done for her and their family
but at some level she also resents him for tearing the family
apart in his chase of wealth.
- However, she chooses to be plagued with nightmares and
believing that her son is alive rather than revealing the true
involvement of Joe in the crime. This is purely for selfish
reasons, as she knows the social impact it will have on their
family.
- She connects Joe’s crime and Larry’s death in her mind,
resolutely certain that if Joe’s true involvement comes to light, it’ll
establish Larry’s death.
, - Joe let Kate blindly believe that Larry was alive for three years -
knowing that her baseless belief brought her nothing but
sleepless nights and nightmares. But he let her believe because
he knew that her losing faith would be the beginning of the
unravelling of his carefully crafted web of lies. He is concerned
for her well-being as he doesn’t know what the repercussions of
her realising the abject truth would be. But he is also worried that
if she comes to terms with Larry’s death, she won’t protect his
secret any longer.
- Their marriage doesn’t have much communication and
compassion. One can assume that they loved each other during
their youth, but that love has faded and has been replaced by
lies and corruption. Joe’s web of lies and Kate’s cloak of
delusions keeps them tied together. They are willing to live like
this purely for the selfish desire of self-preservation.
- Miller describes Joe as kind of a dolt, but not Kate. She is clever
and witty and she is clearly the strategist in their relationship. Joe
constantly turns to her for advice, and she can offer it even in the
face of abject tragedy. (Not considering the questionability of her
advice.)
- They don’t really communicate as one would expect a husband
and wife to communicate but they make up for it somewhat by
having a deep level of understanding which encompasses their
moral failings.
SUE AND JIM BAYLISS
- They got together when Jim was an intern as a medical
researcher and Sue was a nurse. They lived together on her
salary and in Sue’s own words, Jim felt as though he “owed her
something” and “you can never owe someone without resenting
them.”
Lydia.
JOE AND KATE KELLER:
- They have an amicable marriage and have been together for a
long time. There is love in their marriage, yet there are selfish
motives which keep them together. According to Stephen
Centolla, Joe and Kate are “uncomfortable together because of
their shared guilt and shame.”
- In keeping their secrets, Joe is over-confident and Kate is
anxious, which is the cause of much conflict in the play.
- They live in fear of bad news; about the death of their son and
the crime they have conspired to deny - the two becoming
inevitably connected in their minds.
- Kate understands Joe and knows deep-down that Joe is
responsible for the death of the twenty-one pilots and by relation,
the death of their son, Larry. Her nightmares are not so much
premonitions or re-enactments of Larry’s fate; rather they are
dark, shadowy summaries of the information she withholds.
- Kate appreciates all that Joe has done for her and their family
but at some level she also resents him for tearing the family
apart in his chase of wealth.
- However, she chooses to be plagued with nightmares and
believing that her son is alive rather than revealing the true
involvement of Joe in the crime. This is purely for selfish
reasons, as she knows the social impact it will have on their
family.
- She connects Joe’s crime and Larry’s death in her mind,
resolutely certain that if Joe’s true involvement comes to light, it’ll
establish Larry’s death.
, - Joe let Kate blindly believe that Larry was alive for three years -
knowing that her baseless belief brought her nothing but
sleepless nights and nightmares. But he let her believe because
he knew that her losing faith would be the beginning of the
unravelling of his carefully crafted web of lies. He is concerned
for her well-being as he doesn’t know what the repercussions of
her realising the abject truth would be. But he is also worried that
if she comes to terms with Larry’s death, she won’t protect his
secret any longer.
- Their marriage doesn’t have much communication and
compassion. One can assume that they loved each other during
their youth, but that love has faded and has been replaced by
lies and corruption. Joe’s web of lies and Kate’s cloak of
delusions keeps them tied together. They are willing to live like
this purely for the selfish desire of self-preservation.
- Miller describes Joe as kind of a dolt, but not Kate. She is clever
and witty and she is clearly the strategist in their relationship. Joe
constantly turns to her for advice, and she can offer it even in the
face of abject tragedy. (Not considering the questionability of her
advice.)
- They don’t really communicate as one would expect a husband
and wife to communicate but they make up for it somewhat by
having a deep level of understanding which encompasses their
moral failings.
SUE AND JIM BAYLISS
- They got together when Jim was an intern as a medical
researcher and Sue was a nurse. They lived together on her
salary and in Sue’s own words, Jim felt as though he “owed her
something” and “you can never owe someone without resenting
them.”
